From Glory To Glory
THE FEAST OF THE TRANSFIGURATION
Today we celebrate and contemplate one of the most beautiful and mysterious accounts recorded in the synoptic Gospels: The Transfiguration of our Lord. Within today's Old and New Testament readings, two great themes leap from the pages: the themes of Glory and Light. We find these themes progressing both in type and meaning first in the Old Testament passage taken from Exodus chapter 34, more fully from St. Peter's epistle, and most fully in St. Luke's Gospel recording of the Mt. Tabor event. In a way, these themes progress from Moses to Jesus: what is revealed in the Old Testament is finally understood in the New.
Beginning at verse twenty-nine in the thirty-fourth chapter of the Book of Exodus, we learn that "When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God." Like Moses, Jesus took three men with him to the mountain, Peter, James, and John calling to mind the three companions of Exodus 24, "where Moses takes Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu with him as he climbs the mountain – though seventy of the elders of Israel are also included."
On the mountain, God gave the Law to Moses. Jesus, standing upon the Mount, is the Law's embodiment, for He is the Logos, the Divine Word and Wisdom incarnate, the true Torah in the flesh. Both Moses and Jesus entered the glory cloud of God (Ex 24:18) the Shekinah glory, the Divine presence as it descends upon the mountain (Lk 9:34).
Both men dwell in the glory of the Father, a glory irradiating from the Divine that shines upon Moses and causes his face to reflect Divine light, so much so, that he has to veil his face in the presence of Aaron and all the people. The eye-witness testimony of St. Peter's tells us that the glory of the transfigured Christ was, like Moses, also given to Him of the Father, Peter writes, "For he [Jesus] received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory." In a sense, the Father glorified Moses, but to a greater degree, he glorified the son. And this is where the significance of these two accounts begin to vastly differ: because Jesus is the greater Moses.
First, we learn from St. Paul's letter to the Corinthians that the revelation of Jesus Christ as the New Torah far exceeds the Old Testament Law. In fact, the apostle speaks of these two ministrations in stark terms: calling the first, the ministry of death, and the second, the ministry of the Spirit (which is the ministry of life).
Paul tells us in the third chapter of his letter to the Corinthians, "Now if the ministry of death, which was engraved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at the face of Moses because of its fleeting glory, will not the ministry of the Spirit be even more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, how much more glorious is the ministry of righteousness! Indeed, what was once glorious has no glory now in comparison to the glory that surpasses it. For if what was fading away came with glory, how much greater is the glory of that which endures!" (2 Cor 3:7-11).
The ministry of death was fleeting, but the far-surpassing ministry of life endures. Moses veiled his face for a time; his visage didn't glow forever. But the glory given to Christ is forever. Moses comes down from the mountain after having talked with God, with his face shining. However, Moses' light comes from outside of himself, while Jesus' light shines from within. Why? Because Jesus is the Divine Light. He is the True Light which has come into the world to give life. Hear the testimony of the beloved Apostle John,
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men." The light that shone from Moses' face could never have brought eternal life to sinners, and neither could the Law. Is this not what Paul tells us from his letter to the Romans? "Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
The light of Moses is eclipsed in the True Light of Jesus Christ, who is the incarnation of grace that leads to eternal life, "grace and truth came through the Lord Jesus Christ." All life necessarily bursts forth from the Divine light. Think of the creation account. First, there is light, and then life comes forth: the creation of time, the land and sea, all kinds of plants and animals, and finally, on the sixth day, the crown of God's creation, man and woman. Similarly, the son's incarnation is the beginning of the new creation, the coming of the True Light, Jesus Christ to regenerate dead hearts unto eternal life.
