The Feast of the Transfiguration occurs every year on Aug. 6, and it is so significant to the liturgical cycle that it supplants an ordinary Sunday liturgy. The moment of the Transfiguration of the Lord is so monumental in the revelation of who Jesus is and his place in salvation history, that we hear the same Gospel proclaimed twice each year – the Second Sunday of Lent and the feast day itself.
The focus for reflection on each Reading of the Gospel is slightly different from Lent to the feast day. In Lent we are drawn to the connection between the Transfiguration of Jesus and its proximity to the Crucifixion. There we consider how the two moments link and point to each other. The feast day allows us to consider the Transfiguration in apocalyptic terms and in a broader context.
St. Peter, although it might not quite sound that way, understands the moment that he is in as Jesus stands with Moses and Elijah on the mountaintop: “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While it is true that many who write on this passage (myself included) often depict the reaction of Peter as rash and missing the point, there is another very legitimate reading of this passage as well.
As Peter reflects on the presence of Moses, and realizing that Jesus’ appearance has been transformed, his thoughts harken back to the celebration of Sukkot, or the Feast of Tabernacles. The Jews would fashion tents that they lived in for seven days to commemorate the 40 year sojourn of their ancestors in the desert. At the time of Jesus the celebration had become associated also with the final harvest of the season before the winter set in.
Like all Jewish festivals, though, Sukkot does not just commemorate the past, it also points to the future. Each Jewish festival is eschatological in nature, indicating its fulfillment in time. In the writing of some of the late prophets of the Old Testament, the eschatological nature of Sukkot becomes more and more apparent. Jerusalem becomes the focal point, and the image of the Gentiles streaming towards Jerusalem, thus inaugurating the eschatological moment of history, takes hold.
It is within this framework that Peter wants to put up the three tents. He sees Moses and Elijah pointing to Jesus as the one, the one who will usher in the eschatological age. The Kingdom of Heaven is indeed at hand.
There is also a profound apocalyptic sense to this event. While all of the great images of the theophany at Mount Sinai are present in this moment, the Father now points to the Son, reiterating the revelation pronounced at the Baptism: Jesus is the beloved Son. “Listen to Him.” Without saying so, the image of Jesus as the Word becomes apparent. We listen to the word spoken by the Word.
The Father reveals now, not so much himself, but the Son. The Father has been made known by the two present here – Moses and Elijah. The Father now reveals the Son who continues to show us the Father.
But, like all apocalyptic images, this one, too, does not last. In an instant, all is as it was before. Jesus now appears the same, Moses and Elijah are gone. The moment is passed and never to be repeated. The effects of the moment remain. Jesus tells the disciples to remain silent and they reflect on this moment in the hearts. It should not be a surprise then that Peter, who here captured the eschatological insight, will shortly thereafter profess publicly that Jesus is the Christ.
If the transfiguration was a test for the three primary disciples of Jesus, Peter aced it. His insight here may very well have sealed his fate forever.
For us, this insight into Jesus points us to the cross, yes, but also well beyond the cross to the eternal triumph of the Kingdom of Heaven. The Father’s plan for our salvation is laid out before the disciples, and now to us, in the flash of a moment on a mountaintop in Galilee.
Father Garry Koch is pastor of St. Benedict Parish, Holmdel.