Hi everyone. Welcome again to the Daily
gospel exegesis podcast, created by The Logical Bible study
Ministry. Thanks for listening as always,
our goal in this podcast is to help you understand.
The literal sense of scripture from a Catholic perspective, and
our reading for today is Mark chapter 9 verses 2 to 10.
So, here's the reading, you would hear it today's mass,
Jesus Took with him Peter and James and John and led them up a
high mountain where they could be alone by themselves.
They're in their presence. Here was transfigured, his
clothes became dazzling, Lee White whiter than any Earthly
bleacher could make them Elijah appeared to them with Moses and
they were talking with Jesus. Then Peter spoke to Jesus Rabbi.
He said it is wonderful for us to be here.
So let us make three tents one for you.
One for Moses and one for Elijah.
He did not know what to say. They were so frightened.
And a cloud came covering them in Shadow and there came a voice
from the cloud. This is my son.
The Beloved listen to him. Then suddenly when they looked
around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus.
As they came down from the mountain, he warned them not to
tell anyone what they had seen until after the son of man had
risen from the dead. They observe the warning
Faithfully though among themselves.
They discussed what rising from the dead could mean?
So that's our text for today and we're going to see here the
Transfiguration the famous event.
A lot of people treat this as a bit of an awkward event because
we're not entirely sure what to do with it, and that's makes
sense. Because in a lot of ways, what
happens here at the Transfiguration is a mystery?
There's some aspects of it, that we don't fully understand.
But what's interesting about this reading is the so much
packed in here. So many references to the Old
Testament and so many different things going on.
Theologically and really, it's one of those.
That you could keep Mining and keep learning new things all the
time. So we're just going to try and
touch on each of the main areas. So, what's the context here?
Jesus has been doing Ministry all around Galilee and just
prior to, this has announced to his Apostles that he's going to
suffer. And also they should expect to
suffer if they want to inherit eternal life.
So, keep that context in mind. So we're now going to begin what
a lot of Scholars will consider to be the second.
Half of Mark's gospel and there's some interesting
parallels here between the baptism, which Begins the first
half of Mark's gospel and then the Transfiguration which Begins
the second half and we'll see those parallels as we go.
So verse 2 now, inverse to an hour lectionary, it's actually
taken out a phrase here because if they read this phrase, it may
not make sense to start with this phrase.
But if you look at your Bible, verse 2 starts with after six
days. So this is six days after Jesus
has been speaking to The apostles about suffering which
is what's the previous thing that happened in the gospel of
Mark? So six days later.
Now the idea of six days some Scholars think there might be an
illusion here to the theophany of Mount Sinai.
So you remember the story in the book of Exodus, Moses goes up
the mountain and The Cloud of God's presence covers Mount
Sinai for six days before God spoke to Moses.
And you can see that in Exodus chapter 24 and that's
interesting because Mark doesn't usually tell us how many Days,
there are between events and what the exact chronology is of
things but here he says, after six days, so he probably is
trying to draw his readers to a parallel between Moses and what
happens here at the Transfiguration.
So Jesus Took with him Peter and James and John.
So he takes his three innermost disciples, this is like his
inner circle of disciples so there's some things and some
events that he only allows the inner circle of disciples to see
and there's something See only trusts them with.
So from this, we learn, there's a hierarchy even within the
apostles. So these three men, Peter James,
and John go on to become very prominent leaders in the church.
So, it seems that Jesus is deliberately bringing these
three because he wants them to witness this because they are
going to strengthen the other Apostles.
And then, it's going to inform the way they lead the church in
the future. So he leads them up a high
mountain in scripture. People go to mountains, to be
closer to heaven and to be Closer to God and this event,
the fact that they go up a mountain it seems to
deliberately mirror the way that Moses ascended Mount Sinai.
So you can see this is like the Mount Sinai event of the New
Covenant. The mountain, they go up, we're
not sure it's not. The name is a given to us most
Scholars. Have thought it might be Mount
table which are certainly in the area although it could also be
Mount Hermon which is in the same area of Galilee as well.
So the text says, they wanted to be alone by themselves.
So, Jesus, specifically wants to be away from the crowds.
He only wants his three innermost Apostles to see this.
He doesn't want the crowds to see what happens at the top of
the mountain. So we're actually quite
privileged in what we learn here, because even Most of the
disciples did not see what is recounted in today's Gospel.
And then Mark says, they're in their presence, he was
transfigured. Now, the word transfigured, it
literally means his appearance changed now Matthews version
actually adds a comment here Matthews version of the
Transfiguration adds the his face Shone like the Sun, so he
became dazzlingly White. And then in verse 3, it says his
clothes became dazzling, Lee white, or another translation is
his garments became Glistening. Now in scripture clothing is
often a visible expression of the person.
