"Prophet Mountain High"

Matthew 17:1-9

The Transfiguration. The moment that Peter, James, and John go up a high mountain with Jesus and see him suddenly transfigured into a dazzling shining Jesus alongside the prophets Elijah and Moses. It is a shocking moment which gets even more shocking when they heard the voice of God speaking. They fell to the ground, those disciples, overcome by fear.  But Jesus reminds them not to be afraid.

Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah."


While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!" When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear.

But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Get up and do not be afraid."

What is this story, which appears at the end of the Epiphany season, supposed to teach us each year?  The Epiphany season is called the Season of Light. It begins with the light of the star over Bethlehem that the Wise Men follow to reach the Child Jesus.  And now, here, it ends with the light of a shining Jesus, glowing with the prophets Elijah and Moses in the moments before Jesus begins his journey toward Jerusalem and a cross. In fact, just before this story, Jesus has hinted at this certain journey he must take with the disciples, telling them that if any wish to be his disciples, they must take up their own crosses and follow him.  

It is almost as though Jesus needs this moment of glowing and the assurance that he is God's Beloved as he takes on the journey.  In the same ways his prophet Moses would have had in the moments with God on Mount Sinai when he is receiving the Commandments. God gives Moses the Law to protect the people, to continue to seal the covenantal relationship the Hebrews have with God. Jesus would have had so much respect for this leader of the Exodus, the leader of the Israelites, his people.  So, it's almost as if the moment of connecting on the mountain top is as much for Jesus as it is for the disciples.

Who do we consider transformative leaders of our own faith journeys? Who, just by knowing their story, inspires us to 'glowing' praise and aspirations to be similar people of faith?  What do we need from our own 'mountain top experiences' to connect us to our faith this Lenten season? Lent focuses more on the valleys than the peaks.... so why is this story at the top of a mountain today so valuable to us as we head down that 'lonesome highway' toward the cross?

Email me or comment below.