The Feast of the Transfiguration - Divine Light shining in us
Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”
Matthew 17. 1-9
Today, we celebrate the Transfiguration – the moment in the Gospels where Jesus appears in glory alongside Moses and Elijah. It comes at a moment of transition, marking the beginning of Jesus’ final journey to Jerusalem. And it is a deeply symbolic encounter: Jesus, in radiant splendour, is flanked by Moses (the Law) and Elijah (the Prophets). Whilst they didn’t understand it at the time, it is no surprise that this made a deep impact on the disciples, something we get a glimpse of in 2 Peter 1.16-18.
The image that the Gospel writers use to capture Christ’s transfigured appearance, the appearance of his glory, is light. We are told that Jesus’ face shone like the sun and his clothes became dazzling white. The cloud that overshadows the mountain is a ‘bright’ cloud. This image is fitting – the light shows things as they really are. When we can’t make out an object in the darkness, our minds conjure up confused, implausible, or scary thoughts. But clarity comes when we turn on the lights. And so the disciples see the light and glory of God shining through the physical reality of their lives; the flesh and blood of their friend and teacher glows with divine light. And they must have realised that this was something greater than the account in Exodus 34 of Moses’ face shining. Moses reflected the divine light after encountering God. Here, God’s very presence shines out.
The divine light which is revealed in the Transfiguration continues to shine. In the Gospels, the cloud passes and Jesus appears ‘normal’ again; the disciples carry on with their day-to-day lives. But the light still shines. St Basil tells us that we are illumined by the Holy Spirit to shine like the sun. Likewise, St Irenaeus tells us that we are enfolded in the light that shines from Christ, and that we participate in its splendour.
St Symeon the New Theologian had a vision of the divine light as a young man, and experienced this as a kind of union with God. He returned to this experience again and again in his writings, reflecting on the divine light. In Discourse XXVIII, Symeon wrote about the power of this light to transform us:
‘It shines on us without evening, without change, without alteration, without form. It speaks, works, lives, gives life, and changes into light those whom it illuminates… Those who have received grace have received the light of God and have received God, even as Christ Himself, who is the Light, has said, "I will live in them and move among them." (2 Cor. 6:16)’
At our baptism, we were given a symbol of the divine light – a candle lit from the Paschal candle, that great sign of the Resurrection. We are called to be ‘the light of the world’ (Matt. 5.14), and this light is the light of Christ shining through us. We must shine this light, given by the Holy Spirit, in all areas of our lives – in our work, our personal and family life, our hobbies. The light we bring shows Christ’s transforming presence at work through us – transfiguring each one of us and our world.