Transfigured
Dear ponderer,
In the future, I hope to begin writing weekly posts to put out on Friday, almost like columns, of 300-500 words—more bite sizes—looking at an issue from the past week, or another topic I may have been thinking about, books I’ve been reading, or movies I watched. Later on, I hope to write one or two longer posts, reflecting on theological topics.
Since I’m a chicken, and don’t want to commit to something like this quite yet, I will start slow, with a big topic: The Transfiguration of Jesus. This upcoming Sunday is the Feast of the Transfiguration.
What makes Jesus’ transfiguration a big topic? It’s weird, and doesn’t really make sense at first glance. Jesus takes some of his disciples, Peter, James, and John — his inner circle — up on a mountain, and then is totally transformed into light. In one account, the disciples are sleeping, of all things (why the heck would they be sleeping! What a tired bunch, I suppose), and wake up and wonder what they can do at this great event, with Elijah and Moses also making an appearance. For years I’ve wondered why this event takes place, especially in the middle of Jesus’ ministry.
What exactly takes place on that mountain? Jesus’ human body, for a moment, is overcome with divinity, the brightness of God’s glory. The veil hiding Jesus’ glorious brightness is opened and the voice of God booms from heaven, declaring: “THIS IS MY BELOVED SON; WITH HIM I AM WELL PLEASED.”
Jesus wants Peter, James, and John to just sit back, relax, and revel in the majesty of the divine brightness. Don’t say anything; only watch and contemplate the things unfolding before you.
It finally dawned on me a number of years ago. Jesus’ transfiguration is the goal for all humanity. In other words, his glorification is the beginning of the glorification of all believers (Rom. 8:30). The children of God will one day share in the glory of God, when we and the whole creation is transfigured into the brightness divinity. Our sonship will be made known, without a doubt, for Jesus will share with us his wonderful robe of glory, the brightness of God’s majesty.
The slogan for my newsletter is “Journeying up the Mountain of God,” and I view Jesus’ transfiguration as exactly the end of the journey, when we see God face to face, because all our sins will be purged, and we will be so overwhelmed with the fullness of God’s glory — if that is even possible! We move up further and further to this wonderful vision, of seeing God in all his glory.1 But we remember, on the journey, the importance of sitting and contemplating. A big topic, like the transfiguration, needs time to percolate in our minds, in our hearts, and in our very being, before we ask, in similar fashion to Peter that awe-filled day, “What shall we do for you, Lord?”
As I was writing this, my wife informed me, from a book she is currently reading on Christian spirituality, that transfiguration is central to Eastern Orthodox theology, partly, I think, because of the reasons I am laying out, namely that the deification of all things is the telos of God’s plans.