Psalm 50:1-6 / Mark 9:2-9

February 11 is Transfiguration Sunday this year. Transfiguration Sunday is a hinge between the season of Epiphany that follows Christmas, and the season of Lent that prepares us to celebrate the Resurrection at Easter. The “transfiguration” part, as one can see by reading Mark 9:2-9, refers to the revelation of Jesus as God’s “Son, the Beloved”.

This is one of those instances in which it is helpful to go back a bit and read the preceding story, in order to understand context.

Go back and begin at Mark 8:27, then read through Mark 9:9. This allows the reader to hear Peter’s declaration that Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ (Mark 8:29). This single verse is like the fulcrum of a teeter totter in Mark’s Gospel. As one commentator has put it, after Mark 8:29 “it’s a headlong race to the Cross.”

And that race begins with Jesus’ challenging words about discipleship, followed by a mystical experience of his Transfiguration.

Think about the later journey of Peter, James, and John. Did the experience of Transfiguration automatically make them spiritual titans?

What was the value of the Transfiguration for Peter, James, and John, if Jesus told them not to talk about it till after the Resurrection?

Have you ever experienced a moment of wonder that defies words, a moment when God felt very real and near? What has happened in your life since then? Does that moment have any special meaning for you?