Trinity Episcopal Church

February 22, 2009

The Transfiguration is documented in three of the four gospels, which makes it very important. In the 9th chapter of Mark, the first account of the story, we read about a mountain, a cloud, a great prophet, an Old Testament law-giver, and a voice calling out from the cloud. The voice says to the disciples, and to everyone else who would hear those words, “This is my Son whom I love. Listen to him.” This is a story saturated in first century Judaism, symbols, and tradition, and a little more.

The mountain is where people go to talk to God. Moses went there and received the Ten Commandments; Elijah went there and heard God’s voice in a whisper; and now Jesus takes his three closest friends up a mountain, midway between earth and heaven.

Two people appear with Jesus in the vision: the prophet is Elijah, one of the first to emerge out of Israel in the 8th century B.C. He was the first and represents all the prophets. The law-giver is Moses. He came down Mt. Sinai and gave the people laws to show them how to behave like free human beings (the Hebrews had been slaves for 400 years).

The Voice is God speaking, or a better translation would be God declaring. God saying "Yes! You are doing everything well. I am very pleased."

And finally, the Cloud represents the Presence of God, like in the tabernacle (the tent the Israelites carried through the desert), or in the Jerusalem Temple where the people would later worship. About three thousand years ago the high priest would burn incense in the sanctuary and mysteriously God would be present in the smoke (which is why we still burn incense today, not only to represent our prayers rising but also to remember our roots).

The question is, where do you find yourself in this story? Like any sacramental moment, when the mystery of the divine touches our mortal lives, what it all means is subjective, that is, it’s up to your interpretation. Is it just a legend? Is it just a first century promotional commercial? Is it a hallucination? Or is it true? True in the sense that what God declared on that mountain top 2 millenniums ago has changed the way you think and the way you live. This is my Son…listen to him.

Trinity Episcopal Church

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February 22, 2009