It is the time of the transfiguration,

a moment of exhilaration for your deliberation,

I’m pretty sure I’d think I was high,

if my friend began to transmogrify,

my respiration and perspiration might have 

reached a state of desperation,

as I processed this liberation and separation of my station.

I must admit that until my relatively recent runnings with the Episcopalians I knew, or at least remembered, nothing about the Biblical event known as “The Transfiguration”. Greek Orthodox traditions will often refer to this event as “The Metamorphosis”. If you want to read the story directly from the source, you can find it in the Bible at: Matthew 17:1-8, Mark 9:2-8, and Luke 9:28-36. Here’s the Jeff’s Notes version: 

Jesus says to his disciples Peter, James, and John, “Hey my dudes! Grab your water bottles, we’re going on a hike.” So they hiked, and hiked, and hiked, to the top of a mountain, but not just any mountain, a “high” mountain. Peter, James, and John are admiring the view when it suddenly seemed much brighter out. They turn around to see Jesus’ face glowing “like the sun,” and his clothes became “dazzling white!” Before they can decide if this is altitude sickness or the mushrooms they were snacking on just before summiting, Moses and Elijah appear in the clouds beside Jesus. That’s right, looooong dead Moses and Elijah (well… Elijah didn’t really die but that’s a story for a different day). Peter, not wanting to miss this opportunity to be the hostess with the mostest, offers to set up tents for everyone to hang out in and rest their weary heads. While starting to scramble for tent building materials, a “bright cloud” shows up, and a voice from the cloud says, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!” That’s it for Peter, James, and John, they immediately hit the deck, certain they are having a bad trip. Next thing they know, Jesus is tapping them on the shoulder saying, “Get up my dudes, no need to be afraid.” They get up and see only Jesus there, in his normal, non-illuminate, skin and clothes. On their way down the mountain, Jesus orders the disciples to tell no one what they saw “until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

In many Eastern Christian traditions this story carries more significance than does the story of Jesus’ crucifixion. As a westerner, it’s difficult to imagine an event could be more significant that the death and resurrection of the Christ. But there is something about the miraculous blend of mortal and divine on that mountaintop that has enamored so much of Eastern Christianity for the last two thousand years. 

How about the cameo appearances of Moses and Elijah, what’s that all about? The consensus among most of Christendom is that Moses was there to represent “the laws” and Elijah was representing “the prophets”. The glowing Jesus was then representative of a “new way” of navigating this world in which we live. A way that did not depend on strict adherence to laws, or the unnerving testings and preachings of prophets.

Why did Peter want to set up tents? The account recorded in the book of Mark claims, “He did not know what to say, for they were terrified.” So, maybe a moment of panic, or confusion? Maybe it had to do with hospitality, maybe Peter was a fanboy, since childhood, of Moses and Elijah and wanted to hang out with them for a while. I know if Prince, and Christopher Reeve showed up with Jesus at my front door, I sure as heck would be inviting them in for a visit! Tents were an important symbol for the Israelite people because of the time they spent in them on their 40-year journey across the desert. In fact, today’s Jewish people, and some Christians, celebrate something called the Sukkot, or Feast of Tabernacles which is celebrated in the fall and involves erecting tents to remember the importance of the tent to their Israelite ancestry. 

Perhaps some of you are saying, “What a minute, the Feast of the Transfiguration is celebrated on August 6^th, why are you talking about this in February?” This is a great question. The timing of this celebration varies across Christian traditions. Some celebrate it during their lectionary journey during the transitions of Epiphany and Lent, which is typically in February. And other traditions celebrate it on August 6^th. Why August 6^th?  Because Pope Callixtus III declared it so as a way to commemorate the raising of the siege of Belgrade (1456). Go figure!

What’s the moral of the Transfiguration? Bring your own snacks when hiking with Jesus! Seriously though, could it be to let Biblical readers know that there is something special about Jesus? That we would perhaps do well to live our lives as he did, with love and compassion?