Jesus is light of light, very God of very God. Meaning, he is the light of life because he is God, the source of creation, and all subsequent life. And this is the truest meaning of the Transfiguration: that Jesus Christ is both man and God, and in him, the True Light has come into the world. This light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
The Transfiguration points to our Lord's victory over the darkness: the evil forces of this age and the tyranny death. In verse thirty, we learn from Luke's account that Jesus is speaking with Moses and Elijah of His great exodus to come. Luke writes, "And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem." The Greek Word for decease is exodus. In other words, they are speaking of Jesus' exodus to be accomplished in Jerusalem by his willful suffering and death upon the cross.
By his death, Jesus, the greater Moses, led the greater exodus of sinful humanity from the Egypt of death into the promised land of heaven. This he did by conquering the greater Pharaoh’s— hades and death— by the resurrection of his body. And upon the Mount, Jesus is transfigured, though briefly, into the glory awaiting him on the other side of suffering and death. He would not die in vain, but attain glory for himself and all who believe, through suffering. The writer of Hebrews tells us, "it was fitting that he [the Father], for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation [that is, Jesus] perfect through suffering (Heb 2:10).
Beloved, suffering, and death must precede glory. The final victory over death is won through sacrifice; enduring affliction, persecution, and suffering for the sake of the Truth; this was the way of Christ who not only lived a sinless life, but also never wavered in testifying to the Truth: that He is the only begotten Son of God and in Him, and Him alone, is eternal life. This is why he was murdered, not for being a good person, but for standing firm upon the revealed Truth of God. He was crucified for making the good confession.
It was by holding steadfast to the Truth that Jesus won the victory over the world, the flesh and Devil. He never wavered, never compromised, but proclaimed himself to be God of God and Light of Light unto the point of death. He was the faithful prophet, the faithful Israelite, the faithful son. His reward: resurrection, vindication, and glory. And in doing so, he has won the same for you and for me.
In the same way, we, the church, shall overcome the world and bring the nations from darkness into the glorious Divine light by holding fast to the good confession: that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and in Him, and Him alone is salvation. Not merely proclaiming Truth but in our willingness to die for it. The faithful witness of the martyrs has and will forever turn the pagan heart from worshipping idols to serving the true and living God (1 Ths 1:9).
Beloved, let us hold fast to our profession because if we do, we too shall be transformed from glory to glory. In the Transfiguration of Christ, we must see a glimpse of the glory awaiting all faithful Christians: the perfecting of our bodies and souls. That future resurrection-day when we who are corruptible become incorruptible, fully restored, and raised a spiritual body.
I love Matthew's description of our transfigured Lord who's "face did shine as the sun, and his (or clothing was white as the light." Jesus' garments speak of our own future. The Book of Revelation describes the saved as wearing white garments. They are white because they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb. "This means that through baptism, they have been united with Jesus's passion, and his passion is the purification that restores to us the original garment lost through our sin (cf. Luke 15:22).
Through baptism, we are clothed with Jesus in light, and we ourselves become light." Like Moses, we presently participate in the glory of God, though partially. Yes, in turning from sin unto Christ in baptism, the veil over the heart has been removed (as St. Paul testifies), but we have not attained the fullness of the glory to come. St. Paul puts it this way, "And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another." From glory to glory: the beautiful yet sorrowful journey of the faithful.
My friends, in the darker days remember that the light of Christ has shone into your heart. The Dayspring from on High has visited us. The True Light has come into the world to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace. And this light illuminates the path to glory. And this is the path to glory: by holding fast to the confession of the Truth, neither turning to the left nor to the right, but following the commandments of our God. "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; listen to Him."
Beloved, Jesus shows us that each and every faithful son and daughter will forever bask in the glory of eternal light and receive the Divine affirmation of the Father's love. But we must be prepared to be broken in this life and poured out for the world just as Christ was. There is no other way. And this is why we pray for God to "grant unto us such a vision of his divine majesty, that we, being purified and strengthened by thy grace, may be transformed into his likeness from glory to glory." Give thanks for the transfiguring of the Lord. For we not only need to hear of the peace, comfort, and joy to come, we also need to see it. We need to see with our own eyes what we shall be, transfigured and transformed into Christ's likeness from glory to glory. Amen+
