This coming Sunday the gospel reading is Luke’s version of the Transfiguration of Jesus. The question that begs for an answer in the Lukan narrative is: who is this Jesus? It is the question that Herod asks, it is the question that the people are considering; it is the question that Jesus asks of his followers (“who do you say that I am”). In the Transfiguration scene, Luke provides a framework that lets the reader know it is less “an answer” but more a revelation that will only unfold in time. Joel Green’s [The Gospel of Luke, 377] insight here is informative:

Luke’s transfiguration scene places a premium on the motif of sight. The “appearance” of Jesus’ face changed, Luke’s audience is invited (along with the apostles) “to behold” Moses and Elijah on the mountain with Jesus, these two OT figures “appeared” in glory, and the apostles “saw” Jesus’ glory. Clearly, however, this “seeing” is not enough, for Peter and those with him are able to witness all of this yet still seriously distort the meaning of these phenomena. From “seeing,” then, the narrative turns to “hearing” (vv 35–36a), after which, we are informed, the apostles told no one what they had “seen.” Luke thus works in this scene with an understanding that is common in biblical narration—namely, “unaided human intellect cannot grasp history’s significance. One who reckons to understand the past implies a claim to God-given insight into the matter.” The divine word illuminates; hence we may follow the narrative from the “seeing but not perceiving” of vv 28–34 to the “seeing and (beginning the process of) perceiving” in v 36. The whole scene is thus cast as a moment of revelation.

While Matthew is known for frequently and notably referencing Old Testament scenes and prophecies, it is notable that herein Luke strongly echoes the story of the Exodus from Egypt to the Promised Land. In 9:31 Moses and Elijah are speaking of “his [Jesus’] exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem.” The narrative is filled with phrases and images that echo the Exodus narrative: the presence of companions, the setting on a mountain, the explicit mention of Moses, Jesus’ change of countenance, reference to tents (or tabernacles), the cloud, the motif of fear, the clear allusion to Moses prophecy in Deut 18:15 – “A prophet like me will the LORD, your God, raise up for you from among your own kinsmen; to him you shall listen.” If the people indeed listen then they will experience a new Exodus to a new promised land, namely, the Kingdom of God, one described in the synagogue in Nazareth:

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (Luke 4:18-19)

With that in mind, it is also good to understand the sequence of key narrative elements. The transfiguration scene is composed of the following elements: (1) Jesus’ withdrawal to the mountain to pray with the three disciples (v. 28), (2) the transfiguration (v. 29), (3) the appearance of Moses and Elijah (vv. 30–33a), (4) Peter’s response (v. 33b), (5) the voice from the cloud (vv. 34–35), and (6) the disciples’ response.

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