Peter, James and John, who are among the closest of Jesus’ disciples, are invited to go with him up the mountain on this
occasion. The Scriptures give us the sense that he often went up the mountain alone to pray. This time he is prompted to ask them to join him, and it is significant that they are present to witness their friend and their teacher transfigured.
They (and we) are given an experience of who Jesus is, not only in his humanity but also in his divinity - a taste of what is to come.
We don’t hear how James and John react, but Peter is outspoken. He wants to stay in this moment of witnessing, beholding something so extraordinary and beautiful that the ordinary matters of life seem irrelevant. Perhaps we have had experiences that have brought us such joy and peace that we want to hold on to them.
And then they hear a voice from the cloud: “This is my Son the Beloved; he enjoys my favour. Listen to him,” and they fall on their faces in terror. They have had a direct encounter with God. It is overwhelming and beyond what they can process.
Following this was a very tender moment that we often skip over too quickly. Jesus came and touched them and told them to stand up and not be afraid. Whenever a person in Scripture experienced a direct encounter with God, they were told – “do not be afraid.” At
the Transfiguration, Jesus says it to them. He will say the same words to them in his appearances after the resurrection when they encounter him in his risen life.
And as they walk down the mountain, he tells them to tell
no one about the vision “until the Son of Man has risen from the dead.”
This experience seems to be not only an assurance of who Jesus is – but also a moment of preparation for Jesus’s resurrection and, ultimately, their own.
For now, it is something beyond understanding. Something unforgettable which indelibly is imprinted on them to be pondered, savoured and treasured within.
Think back on a moment when you felt God was very close.
As you remember that moment with God, what do you sense God saying to you in and through that experience?
Reflections by Annemarie Paulin-Campbell