So, a person's clothes, tell you about the identity of the
person. So the fact that Jesus clothes
here turned white, probably is supposed to indicate his
divinity or his Purity, or maybe it's supposed to indicate his
Holiness. A Holiness that can only come
from God, possibly all of those. There's some other places where
white garments appear prominent so in Matthew chapter, 28, that
angel at the to Has dazzlingly white garments.
And there's other places in the Old Testament to and then Mark
adds this editorial comment that none of the other gospel authors
ad, which is that his clothes became whiter than any Earthly
bleacher could make them. So you can really hear Peters
eyewitness. Recollections, coming through
here. Remember, Mark's gospel, Mark,
got most of his information, it seems from Peter.
So here it seems that we have a comment that Peter has directly
added in. It was a whiter than Any Earthly
bleacher could make them because Peter was there.
He was one of the three Apostles, that's at the top of
the mountain with Jesus. So what's going on here?
Jesus Transfiguration, why does he suddenly become dazzlingly
white? What's going on?
The gospel was don't give us a full explanation but we can
possibly summarize it as something like this.
The true glorified form of Jesus is shining through Jesus.
True form is being revealed and it's the form.
That will be fully revealed at the second coming when all
people will see it. So Jesus here is shining with
his own Divine. Glory typically you would
associate this kind of blinding whiteness with, with God, or,
with the angels, but here Jesus shines with it his shining with
his own Divine Glory. So, presumably Jesus, is showing
his innermost Apostles, his true identity.
His deliberately allowing them a glimpse at what he is.
Really like, he feels that they're ready to see this.
In a sense, you could also say the Transfiguration is a
foreshadowing of resurrected Humanity in the new heavens and
the new Earth, the righteous will have similar bodies to
Jesus. And he said that in Daniel
chapter 12, it talks about how the righteous will shine and
then wisdom 3:7 and also in Matthew 13 verse 43.
All of these have these descriptions of the righteous at
the judgment to go into shine. And then in verse 4, Mark says
Elijah appeared to them with Moses so out.
Of nowhere, Elijah and Moses show up, Elijah and Moses were
considered to be the two most important figures in the Old
Testament. And then in the development of
the judaic religion, because Moses represented the law and
Elijah represented the prophets. And together, the two of them
represent the entire Old Testament.
So, presumably their appearance here is supposed to indicate to
the apostles that are watching that Jesus truly has Divine
approval. So not only is Jesus shining
with his glory. It's like, God has also allowed
Moses and Elijah to show up as another indicator that Jesus
really does have Divine approval.
If Moses and Elijah are there, it must mean that God, approves
of it and that's certainly the way the apostles would have
perceived it now. Try and put yourself in the
Apostle shoes here. These are faithful Jews, they
don't fully understand. His identity yet.
All of a sudden he shines with this Divine glory and then Moses
and Elijah show up, who are the greatest most revered people in
Judaism Now interestingly, both Moses the lawgiver and Elijah,
the prophet, they're both well, known miracle workers.
And notice the similarities Here with Jesus there, miracle
workers who fasted for 40 days. Both of them did both Moses and
Elijah were rejected by some of God's people.
Both of them encountered, God's glory on Sinai and then both
Figures were associated with the Jewish eschatological hope for
both Moses and Elijah. There's verses in the Old
Testament, which talked about how How they're going to return
in a sense before the coming of the new age, the Messianic age.
So they'll both expected to show up in some form and here, they
both are another similarity here.
And this is really interesting is that Moses?
And Elijah apparently both had their bodies taken up to heaven.
It's explicitly says that about Elijah in 1 Kings and then
there's there was a Jewish Tradition at the time and the
Book of Jude appears to mention this as well, that Moses is
body. Also, apparently went up to
heaven after His death. So that would explain how both
Moses and Elijah can appear in bodily form here because
presumably in the Old Testament, when righteous people died,
their bodies. Generally didn't go to heaven,
but Moses and Elijah are exceptions.
So that explains how they can appear here in their bodies and
there were talking with Jesus. Now here we don't know exactly
what they were talking about. But later if you read the New
Testament later on we learn a little more about what they were
saying to Jesus. And The language, the New
Testament uses is, they were talking about the Exodus that
Jesus was to accomplish. So it's basically they're
talking about his coming death and Resurrection.
It'll be fascinating to know what they actually said to Jesus
here. Can you imagine this
conversation between Jesus? Moses and Elijah verse 5.
Then Peter spoke to Jesus Rabbi, or you can translate that Master
which is it's a title of respect, which means my great
one. So he's overwhelmed here.
Peter is overwhelmed and he says it is wonderful for us to be
here. Now, Peter is probably been
quite genuine. He's genuinely excited by what
he's seeing. This will be a truly amazing
event for him and for the other apostles, He probably thinks the
kingdom of God Has Come Moses and Elijah have shown up which
they expected to happen at the beginning of the kingdom of God.
