Holy God, send us your Spirit to give us a fresh understanding of the Scriptures this day. Challenge us and change our lives as we encounter your wisdom and truth, through Christ, your Living Word. Amen.
Gospel Reading: Mark 9:2-10
This morning, in our reading from the Gospel of Mark, we encountered a miracle—but unlike the others we read about in Scripture, this one is unique because it happened to Jesus himself. Most of the miracles, like healing the sick or raising the dead, involve others. But the Transfiguration stands apart as the only miracle that directly involves Jesus. That’s why it’s recognized as one of the five major milestones in his life, alongside his baptism, crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension.
The Transfiguration of Jesus is a key part of our Christian faith, so much so, that it has a special Sunday reserved for it each year. It always occurs on the last Sunday before Ash Wednesday, between the end of the season of Epiphany and the beginning of Lent. And that’s why the Transfiguration is a central part of our Christian faith, why we mark this special event each and every year. It was the first time that mankind began to understand the glory of God, as expressed through his son, Jesus.
This is what took place, “Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them.” This moment on that mountain, when Jesus’ divine glory was revealed before Peter, James, and John, offers a glimpse of who he truly is, more than a teacher or prophet, but the beloved Son of God, radiant with heavenly glory. It’s a key event that affirms his divine nature and prepares the disciples, and us, for the suffering that lies ahead. It reminds us that the path to the cross is also the path to glory. It encourages us to keep our eyes on Christ, even in times of struggle, knowing that his glory will one day be fully revealed to all. This is the story of the Transfiguration, a story that reveals who Jesus is, what he came to do, and how we are to respond.
Up until now, Jesus has been teaching, healing, and casting out demons. The disciples have followed, learned, and wrestled with who he really is. For the longest time, they failed to grasp that Jesus was the Christ, Israel’s long-expected king. They had eyes and ears, but they couldn’t see or hear. Just a few days earlier, Jesus had asked the disciples ‘’’But who do you say that I am?’” Peter answered him, “‘You are the Messiah.’” (Mark 8:29), but he still didn’t grasp what that meant. Finally, Peter recognized Jesus’ identity, but he failed to understand the nature of his mission.
When Jesus told his disciples that he would suffer and be killed, Peter rebuked him. Though Peter and the others had begun to recognize Jesus’ true identity, their understanding was still incomplete. Like the blind man who saw people looking like trees after the first time Jesus touched him, the disciples needed clearer spiritual sight. Jesus’ explanation of his mission didn’t fit with their expectations of the Messiah. Could he truly be the Christ if he spoke of his suffering and death, and called his followers to self-denial and carrying a cross? And if he is the Christ, could it be that their vision, not his, was the one in need of correction? On the mountain, God seems to give an answer. Jesus is transfigured, and for a moment, his divine glory shines through. It’s as if God is saying to the disciples, “Open your eyes, this is who he truly is.”
And what happened in that transfiguration is that Jesus was changed in his outward appearance. And this outward change made Peter, James and John see him in a different light. Jesus wasn’t made a new person, but his real person was shown to his closest disciples. The vision the disciples saw was the veil of Jesus’ humanness removed to reveal his divinity. This was the confirmation that Jesus was God revealed in the flesh.
So remarkable was this event that Peter talks about it in one of the letters he wrote to the believers in Asia. He was confirming to them the fact that not only was Jesus the promised Saviour, but he was also the Son of God. Peter knew this because of what he and James and John had witnessed on that mountaintop when Jesus was with them. This is what Peter wrote, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honour and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.” (2 Peter 1:16-18) And I believe that the last part of that verse gives us another reason why the transfiguration is one of the high points of the Christian calendar. These three disciples, Peter, James and John had actually heard the voice of God.
Up until a few days before the transfiguration none of the disciples, including these three, understood who Jesus really was. Sure, they knew he was special, they had witnessed his miracles, the healing of the sick, giving sight to the blind, the feeding of the five thousand with five loaves and two fish. And Jesus had taught them with a far greater understanding than any of the scribes and Pharisees, but they still weren’t sure who he was. Despite all they had seen and heard, they weren’t yet totally convinced that Jesus was the promised Messiah.
