Jesus's Transfiguration?

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dlobrien

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I just read about Jesus’s Transfiguration on top of the mountain with Elijah and Moses, and see that it is a pretty big deal, but I don’t understand it. Can somebody please explain it to me and it’s significance?

Thanks! 🙂
 
Jesus is he new Moses.

About eight days after he said this, he took Peter, John, and James and went up the mountain to pray. While he was praying his face changed in appearance and his clothing became dazzling white. And behold, two men were conversing with him, Moses and Elijah, who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem. (Luke 9:28-31)

Many people miss that little part, that Jesus was going to accomplish an exodus.

Moses failed to reach the promised land but died on the mountain. the Isrealites went on the Exodus from Egypt and entered the promised land but time after time after time they fell into sin, worshiping false Gods, rejecting God’s law and failing to heed God’s warnings. Eventually the ten northern tribes were exiled to Babylon and simply disappeared, never even returned.

Jesus was to accomplish a new exodus in Jerusalem, an exodus from sin. By his cross and resurrection he was to lead man into the promised land. Unlike the first exodus, Jesus was to succeed where Moses and Israel failed.

-Tim-
 
Up until then Jesus could have been seen as a wonder-worker, a very clever, gifted human but this was a manifestation of his Divinity completely outside the realm of human comprehension & experience. This was no longer an earthly being, whatever it was. This was a momentary glimpse of the awesome power of the Godhead, beyond the laws of the physical universe.
He could move thru Time & Space summoning long dead prophets. It shows Jesus as part of the Godhead beyond the laws of physics; yet showed his complete humility & obedience to the Father by forever veiling this awesome power and walking the earth as a mere creature. When Jesus does return it will be in his transfigured manifestation, no longer human but entirely divine. Lets hope we are ready for that encounter.
 
dlobrien said:
Jesus’s Transfiguration … Can somebody please explain it to me and it’s significance?
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Our Lord was strengthening the Apostles’ faith before His Passion, giving them a glimpse of his glory before they would face – from a human point of view – his *apparent *defeat (though it was in reality a great victory).

Saints, Fathers, and Doctors give more reasons for it in the Catena Aurea. Here’s a sampling:

St. Remigius
– to shew His disciples that they should not look for the glory of the divine brightness in the gulph of the present world, but in the kingdom of the heavenly blessedness

St. John Chrysostom
– because the multitudes said He was Elias, or Jeremias, or one of the Prophets, He here brings with Him the chief of the Prophets, that hence at least may be seen the difference between the servants and their Lord. …

– that they might learn that He has the power of life and death; by producing Moses, who was dead, and Elias, who had not yet experienced death …

– that He might shew the glory of His cross, and thus soothe Peter, and the other disciples, who were fearing His death …

St. Hilary
– That Moses and Elias only out of the whole number of the saints stood with Christ, means, that Christ, in His kingdom, is between the Law and the Prophets; for He shall judge Israel in the presence of the same by whom He was preached to them.

St. Jerome
– … to increase the Apostles’ faith …
 
The Transfiguration of the Lord revealed Christ’s Divine nature to Peter, James, and John, who had previously only seen Him physically as a man. It must have been amazing to see God before them! 🙂
 
Richard_White said:
The Transfiguration of the Lord revealed Christ’s Divine nature to Peter, James, and John, who had previously only seen Him physically as a man. It must have been amazing to see God before them! 🙂
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The transfiguration happens after they saw Jesus walk on water in Matthew’s Gospel.

-Tim-
 
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