Luke 9:28-36

Metropolitan UMC, Indian Head, MD

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Luke 9:28-36

New International Version

The Transfiguration

28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure,[a] which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

Background

Luke follows the order common to the synoptic Gospels in the material leading up to the pericope. We read in all three Gospels of Peter’s confession, of the first prediction of the passion, of the summons to pick up the cross and the enigmatic prediction, “But truly, I tell you, there are some standing here who will not see death before they see the kingdom of God.” That prediction is answered by our pericope, in which at least a foretaste of the glory of the full kingdom is granted to three disciples. The story is heavily symbolic and is laden with allusions to and echoes of other stories both in the Old Testament and elsewhere in the Gospel of Luke. It must be read with a poet’s eye and ear.[1]underscored his true identity, this time adding something that would remove all doubt in their minds: “I am the one you sold into Egypt.”[2]

Notes area

[1] Stephen Farris, “Last Sunday after the Epiphany (Transfiguration), Year C,” in The Lectionary Commentary: Theological Exegesis for Sunday’s Texts, Volume Three, ed. Roger E. Van Harn (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2001), 358.

[2] Wilbur Glenn Williams, Genesis: A Commentary for Bible Students (Indianapolis, IN: Wesleyan Publishing House, 1999), 293.