Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain, apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus.
Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say for they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them. From the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”
Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them.
As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what “rising from the dead” meant.
Gospel Trivia:
(This account is also recorded by Matthew, but with a different intended message. If you would like to compare, click here.)
This is a fantastic scene: Jesus and his core group of Peter, James and John goes up a mountain, his clothes become dazzling white, Moses and Elijah (two of the most prominent figures in the Old Testament) appear, a cloud casts a shadow, and a voice from heaven is heard. Then all of these disappear, and Jesus is alone again.
What does this all mean?
The mountain is used in several places in the bible as the venue where humanity encounters God. Jesus’ garments become “dazzling white” anticipates the major transformation of the world in the “end times.” Moses and Elijah are what the Jews consider as “end-times” figures. The cloud and the voice reflect God’s overwhelming presence. We are not talking here of an “end of the world” scenario, but a time when God’s Reign becomes fully present in all its excellence.
But the key in interpreting this passage lies in Mark 9:10 which says, “As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.”
Jesus did not want his core group of disciples to associate his presence with the glory and magnificence they had just witnessed, but ALSO with the passion and suffering that he had to eventually undergo. This is in line with Mark’s larger message of Jesus’ death/resurrection and the Christian vocation.
This is the Christian vocation: we undergo our own passion and suffering, but we keep our eyes on the prize.
God allows us to have mountain-top experiences: a job promotion, a “divine intervention” on a special prayer request, and other such events that simply stir us to declare “ang galing talaga ni Lord!”
But Christian life is not just mountain-top experiences. In many cases, if not most, life is filled with life in the valley: a relationship torn by a deep hurt, a career gone awry, a financial burden made heavier, or a sickness that could not have come at a worse time.
Mountain-top experiences help us when we are in the valley. We don’t cling to the mountain top; that would be like what Peter wanted to do, which is to build tents. Instead, we bring those experiences to remind us that God is in control, in the mountain-top and in the valley.
Above co-authored with Sonny Santiago sometime in 2011 as part of a teaching exercise for the Singles Apostolate of the St. James Renewal Movement.
Reference:
- Nil Guillemette, SJ, A Kingdom for All (Manila: St. Paul Publications, 1988), pp. 11-13.
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