The ideas are taken from a reflection in Culpepper’s treatment of The Transfiguration in the Gospel of Luke [The Gospel of Luke, 207-208]. He makes the point that over the course of the history of Christianity, mystics and saints have lived lives of disciplined piety in hopes of experiencing such a beatific vision of Jesus such as the three apostles experienced on the mountain top. But many of us have had moments we are unable to explain when we felt the presence of God, not on the mountain top, but in the ordinary of the day. Or perhaps in an extraordinary moment of life – a retreat, a graveside – moments when the nature of God is somehow just a little more clear even as it remains transcendent.

The Transfiguration is a moment when we, like the disciples, are witness to a singular moment in the life of Jesus – a moment that is, in its way, a composite of the whole Gospel. “In one scene we hear echoes of the baptism of the Lord, Jesus’ passion predictions, Jesus’ fulfillment of the Law and prophets, the death and resurrection of Jesus, and his ascension and future coming.” Echoing the baptism of the Lord, the divine voice affirms Jesus’ identity – a Lucan question leading into the pericope – and at the same time commands that the disciples are to heed Jesus’ teachings. Are there any more important words than these? “This is my chosen Son; listen to him.”

In the moment, what the disciples saw and heard didn’t seem to have made much of an impact. Perhaps they are just too flustered by it all or in denial about the prediction of his death. But at least they don’t withdraw from the struggles of their ministries searching for the next vision. However tentatively and without complete comprehension, they nonetheless follow Jesus off the mountain and take up the work of the Kingdom. Yet, there seems to be no mention of the experience in later scripture as one might expect from Luke as author of the Acts of the Apostles. There is perhaps one reference: “For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory, “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 1:17-18) Were they unaffected, or was it an event for which there are no words which seem fitting to describe the fullness of what they experienced.

And what about us? The challenge for us might be that we become absorbed in the quest for visions and mystical experiences. The scene of the Transfiguration answers the question for us as to Jesus’ identity: He is the Son of God, fully divine and yet fully human, whose full identity (for us) is realized in the Cross and Resurrection. Only in that light do we understand the character of God. And the events of Jerusalem leading to the Cross point us ahead knowing what God has done for us in Jesus, and, with that vision in mind, we too can, however tentatively and without complete comprehension, they nonetheless follow Jesus and take up the work of the Kingdom.

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