The story of the Transfiguration normally features on this 2nd Sunday in Lent.

In order to understand its significance better, we need to put it in its context. It takes place immediately after an important development in Jesus' relationship with his disciples. In the course of the first half of Mark's gospel, we see the disciples floundering as they try to understand just who Jesus is. It is as if, like a blind man, their eyes are being gradually opened. [See the story of the blind man being healed in Mark 8:22-26.]

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A high point

Then, one day at Caesarea Philippi, they reached a high point in that relationship when Peter, in the name of all of them, acknowledged Jesus as "the Christ", the Messiah and Saviour King long awaited by Israel. It was a moment to be savoured. It was an exciting moment. And, as the realisation sank home, they must have wondered why they, of all their fellowmen, should have been chosen for this special revelation. And what would it all mean for them? What kind of wonderful future lay before them?

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Shocking scenario

Just as they were thinking these kinds of thoughts, Jesus pours a large bucket of cold water over them all. He begins to tell them what is going to happen to him - the Messiah-King. "The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law. He will be put to death, but three days later he will rise to life." It is hard to imagine what kind of shock this must have produced in the middle of all their euphoria. What they were hearing was totally in opposition to any of the national expectations of the Messiah. He was going to be an all-conquering hero who would rid Israel of all its enemies once and for all. Yet here Jesus is talking about suffering and even death! What was worse still, this was going to happen not as the result of outside domination (e.g. the Romans) but at the hands of their own Sanhedrin, the ruling council of their nation - the elders, priests and teachers of the Law, people for whom they had the greatest respect and who would be expected to be champions of the Messiah.

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Peter's reaction

No wonder Peter remonstrated so strongly and even began scolding Jesus. He can hardly have expected the response he got: "Get away from me, Satan! Your thoughts don't come from God but from man." Peter, just now called the 'Rock', becomes a stumbling block in Jesus' way. Peter showed he, together with his fellow-disciples, had no understanding whatever of the kind of Messiah that Jesus was going to be. The second half of Mark's gospel will spell that out more clearly.

In the meantime, Jesus goes on to tell his disciples that not only will he suffer death on a cross but that every one of his disciples, if he is to be a disciple, must be more than ready to carry his own cross and be prepared to let go of his life. Their association with the Messiah, far from being a licence to power and wealth and privilege, will be - like their Master - the way of service and self-emptying.

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A special experience

It is in this context that the event described in today's Gospel takes place. It is confined to three of Jesus' inner circle: Peter and the two brothers, James and John. They are brought up to a "high mountain". There has been much speculation about which mountain is being referred to but it does not matter. In the Bible generally, divine theophanies tend to take place on mountains and they are, in fact, regarded as sacred places by many of the world's religions.

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Jesus, as they had never seen him before

Suddenly, the three disciples see Jesus transformed or "transfigured". He becomes dazzlingly white, reflecting the light of God himself. Then, on either side of him, appear Moses and Elijah who converse with Jesus. Moses represents the whole Jewish Law and Elijah the prophets. Together they represent the whole of Jewish tradition. Their talking with Jesus is - in the words of the advertising world - to be seen as an endorsement of all that Jesus says and does.

The impetuous Peter gets carried away by this experience. "How good it is that we are here!" and he wants to build three shrines: one for Jesus, one for Moses, and one for Elijah. Yes, it would indeed be lovely to stay there in such a comforting environment. But that is not the life that God has in store for Peter and his companions.

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The cloud of the Lord's presence

A cloud then comes down and covers them all. This is clearly the presence of God himself. Out of the cloud comes the voice - it can only be God's voice - "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him!" Again this is a total endorsement of Jesus. And, because of that, his disciples are to listen to and to accept everything that Jesus says and does, including all that he has just been saying about rejection, suffering, dying - and rising again.

Then immediately the vision disappears and they are left with "only" Jesus, the ordinary everyday Jesus with whom they spend each day.

