by Brett Manero
Today in the Latin Church is the Feast of the Transfiguration, when Jesus Christ manifested His divine reality to three of His Apostles. The Synoptic Gospels – Matthew, Mark, and Luke – record the incredible event. The Gospel of John characteristically does not record, and understandably so. John omits certain events and records others that are not mentioned in the Synoptics, having the written his Gospel decades later.
But there is a fourth book in Scripture that also records the event, and arguably a fifth. The fifth is the vision of the Prophet Daniel, over five centuries before the birth of Christ, of “one like a Son of Man” coming on the clouds of heaven (Daniel 7). It is primarily a vision of the Second Coming, but also partially of the Transfiguration:
Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And as he was praying, the appearance of his countenance was altered, and his raiment became dazzling white. And behold, two men talked with him, Moses and Eli′jah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep but kept awake, and they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is well that we are here; let us make three booths, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli′jah”—not knowing what he said. As he said this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silence and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen (Luke 9:28-36).
For the briefest moment, Jesus shows Peter, James, and John who He really is: the fulfillment of Daniel’s vision, God the Son incarnate. The fourth recording I mentioned is in the Second Letter of Peter, likely written decades after the event:
Beloved:
We did not follow cleverly devised myths
when we made known to you
the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,
but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty.
For he received honor and glory from God the Father
when that unique declaration came to him from the majestic glory,
“This is my Son, my beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven
while we were with him on the holy mountain.
Moreover, we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable.
You will do well to be attentive to it,
as to a lamp shining in a dark place,
until day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts (2 Peter 1:16-19).
What has also impressed me is Peter’s insistence on the reality of the event. He is not crazy, he is not lying. He gave up everything, including a comfortable life as a fisherman in Galilee, and possibly even his marriage, in order to follow and proclaim Jesus Christ. He had been through a lot in life – witnessing Jesus’ miracles, including the healing of his mother in law, as well as the pain of having denied Jesus and seeing the horrors of the Passion. He had also encountered and touched the Risen Christ, which is precisely why he and the other Apostles were willing to give their lives for the sake of the Truth.
Peter briefly but firmly mentions the reality of the Transfiguration. We all have events and experiences that we recall for decades to come, both good and bad. There are also those that are simply mysterious, and some which even may be supernatural, although we can’t be quite sure. But Peter is sure of the reality of what he, James, and John saw: God the Son revealing His true identity as God. He carried this truth all the way to his martyrdom in Rome under Emperor Nero in c. 66 AD, some thirty-three years after the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus.
This reminds me of the genuine historicity of Christianity. I don’t know how one can read this historical testimony from Simon Peter of Galilee and deny the existence of Jesus Christ and His identity as the Son of God. Christianity is real, alive, and reliable, just as Jesus Christ and His Church are real, alive, and reliable.
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