Gospel Reflection Sunday 16th March 2025 | 2nd Sunday in Lent

With Fr Brian Maher OMI

Gospel Reflection Sunday 16th March 2025 | 2nd Sunday in Lent | Luke 9:28b-36

At some point in the ministry of Jesus there must have come a moment when he realised for the first time that the inauguration of the Kingdom of God would very likely demand his own death. It must have been for him a profound and probably overwhelming realisation, bringing him face-to-face with his own mortality and forcing him to ponder the very purpose of his life. At such moments it would be natural to turn to friends for understanding and support. Jesus would surely have shared his thoughts and feelings with his twelve apostles, hoping and expecting that they would help him through his darker moments. 

All three synoptic Gospels (Mark, Matthew, Luke) place his premonitions of his own death in the context of the question he asked them, “who do people say I am?” and following that question with the more personal, “…but you, who do you say I am?” Even asking this question suggests a degree of introspection, self-analysis and possibly even self-doubt. It would be the kind of introspection typical of a person grappling with the very real and dangerous implications of preaching a message he knew would put him on a collision course with those who had the power to kill him.  
It is also a question which cries out for affirmation and reassurance from his friends. We often ask that kind of question when we want someone close to us to say, “you’re doing great. Keep going.” The apostles partially affirmed him, reporting that people compared him to Moses, Elijah and even John the Baptist. However, it is Peter, his ‘rock’ and closest friend, who boldly stepped forward and made his astonishing and insightful profession of faith, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 

Maybe encouraged by this level of faith, Jesus felt ready to share with his inner band of followers that he now saw his life inevitably ending in death. No doubt he hoped to share with them his fears and doubts, gathering strength from their understanding and support. 
Sadly, that was not what happened. Peter could not even entertain the idea, denying it outright. More than that, he took Jesus aside and stridently argued that it would never happen.  The brothers James and John wanted only to guarantee for themselves top places when the Kingdom of God finally arrived. 
Jesus was clearly hurt and angry with Peter’s lack of understanding calling him a ‘stumbling-block to his message’ and said to him, “Get thee behind me, Satan….”. We can only imagine his loneliness as those closest to him failed to grasp the implications of his message. 

There can be no doubt that this event was crucial to Jesus’ self-understanding and very likely shaped the rest of his ministry. It is Matthew’s Gospel which tells us this most clearly: “From that time Jesus began to point out to his disciples that it was necessary for him to go to Jerusalem and to suffer many things … to be killed, and to be raised up on the third day.” The statement, “…From that time…” seems a clear assertion that Jesus’ awareness of his mission changed from that time. 

It is in this context, and only in this context, that we must approach the story of the ‘Transfiguration of Jesus’ (this week’s Gospel reading). Unless we understand the inner turmoil of Jesus at this time we will miss the true significance of what happened on the mountain. 
All three Gospels explicitly link the ‘Transfiguration’ with the incident of Peter’s ‘Profession of Faith’. They go so far as to tell us how long after Peter’s profession of faith the transfiguration happened. Matthew and Mark say that the transfiguration happened six days after Peter’s profession while Luke places it eight days later. Given that the Gospels were written forty or fifty years after the events themselves, this tiny difference in detail is insignificant. 

Jesus’ decision to go up the mountain was made at a time of uncertainty and worry for him. He recognised that his message about the Kingdom of God was not being understood and was leading to a confrontation with the Jewish authorities. It was a confrontation he knew he could not win, but it was also a confrontation he could not avoid without compromising the sacred mission he believed God had given him. Luke is clear that the reason why Jesus went up the mountain was to pray. This, I think, tells us something very important about Jesus. Firstly, it shows us his humanity. He did not have within himself ‘all the answers’ and like everyone else, he had to wait, reflect, at times worry, and pray for guidance and clarity. Jesus went up the mountain because he knew that he needed to pray. If Jesus needed to pray at that time, then how much more do we need to pray in our times of worry, doubt, turmoil or change? (and indeed also our times of joy, peace, success, etc).  Just like Jesus said when he washed his disciples’ feet, “…I leave you an example that you should do what I have done to you…”  As we continue our journey through Lent, this example of prayer is something we might think about. Five, ten, or fifteen minutes spent alone with God in prayer – spent in conversation with God – will surely help us to prepare for the drama of Easter. 