And Jesus, his shining with God's glory.
He probably thinks this is it. So he says, this is his
suggestion, he says to Jesus. Let us make three tents or you
can translate that booths one for you, one for Moses, and one
for Elijah. So Peter probably thinks they're
going to stay for a while or possibly, he wants him to stay
for a while, he's trying to get them.
Um, to stay. He wants to prolong the Heavenly
experience that he's witnessing. So what's going on with these
booths here? I want to read out this quote,
from the Catholic commentary on sacred scripture and this is for
the Book of Matthew, but it certainly applies to Mark's
version as well. So here's what it says, When
Peter suggests to build three booths, he likely has in mind,
the tents used for the Feast of Tabernacles, the Autumn Harvest
Festival in which the Israelites dwelt in makeshift tents, for
seven days commemorating, how God's presence dwelt in the tent
of meeting and how the Israelites themselves dwelt in
tents as they Journey Through the Wilderness on the way, to
the promised land, the Greek word here.
Translated tense is used in the Septuagint for the tents made
for this feast. Really, the feast also pointed
to a future fulfillment. Anticipating the time when the
nations would come to Jerusalem to Worship the Lord, as King in
an eschatological Feast of Tabernacles in Zechariah, 14 and
Hosea 12. When Peter Witnesses, Jesus
transfigured in glory, he may consider the eschatological era
to be daunting and thus seeks to enter into this experience in a
way reminiscent of the Feast of Tabernacles.
So, that's a really nice quote, I think so, Peter, Has all these
things going on in his head. He's looking at Jesus being
transfigured. He's seeing Moses, and Elijah
and his associating. Those things with the coming of
the Messianic age. And another thing that's
associated with the coming of the Messianic, age is sort of a
renewed Feast of Tabernacles. So he's putting all those things
together and maybe that's why he wants to build them Broods.
What Peter doesn't grasp is that Jesus glory is not going to
remain with them permanently. He is hoping that it will but
what Jesus has been trying to tell you So, was this, the Jesus
has to go to the cross in order for the fullness of his glory to
be revealed. Peter doesn't get that yet, and
he won't really understand that until Jesus is resurrected verse
6. He did not know what to say.
They were so frightened or more. Literally, they're exceedingly,
afraid. So, Peter, and the apostles are
genuinely afraid about what's going on.
And this makes sense. Because if you think about what
happens whenever someone encounters an angel in the
Bible, the first thing, the and Eli's to say to them is do not
be afraid. So, whenever God's glory shows
up in this form, people are afraid it's frightening.
Now, Peter suggests that he build tents for them, but he
doesn't get an answer to his proposal because the, very next
thing that happens is a cloud. Comes over them straight away as
Peter is speaking. So verse 7, a cloud came and
Matthews version specifies that this is a bright cloud and a
covered them in Shadow or more literally at overshadowed them.
So this language of the cloud overshadowing them, it calls to
mind how in the Old Testament, the cloud covered and protected
the Israelites in the wilderness remember how the cloud followed
them and led the way for them in the wilderness?
In the book of Exodus, the cloud represented, the very presence
of God, God was considered to dwell in the cloud later.
In the Old Testament, the cloud represented God's presence in
the temple. And there's some scenes where
they physically see God's God's presence in the temple in the
form of a cloud. It was believed that God's
presence left during the time of Ezekiel.
There's a scene where the cloud leaves the temple, but the Jews
did believe that one day. God's glory would return When
the kingdom of God arrived in its fullness.
He's so the fact that the cloud shows up here hovering over
Jesus. Now indicates that Jesus is the
new Dwelling Place of God. This is the moment I've been
waiting for God's. Glory has returned in the person
of Jesus. Now some Scholars think that
here maybe the cloud also represents the holy spirit.
So that would mean, the Trinity is present here, the Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit and that would certainly be a good
parallel with the baptism event where the three persons of the
Trinity will also present and then a voice came from the
cloud. Bud.
This is my son, the Beloved, or you can translate that this is
my beloved Son. Again, this is exactly what the
father said that Jesus baptism. But in the baptism.
It seems that only Jesus heard the voice but here it's directed
at the apostles, the father speaks to the apostles and says,
this is my beloved Son. He wants the father wants the
apostles to be very clear on Jesus identity.
This is my son and then God says, listen to him.
So, I think the best way to interpret this whole event.
What's the point of the Transfiguration?
It's a solution to the disciples doubting Jesus and his
authority. Remember, what's happened?
Just prior to this event. Jesus has been telling them.
He's going to suffer and they seem to be struggling with this
teaching. God wants the leaders of the
disciples, Peter James, and John to have confidence in Jesus.
