The Transfiguration

Simon Peter woke with a start. He had been sleeping soundly while his master prayed, when a bright light had disturbed him. But it was still daylight. How could he have been awakened by a light brighter than the sun?

The answer became quite apparent to him right then and there. In all the three years he had served as one of Christ's disciples he had never seen anything as marvelous as this.

"James! John! Wake up!" Peter hissed as he shook his fellow apostles. The two Sons of Zebedee awoke, and were then immediately stunned to silence.

There before them stood their Master, surrounded by a glory that could only be described as God-like. His face shown brighter then any mortal light, for indeed the sun paled in comparison. His raiment shown too, with a whiteness that no earthly thing could match. And then there was the overwhelming feeling of presence. It was the very power of God that was emanating from Jesus; this truly was the Messiah!

But He was not alone. Christ was engaged in conversation with two other beings who likewise shown with glory, though their sense of presence did not weigh as heavily upon the souls of the three apostles.

One of the strangers spoke: "So the time draws near my Lord. The fulfillment of the Law is at hand."

"Yes, Moses, my friend," The Lord responded. His voice, though mild, was as the rushing of great waters. "With my coming sacrifice, the Law that was given to thee in the Mount of Sinai will be fulfilled."

"And what of the Prophets, my Lord?" asked the second personage. "As thou hast said, the writings of thy servants must be fulfilled."

"And so they shall be, Elijah*. While much will remain to the latter days, all the words of the prophets will be fulfilled. All."

The two ancient prophets smiled and then bowed in reverence.

"The Hosts of Heaven do watch and wait my Lord, for upon thee rests the salvation of all this world," Moses intoned.

"And though thou must dink the bitter cup alone, know that we ever pray for thee and that the Father is ever with thee," Elijah finished.

The Christ lovingly smiled; their words were assurance he would need in the coming weeks.

The three sunned witnesses to this event sat in reverent and fearful silence. There were simply no words that could contain their full feelings. Peter usually had a statement to make on practically everything, but this was one of the few times in his life his mind drew a blank. Ever impetuous, though, he struggled to say some words of praise for his glorified chief.

"Master,… it is good that we are here with you," Peter stammered. "Let us make three booths;… one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah… so you all can observe the devotions of the occasion." Of all the things he could have said, Peter thought this the proper thing to suggest at that moment. After all, the Feast of Tabernacles was upon the nation.

No sooner had Peter spoken, then a thick cloud overshadowed the entire mountain top. The apostles fell on their faces, stuck with a sudden fear. What did this mean? They couldn't see anything; only the glorious light of their Lord shinning through the mist. But as they lay there, a loving yet soul piercing voice sounded forth from out of the midst of the cloud: "This is my beloved Son: hear Him."

The three trembling men pressed their heads to the ground. It was the very voice of The Father! Did they dare to look up? What would happen if they did? The apostles didn't know. But as these thoughts boiled in their minds, their fear was slowly replaced by a calm peace; a warm reassurance that seamed to speak a boundless love directly to the spirit. They were not unwelcome in that heavenly presence.

Then the glorious feeling began to recede. Peter felt a hand on his shoulder and slowly looked up. Jesus stood there, alone and looking as plain as he had ever looked. He smiled as extended his hand to his chief apostle.

"Stand up my friend, and don't be afraid."

Note: *Elias (the name found in the King James Bible) is the New Testament Greek form of the name Elijah.

References: The Holy Bible (King James Version); Matthew 17:1-9, Mark 9:2-10, Luke 9:28-36

In the next chapter, we will be leaving the eastern hemisphere and paying a visit to the biblical contemporaries of the western hemisphere. They too have an account of The Father testifying of Christ.