The Transfiguration of Jesus, Part 1
In the gospel of Matthew 17, Elijah and Moses with the Transfiguration of Jesus. They confirm his identity. Notice, it is not, “The Transformation of Jesus,” as if he is becoming something he is not. Here his fuller identity is being revealed and God says, “This is my Son, listen to him!”
What We Do Not Mean by the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ
We are not saying transformation
Many images may come to our minds when we think about the transfiguration of Jesus.
In the book series Harry Potter, there is, of course, the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Students at Hogwarts take a class called, “Transfigurations.”
“Simply put, in the face of Jesus we see the face of God.”
First-year students in Transfiguration learn to change a needle to a match. By the third year, they can change a teapot to a tortoise. By graduation, they can change human body parts or even human form.
In the instance at Hogwarts, the thing or person being transfigured changes from their true state to something completely different than what they truly are. A needle is not the same as a match. And no kid wants a teapot for a pet.
Therefore, the Church elects to say the Transfiguration of Jesus and not the Transformation of Jesus. Jesus is not being changed into something he isn’t. On the mountain, his fuller identity is revealed.
We are not saying potential.
Lebron James broke the NBA total career points record by passing Kareem Abdul Jabar’s point record of over 38,000 points. Lebron James is a world-class athlete and he is a generational talent.
If you watch his high school basketball highlights you will see that even at that age he was well beyond his peers. And knowing what we know now, we look back at those highlights of young Lebron and say, “Of course. This superstar was there all along.”
We are not saying that Jesus had the potential to be divine, as if a divine seed was dormant in him. In the Transfiguration of Jesus, his divine identity is being revealed.
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We are not saying Jesus had potential and that fasting, prayer, and challenges chiseled him into this glorious self.
We are not suggesting modes.
When we think of transformation, we might think of the process of a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. First, the caterpillar eats and then forms a chrysalis, and then after a period of time, a butterfly emerges. The butterfly doesn’t act like the caterpillar and the caterpillar doesn’t act like a butterfly. The two never exist at the same moment. It’s one and then the other.
When we talk about the transfiguration of Jesus, we are not saying that Jesus was human with a rational mind and soul and then became divine. We are not saying that Jesus’ divine nature is growing and is beginning to emerge.
What we mean by the transfiguration of Jesus
The Church’s conversation over the past 2,000 years has led us to talk about Jesus as one person with two natures. Jesus has a human nature because he was born of a woman. Jesus also has a divine nature because he is the son of God.
The two natures are separate and one doesn’t dilute the other. However, when the second person of the Trinity was born in Bethlehem, there was a self-limiting aspect where human nature was more prominent.
Mount Tamor is the suggested location for the Transfiguration of Christ. It is often called, “The Mount of Transfiguration.”
The disciples are allowed to see part of his divine nature. Jesus is not becoming something he is not. Jesus is not getting rid of his former self. Though it is not as prominent on the pages of the gospel, this nature is always there. In this instance, the disciples are allowed to see it and when they do it terrifies them.
They are seeing more of Christ as he truly is.
Self-Limiting Christ
Paul wrote about this in his letter to the Phillipian church. The second person of the Trinity, Christ, was born on earth though he existed in the presence of the other members of the Trinity beforehand. He writes, “
5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,
6 who, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
as something to be exploited,
7 but emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
8 he humbled himself
and became obedient to the point of death—
even death on a cross.
When Paul writes “in the form of” he is not saying that Jesus appeared to be human but really wasn’t. Nor is he saying that Christ “appeared to be” God but wasn’t. Instead, Christ is co-equal and co-eternal with Father and Spirit and was born a human. He was 100% human and humbled himself to God’s will, even though that meant such a death.
What makes the transfiguration of Jesus so amazing is that the disciples finally get to see the divine nature that was always present but was often less prominent.
Colossians 1:15-20 and the Transfiguration of Jesus
The apostle Paul wrote his letter to the church in Colossae. Paul focuses on the identity of Jesus. In Colossians 1:15 he writes, “He is the image of the invisible God.”
The word for icon in Koine Greek (the language Paul wrote it) is εἰκών and means “icon.” The word means “an image that accurately reflects the nature or essence of.” Simply put, in the face of Jesus we see the face of God.
Paul also writes, “For in him ALL the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” The fullness of God did dwell in Jesus but was limited self-limited. In the transfiguration, the divinity is allowed to show in better but not complete fullness. No wonder Peter said, “It is good for us to be here!”
What makes the transfiguration of Jesus so poignant is that the followers finally get to see the divine nature that was always there but was less often prominent. One day, when our travels here are done and we see Christ face-to-face, we too will see his glory in fullness!
Revelation 21:22-23 states that the heavenly city, “. . . has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God is its light, and its lamp is the Lamb [Jesus].” You and I will see Christ as he is and always has been and we will say, “It is good to be here!”
