Many of us have been changed by an encounter with someone or by some event, at times in a profound way. Such events in our lives are usually not as dramatic as what happened to Peter, James, and John, but they remind us of their experience. These disciples were profoundly changed by their encounter with Jesus during his transfiguration on the mountain. Something similar happened to Moses and Elijah during their mountain top experiences as well. All three stories have meaning for us today because they are about revelation and change through encounter.
The transfiguration of Moses, for example, takes place on Mt. Sinai where the Lord speaks to him and forms a covenant with the Israelites (cf. Ex 34). During this encounter, the power of God shines on Moses and he is transfigured. His face becomes radiant because God empowers Moses to speak on his behalf. Moses is to proclaim the covenant in terms of God’s patience and mercy due to his fidelity and boundless love for his people.
When Moses comes down from the mountain, Aaron and the others see the shining face of Moses, but do not recognize him. They run away in fear. Only after Moses calls out to them and they recognize his voice do they listen to him. They listen because Moses has authority to speak for God, and therefore they agree to do all that God commands through Moses. For Moses and the Israelites, this is revelation and change through encounter!
Centuries later, Elijah runs and hides on Mount Sinai out of fear for his life. He believes he failed as a prophet despite his preaching because the Israelites have rejected God. Now, they want to kill Elijah just as they had killed the prophets who came before. On the mountain, Elijah looks for consolation from God, but has trouble finding him. Then, Elijah hears a faint sound and knows he hears the voice of God (I Kings 19:11-12). God challenges Elijah to go back without fear to finish the work he had been given. Elijah agrees and returns to the Israelites as a courageous and faithful servant. For Elijah, this is revelation and change through encounter!
Peter, James and John also react with fear when they see Jesus transfigured on the mountain, but they do not run away. Rather, they remain steadfast in their faith and trust in Jesus. Such courage motivates Peter’s proposal to build three tents. Peter’s inspiration is the Ark of the Covenant used during the Exodus to house the indwelling presence of God.
Peter’s proposal shows that he and the other disciples know they are in the presence of God. As witnesses to the transfiguration of Jesus, they come to understand that Jesus is God made present. They also realize that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets, as symbolized by the appearance of Moses and Elijah. For the disciples, this is revelation and change through encounter!
The voice heard near the end of the transfiguration is an echo of the voice heard at the baptism of Jesus: “This is my chosen Son. Listen to him” (Lk 9:36; Mt 17:5). This declaration not only reveals the divinity of Jesus by virtue of his relationship to the Father. It also connects the two experiences of baptism and transfiguration in the person of Jesus.
This same connection occurs at our own baptism as well. In baptism, we are formally identified as the beloved of God and welcomed into his family. We are transformed into a distinguished child of God within our faith community. Our baptism is thus an encounter that reveals we are loved by God and formally called to love others in his name. For each of us, baptism is revelation and change through encounter!
Like the Israelites of long ago who had good reason for listening to Moses and his revelation from the “old mountain,” we too have good reason for listening to Jesus and his revelation from the “new mountain.” Moses spoke on the authority that God granted him, while Jesus speaks on his own authority. Jesus is therefore the Word of God that must be heard and taken seriously. When we recognize and listen to the Word of God, and allow that Word to transform our hearts and our way of living, we can expect nothing less than revelation and change through encounter.
There is a difference worth noting, however, between the mountain top experience of Jesus compared to the mountain top experience of Moses and Elijah. Moses and Elijah each went up the mountain alone, while Jesus took with him three of his closest friends. They were his friends because they had already come to believe and trust in Jesus. By asking them to accompany him up the mountain, Jesus shows that he likewise trusts and believes in them and wants to share with them his most private encounter with God. The disciples and Jesus go together as a faith community. In and through this community, the disciples experience the transfiguration of Jesus as the presence of God in their lives.
For us today, Lent is an invitation to “go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways” (Is 2:3). Our journey up the mountain to God’s house of prayer is one that we do not take alone, however. We journey with others in a faith community. In our community, the faith of others strengthens our faith, and in turn, our faith strengthens theirs. Together, we encounter the transfigured Jesus through Word and sacrament to become one with Jesus and one with each other. United in community, we come to know and experience the love of God, and we are lifted up and made joyful (Is 56:7). We are transformed into trusted companions of Jesus who longs for his faithful servants to share in his love and union with God. Life in a faith community is nothing less than revelation and change through encounter!
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