To Be Transfigured…

Pedro Gelabert

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John 1:14 NIV The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John wrote about seeing Jesus' glory but not about the actual account of the transfiguration; as it appears in the other testimonies by Matthew and Luke:

Mat 17:2-3 NIV There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.

Mark 9:2-4 NIV After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. 3 His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. 4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

The actual Greek word translated as “transfiguration” is metamorphoo, which is where we get our word “metamorphosis” from. It means “to be changed in form” and sometimes it can even include “function” as well. A perfect example of metamorphosis is what happens to the ugly and lowly caterpillar after it spins a cocoon: it is changed into a beautiful and majestic butterfly.

This transfiguration of Jesus was a glimpse into our own future metamorphosis. We too shall be changed into glorious creatures!

1Co 15:51-58 NIV Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— 52 in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. 53 For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. 54 When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory." 55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?" 56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

This is the hope we have in Christ: the transformation of our fleshly and decomposing bodies into glorious bodies like Jesus':

1 John 3:2 NIV Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is.

There are also some lessons in this transfiguration about our need to persevere in our current situation, that is, before we are finally transformed – while we are in the likeness of the caterpillar.

First of all, consider what Jesus could have done during the time of His transfiguration. He could have decided at that moment to end His mission and leave the Earth to continue to enjoy that glorious existence with those in Paradise – and eventually go back to Heaven itself. This kind of reminds me of an episode of "Smallville" where Clark Kent was caught in the phantom zone for a brief moment of time. In that zone he had lost all the powers he had on earth. He was like a “normal” person. He encountered many evil spirits that were able to hurt him in ways he couldn’t be hurt on earth, where he existed in a “glorified” form.

When Jesus became flesh He did not consider equality with God something to be grasped and made Himself nothing… (Phil 2:6-7). He entered a dimension where He experienced a loss of His former glory in some way. He was susceptible to all of the things we humans are susceptible too, except for sinning. In that way He was different. At that moment of transfiguration, while He was reliving His former glory, Jesus could have gone up to Heaven and call off His mission. It was His choice! Think of how He must have felt with the fullness of God's glory all around Him. But speaking to Moses and Elijah perhaps Jesus was reminded of the work to be completed. He was strengthened and encouraged by the visitation and transformation He underwent to be able to interface with Moses and Elijah.

Why Moses and Elijah? Moses because he was representative of the temporary Law God instituted (Rom 7:1-4), which Jesus was to fulfill (Luke 9:31). Elijah was representative of the prophets foretelling the coming of Jesus, preparing our cleansing to be able to receive the Holy Spirit of God (Luke 1:17).

Perhaps now He was now able to continue the work that needed completion for our sake and even for the sake of Moses and Elijah! If Jesus had decided not to continue even Moses and Elijah would not have any hope! They would perish forever!

It’s nice to be on the mountaintop, like the song says, fellowshipping with the Lord in all His glory. It is nice to retreat and be in a quite place and gather your strength; but we need to come down to the people below to do the dirty work. Jesus chose to come back down and continue -- thank you dear Lord! We need to follow in His footsteps and be strengthened by the fact that we will soon share in His glory!

I compare this experience to being in a dream and then suddenly waking up and realizing your back in reality. In the dream you are all powerful and able to perceive many things. In my experience I've been able to fly and know things without having to learn them, like knowing to play the piano and other instruments. I have also experienced in my dreams the coming of Jesus and what it was like being a father, forging very strong emotional connections before being able to experience them in real life. In my dreams I have no limitations when it comes to the flesh, except for being only able to experience things I have already experienced; but when I am glorified – I will get rid of the final limitations of the flesh for good and see Jesus as He is!

Let us not forget the encouragement we receive by Paul in 1 Co 15:57-58:

57But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.