This Sunday’s gospel is taken from Matthew 17:1-9. It reads, “Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. 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.’ And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, ‘Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.’”
This Bible reading is often entitled, “The Transfiguration.” It tells us how Jesus, before entering his passion, death, and resurrection, was transfigured in appearance after an encounter on a mountain with Moses and Elijah – two prominent figures in salvation history who were long gone – and of course, with God the Father himself. As the gospel tells us, his face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white.
In this form, Jesus gave the disciples who were with him – Peter, James, and John – a glimpse of the glory of heaven. St. Paul wrote that God dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim 6:16) while St. John told us that “God is light and in him there is no darkness at all” (1 Jn 1:5). This means that God is perfect and pure; in him there is no sin, defect, or stain. This was the reason why in the Old Testament, generally, unless God decides otherwise, anyone who sees the face of God dies (Ex 33:20). The person dies because the sinful cannot face the sinless. To the Israelites, merely hearing the voice of God at the time he gave them the Ten Commandments was truly frightening. There was thunder and lightning, and there was smoke on the mountain, so that they stood at a distance and trembled. The people even begged Moses to tell God not to speak to them again or they will die (Ex 20:18:19).
All of these things were reversed with the coming of Jesus. In Jesus, people can see the face of God but not die, and hear the voice of God but live without fear. Jesus tore the veil that separated man from God. Our Father in heaven gave him to us as the only way to come to him. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life” (Jn 3:16). The prophet Isaiah wrote, “He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities. Upon him was the punishment that made us whole, and by his bruises we are healed. And we like sheep have gone astray; we have all turned to our own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Is 53:5-6).
In offering his life, Jesus bore in himself the punishment that is due us for our sins, and in doing so, he gave us access to God. Now we can pray to our heavenly Father in Jesus’ name. We can enjoy fellowship with him in the Holy Spirit, and we can learn his perfect will and grow in his love through the teachings of Jesus. The transfiguration scene where the apostles saw Jesus’ face shining like the sun and his clothes in dazzling white was God’s way of teaching us who Jesus is. Using similar words heard during the baptism of Jesus, the Father’s voice was heard, “This is my Son the Beloved; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him.” Jesus is the face of God; he is God himself.