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Abraham and Isaac

The First Reading speaks of the time God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac. Abraham immediately goes to carry out the Lord's command. And yet it did not seem to make any sense. God had promised Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, that his descendants would be as numerous as the stars in the sky or as the sands by the seashore. Yet, now he is being told to put to death his only legitimate son, the only means by which this promise can be carried out. (His wife Sarah is well beyond child-bearing age.)

Even though he does not understand, Abraham still is ready to carry out God's command. This is given as an example of his great faith and total trust in God. God's promises will be honoured even though it is not clear how. Of course, we know that at the moment Abraham raised the knife to kill his son on the altar of sacrifice, God told him to stop. Abraham had proved his faith and confidence in God and Isaac did indeed live to continue on Abraham's line to countless generations.

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Clear parallel

There is, for our purposes, a clear parallel with Jesus in this story. Abraham's readiness to sacrifice his son is a prototype of the Father and Jesus. And yet there are differences. Isaac was spared at the last moment but Jesus died. Isaac can only have faced his death with puzzlement and alarm but Jesus identified totally with his Father's will and offered his life in love for us. "Not my will but yours be done," he said to the Father in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Just as it did not make sense to Abraham to kill his only son, it made even less sense to the disciples that God could allow the Messiah-Saviour to be killed. Only much later, when all these things had happened would the disciples understand how their salvation was brought about by the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus as a dramatic proof of God's love for all of us.

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God sacrifices his Son

As Paul says in the Second Reading, although God did spare Abraham's son, he did not spare his own Son "but gave him up to benefit us all". It was only later that Jesus' terrible humiliation and death was seen as something glorious, was seen as a victory. And so we read in the Letter to the Hebrews, "In his life on earth Jesus made his prayers and requests with loud cries and tears to God, who could save him from death. Because he was humble and devoted, God heard him. But, even though he was God's Son, he learnt through his sufferings to be obedient. When he was made perfect [through the total acceptance of his sufferings], he became the source of eternal salvation for all those who obey him" (Hebrews 5:7-9).

It is clear that Jesus himself - like any normal human person - was horrified and filled with fear at what he was having to face and begged to be released from it. But, when he found that this was clearly the way he had to go, he accepted it fully and thus became the model for us to follow.

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Finding God in all things

And that is very much a lesson we need to bring away from today's Readings. As Jesus said to the disciples fleeing to Emmaus, "Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer and so to enter his glory?" (Luke 24:26). Just as the disciples had to come to terms with a suffering and dying Messiah, we also need to come to terms with unavoidable suffering in our own lives and in the lives of others.

As Paul tells the Romans in the Second Reading, "With God on our side, who can be against us?" And the proof that God is on our side is the fact that "he did not spare his own Son". As Paul says elsewhere, it is not unusual for someone to give his life for a good person but Jesus died for us when we were in sin. "We may be certain, after such a gift, that he will not refuse anything he can give."

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Our loving God is in every experience

We are then continually the beneficiaries of God's love in our lives. It is easy to see that in good times but it is equally, if not more, important to realise that that is true even in bad times. Even in the very worst of experiences - a terrible and painful sickness, great mental suffering, disappointment, rejection, failure - God's love is there, just as it was in the awful moments of agony of Jesus on the Cross. As Paul says later in the same passage of today's reading, "Who, then, can separate us from the love of Christ? Can trouble do it or hardship or persecution or hunger or poverty or danger or death?… For I am certain that nothing can separate us from his love… There is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:35,38,39).

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A lesson to be learnt

This was the lesson that the disciples were asked to begin learning on that day of the Transfiguration. They were told to listen to Jesus and learn how God's love was working in and through Jesus even at that moment when he was left totally without dignity and in the depths of hopelessness. It was a lesson that they would learn in time and they would boldly follow in his footsteps and unhesitatingly give their own lives in the service of the Gospel and the Kingdom.

It is for us, too, to listen to Jesus today and to ask for that kind of faith and trust that Abraham had that everything which happens to us is ultimately for the greater glory of God and our well-being and happiness.