Most of us, like the disciples, have entertained doubts about Jesus. We have wondered, “Is he really Lord?” and “Must I really give my life to loving others?” Perhaps, at some time and in some way, God has opened your eyes in dramatic fashion, as he opened the eyes of the three disciples, to see Jesus in his glory. Perhaps now, as you turn your eyes to this story, God is opening them to see his Son. Through this story, God is affirming for us both the sovereignty of his Son and the command for us to take up our crosses.
With Jesus standing there in clothes of dazzling white, Mark then tells us, “And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus, ‘Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.’ He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!’” God confirms that Jesus is not just a teacher, not just a miracle worker, but the Beloved Son. The One to whom we must listen, trust, and follow, even when his way is hard to understand. The cloud reminds us of the presence of God in the Old Testament, on Mount Sinai, in the Tabernacle, and in the wilderness. Now it surrounds Jesus. The presence of God is not distant anymore; it is alive in Christ.
There are two other times in the New Testament when the voice of God spoke directly from heaven concerning the work of Jesus. One was at his baptism, when he began his ministry. There the words were addressed to Jesus himself: “Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” It is evident that the voice came to launch the ministry of Jesus.
The other time occurs in John’s Gospel, just before the crucifixion in Jerusalem. Jesus was speaking of having completed the work which the Father had given him to do, and said in prayer to the Father, “Glorify thy name.” And God said, “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again,” referring to the cross immediately to follow. There the voice of God came to complete the testimony of the life and ministry of Jesus.
Mark concludes his story of the Transfiguration with these words, “Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.” The mountaintop experience doesn’t last. Jesus leads them back down into the valley, toward suffering, rejection, and eventually, the cross. But this is important, the glory of the Transfiguration is not the end, it points us forward to the greater glory of the resurrection, which comes through the suffering of the cross.
The Transfiguration reminds us of Jesus’ true identity. He is more than we imagined, radiant in glory, beloved of the Father, and destined for the cross. And he invites us to follow him, not just to the mountaintop, but into the valleys, the hardships, and ultimately, into resurrection life. So let us hear again the voice of God: “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to Him.”
And so, as we come down from the mountain with Jesus and the disciples, we carry with us a glimpse of glory—a revelation of who Jesus truly is. On that high place, the disciples saw Jesus not just as a teacher or miracle-worker, but as the radiant Son of God, clothed in divine splendor, standing in the company of Moses and Elijah.
But the vision was not meant to be preserved on a mountaintop or captured in a tent. It was meant to prepare the disciples, and us, for the valley below. For the journey toward the cross. The glory they witnessed would only make sense in light of the suffering to come, and the resurrection that would follow.
Jesus told them to keep silent until after he had risen, because only then could they truly understand what they had seen. In the same way, we may not always understand what God is doing in our lives in the moment—but through faith, and in the light of the resurrection, all things begin to make sense.
So let us not seek to stay on the mountain but follow Jesus into the world. Let us listen to him, as the voice from the cloud commanded. And let us trust that the One who shines with heaven’s glory also walks with us in every valley—that the Jesus of transfiguration is also the Jesus of compassion, of suffering, of victory.
May we go from this place, not with fear, but with faith. Not with confusion, but with confidence. For we have seen God’s glory, and we have heard his voice: “This is my Son, the Beloved. Listen to him.”
Let us Pray:
Radiant and Holy God,
We thank you for the glimpse of glory we have seen in Jesus, the light that shines on the mountaintop and walks with us through the valley. In moments of awe, remind us who Christ truly is: your beloved Son, our Saviour, full of grace and truth.
Help us, Lord, not to cling to the mountaintop, but to follow Jesus faithfully wherever he leads, even when the path is hard, even when we do not fully understand. Give us ears to listen, hearts to trust, and lives that reflect your light to the world.
As we leave this place, may we go with renewed vision, strengthened by your presence, and empowered by the hope of the resurrection. In the name of Jesus, we pray. Amen.