Mark 9:2-9 (NRSV)
Read Mark 9:2-9 on biblegateway.com
Verse 2Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, Verse 3and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no one on earth could bleach them. Verse 4And there appeared to them Elijah with Moses, who were talking with Jesus. Verse 5Then Peter said to Jesus, "Rabbi, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Verse 6He did not know what to say, for they were terrified. Verse 7Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice, "This is my Son, the Beloved; listen to him!" Verse 8Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them any more, but only Jesus.
Verse 9As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead.
Devotion
It is clear that the disciples were not very coherent about what they saw on the mountain. We are astonished to hear Peter launch into irrelevant talk of a construction project. Surely, physical presence is not the last word in useful historical reflection!
This is a great comfort to me, born centuries later. We were not there on the mountain to see and hear what is described in the text. One could even say that we missed out on the action. But this would be a mistake. The miracle of it happens again and again to us when the reality of the living Christ comes alive to us through the witness of the church. God's powerful Word—preached, washed, eaten, drunk, and shared—makes the transfiguration not just a past image, but a real recurring event in our lives. Through it, we too, in matters of ultimate significance, see Jesus, and only Jesus.
Prayer
Is it possible, Lord, that you are at least as vibrantly alive to us now as you were to those disciples so long ago? Help us to cherish you now. In Jesus' name, Amen.