Secondly, Luke tells us that it was “…as he was praying” that he was transfigured. For Luke, there is a direct link between prayer and the transfiguration. What happened to Jesus on the mountain was a direct experience of prayer. In our modern language we might call it a ‘mystical’ experience.  Any ‘experience of God’, which is what ‘mystical experience’ means, is beyond words and beyond our understanding. The only way we can describe such an experience is through symbols, metaphors and examples. Ask a couple who are ‘in love’ to describe for you what that means and no matter what words they use, what examples they give, or what comparisons they make, they will never even scratch the surface of what their experience of love actually is. It is real – they experience it. Indeed it is so real that it can change their lives and they can commit to one another for the rest of their lives. But can they tell you what love is? Never adequately, never more than a brief shadow of what they feel for one another. 

The experience of Jesus on the mountain can be seen in this way. The words used to describe it – “the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white” are an attempt to put into words that which is beyond words. In this case they use words which are from the Old Testament and describe the experience of Moses on Mount Sinai when he ‘spoke with God face-to-face.’ What is being communicated to us is that the experience of Jesus in prayer that day was magnificent, transcendent, supernatural, totally out of this world, utterly changing…. notice how no words even come close to describing what may have been happening within Jesus. 
And then, magically, two people are there with Jesus, but not two ordinary people. No, they are Moses and Elijah, the man who founded the People of Israel when he freed them from Egypt, and the first, and maybe greatest Prophet of the Old Testament. Placing Jesus in the company of such huge characters of Israel once again communicates the magnitude and awesomeness of Jesus’ experience. 

Interestingly, Luke is the only Gospel which tells us what Jesus, Moses and Elijah were talking about. He tells us they spoke, “…of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.” Jesus was discussing with them exactly what he was trying to share with his disciples – that he must suffer and die. 
This, we know, is what was on the mind of Jesus for six or eight days prior to the Transfiguration. It is what he was worried about; it is what troubled him; it is what he wanted to share with those closest to him but they didn’t understand. Now, in this incredibly powerful mystical experience on the mountain, Jesus is sharing it with the two people of the Old Testament who will understand it and who will guide and support him.  

And then comes the final and greatest moment of Jesus’ prayer experience: The voice of God from the cloud which mysteriously surrounds them. Jesus went up the mountain to pray for guidance and support. He realised that his mission was leading inevitably to his own death. But was this what God really wanted from him? Might he be making a mistake? Might God be asking him to move in a different direction? Did he really need to die? 
In his prayer he brought his worries and questions and concerns to God…… and now ….. his prayer is answered. He hears God say to him, “This is my Son, my Chosen One, listen to him!” 
Jesus sought/needed assurance that he was on the right path with his mission. If he were to die, he needed to be assured that it truly was what God wanted. Here, in prayer, he is given this assurance, “You are my Son, the Chosen One…”.  You are right; I am with you; Keep going. 
And then, instantly, the experience is over. “…and when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone.” 

If we wanted to, we could ask all kinds of questions about the story: Were Peter, James and John also having this experience with Jesus? Is it Jesus himself or his three friends who are telling us what happened on the mountain? It is strange that Peter, James and John seem left out for most of the experience. They are described as being “heavy with sleep…” and “filled with fear”, and poor Peter makes a fool of himself by wanting to build three tents so they can stay there. He shows his utter lack of understanding for what is going on! 

However, these questions and any others that arise for us, do no more than make even more clear that we are being told of an experience that is beyond words.  
What we can take from it is this:  Jesus was troubled and uncertain when he decided to take time alone to pray. He realised that he was inevitably going to die if he continued on the road he was travelling. He needed some assurance that he was doing the right thing, and that it was what God wanted. 
Whatever happened on that mountain we can never understand or even imagine. Those telling the story use the symbols and images of the Old Testament to describe it – cloud and a voice talking from the cloud, an altered appearance and dazzling white clothes, Moses and Elijah appearing. They are using images that are familiar to them and which also describe an experience of God. 

What is crucial, and wonderful is that on that mountain the prayer of Jesus for reassurance and support was answered.   
When Jesus came down from the mountain, he was refreshed and renewed. We are told that “he set his face for Jerusalem” with reassurance and confidence, knowing that God was with him. 

When we turn to God in prayer, trusting him/her with our worries, fears, doubts, anxieties, there is every reason to believe that our prayers will also be heard…… and… if we listen very carefully we might even hear God whisper to us, “You are my child, my chosen one…” 

Many thanks, 
Brian.