The Transfiguration of Jesus: A Glimpse of Glory

The transfiguration is one of the most awe-inspiring events in the Gospels — the moment Jesus was transformed before three of his disciples, shining with divine glory, and God's voice spoke from heaven. Here's what the transfiguration was and why it matters.

A mountaintop revelation

Jesus took Peter, James, and John up a high mountain, and there he was 'transfigured' before them — his face shining like the sun and his clothes dazzling white. For a moment, the veil was lifted, and the disciples saw a glimpse of his true, divine glory, normally hidden beneath his ordinary humanity. It was a breathtaking revelation of who Jesus really is.

Moses and Elijah appear

Suddenly, Moses and Elijah — representing the Law and the Prophets — appeared and spoke with Jesus. Their presence showed that Jesus was the fulfilment of everything the Old Testament had pointed toward. All of Scripture converged on him. The great figures of the past bore witness to the greater one now standing among them.

'This is my beloved Son'

Then a bright cloud enveloped them, and God's own voice spoke from heaven: 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.' The Father himself affirmed Jesus' identity and authority, and gave a command: listen to him. Above Moses and Elijah, above every other voice, Jesus is the one to be heard and obeyed.

Strength for what was coming

The timing mattered. The transfiguration came as Jesus was setting his face toward the cross, and it gave the disciples a glimpse of his glory to strengthen them for the dark days ahead. It was a reminder that the one who would suffer and die was truly the glorious Son of God — and that his suffering was not defeat but part of his divine purpose.

The transfiguration was a glimpse behind the veil — a revelation of Jesus' true, divine glory, affirmed by the Father's voice and witnessed by the Law and the Prophets. It assures us of who Jesus really is, and it echoes the Father's command to us: 'hear ye him.' Above every other voice competing for our attention, the transfiguration calls us to listen to God's beloved Son.