This coming Sunday is the 2nd Sunday in Lent. After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, 3 and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. (Mark 9:2-3) The transfiguration is presented as a theophany (a manifestation of God) which points to the powerful coming of the Kingdom of God.  The three key visual items are that “his clothes became dazzling white” – a description echoing the divine in Daniel 7:9 – as well as the appearance of Elijah and Moses, representing all the Prophets and the Law, the two cornerstones of Jewish faith. The “high mountain” recalls the theophanies on the mountain of God (Sinai, Ex. 24; Horeb, 1 Kings 19) where Moses and Elijah received a vision of the glory of God. Now the theophany is given to the disciples who will carry the revelation of Christ Jesus to the world.

It is also noteworthy that a cloud envelopes Jesus, Moses and Elijah. It was a way to prepare the disciples to hear the solemn admonition that was to follow. Mark presents the cloud in the style of the OT where such a cloud indicates the presence of God (e.g. Exodus 16, 19, 23, 33) during the Exodus. The cloud (e.g. appearing on the top of Sinai) served the same purpose as the tabernacle/tent that the people were instructed to construct (Ex 25-31). It was the meshkan, the dwelling place of God as well as (sometimes also) ohel mo’ed, the meeting tent for God with the people. It is a place that both reveals and conceals God’s glory.

The ones within the tent are those with a special relationship to God. In the case of both Moses and Elijah the glory of God served to vindicate their mission during their ministries in the wilderness. This is also the function of the cloud and the heavenly voice on this occasion. When Jesus began his mission in the wilderness of Judea the voice of God declared him to be the beloved Son, the object of his elective pleasure (Mark 1:11). Now on the wilderness mountain the voice is heard again, reaffirming the Father’s approval and confirming Jesus’ dignity as the Son, even in the light of Jesus’ revelation to the disciples of what lies ahead in Jerusalem (cf. 8:31). The cloud and the solemn declaration of the voice of God affirm the same truth: Jesus is the beloved Son of God, When the cloud lifted, Moses and Elijah had vanished. Jesus alone remained as the sole bearer of God’s new revelation to be disclosed in the cross and resurrection.

Image credit: Detail of “The Transfiguration of Jesus” by Raphael (1516-1520) | Vatican Museum | PD-US