And he wants those Apostles to teach the other Apostles to have
confidence. So God allows the
Transfiguration to happen in order to convince the apostles
is that Jesus really is the Son of God and therefore, they
should be serious about him and pay attention to him.
That's going to include taking seriously.
What Jesus has just said about suffering.
So maybe God's trying to teach the apostles that, if they
listen to him and they follow him to the Cross, their Destiny
will be joined to his and they too will experience a Divine
Glory. So God, he says, listen to him
and this might recall the prophecy in Deuteronomy 18 verse
15 where God says that one day. He'll raise up a prophet like
Moses who the people will listen to and certainly that is
fulfilled in Jesus. Now at this point Matthews
version of the Transfiguration tells us that the apostles fell
on their face in fear and Jesus Comforts them.
But marks version just go straight into verse 8.
Then suddenly when they looked around they saw no one with them
anymore. But only Chase's, so Moses and
Elijah have vanished. Jesus is not shining anymore.
The vision is over. It's accomplished.
Its purpose. Verse 9 as they came down from
the mountain, he warned them not to tell anyone what they had
seen, so it would be too much for the other Apostles and the
other disciples to handle. If the, if these three Apostles
came down from the mountain and said, guess what?
We just saw they wouldn't be able to put it into words and
probably the people that were talking to you wouldn't be able
to believe and receive it or possibly maybe the issue would
be that if they did tell people what they'd seen, the apostles
and the disciples would believe it too much.
And they will try to take him as king because there was beliefs
at the time that the Messiah was going to be a great
revolutionary King and all might get out of hand.
So here as Jesus does in other places he says don't tell anyone
what you have seen. This is a privileged encounter
but he adds in this qualifier don't tell anyone what you have
seen until after the son of man has risen from the dead.
Now, Jesus is already predicted once that he's going to die and
Rise Again in chapter 8, but the apostles still don't understand.
Jesus means by this so he says it again until after the son of
man has risen from the dead. Now the Jews that Jesus time did
believe in a general Resurrection.
They believe that people would rise again, but they believe
that is all going to happen at once at the final judgment.
They did not believe that there would be any individual
resurrections before then even if the Messiah, that was not on
their radar at all. So, every time before Jesus
death, every time Jesus says, I'm going to die and rise again,
they just cannot fathom. It, it doesn't make sense.
To them. Why does Jesus say don't talk
about it until after the son of man has risen from the dead
presumably because people are more likely to believe the story
of the Transfiguration after the resurrection and maybe they'll
understand the Transfiguration better in light of the
Resurrection. Verse 10, Mark tells us the
apostles, observe the warning Faithfully or more.
Literally they kept the matter to them ourselves.
So unlike some other people in the gospels, when Jesus says,
don't tell anyone and they run around and tell everyone here
the apostles, they do, they listen to Jesus and they keep it
to themselves. But Mark tells us though among
themselves they discussed what rising from the dead could mean.
So again they struggling with this concept that Jesus is going
to rise again. So, I want to finish with this,
quote here again, from the Catholic commentary on sacred
scripture. I think it does a really
excellent job summarizing all of the theological threads that
come together in the Transfiguration, what these
three disciples saw and heard on the mountain would have reminded
them of what happened to Moses at Mount Sinai.
In Exodus 24, Moses LED three of his Close Associates up Mount
Sinai. That Was Then covered by God's
glory in the form of a cloud for Six Days.
On the With day, the Divine voice called out from the cloud
and spoke to Moses. Moreover, during Israel.
Stay at Sinai. Moses would enter the cloud.
Atop The Mountain to talk to God and when he left his face would
shine reflecting God's glory and leaving the people in awe.
Similarly, Jesus singles out, three of his Apostles and leads
them up a high mountain. That is overshadowed by The
Cloud of God's glory. As its Sinai, a Heavenly voice
calls out from the cloud on the seventh day.
Day as Moses face Shawn. So Jesus face shines brightly as
the people at Sinai were left in awe.
So the apostles at the end of the scene, a lying prostrate
greatly afraid, the disciples soon will see their master
betrayed arrested condemned and crucified here.
Jesus gives three of them an opportunity to see his glory in
order to prepare them for this supreme trial of their fate.
The scene reveals to them and to the readers that the Son of God
on the mountain of transfiguration is the same son
of man who will suffer and be killed on a hill in Jerusalem.
So the really are some amazing parallels here between the
Transfiguration, and the events of the book of Exodus.
And it's probably not a coincidence.
So that's the end of our text for today.
You can hear the next section. So verses 11 to 13 on Saturday
of week six. In ordinary time, you might like
to look through the podcast, archives, to find that one
Saturday a week six in ordinary time.
So, let's now turn to the catechism to see what a
teacher's about this passage. How can this passage from Mark
inform us on Catholic teaching so paragraph. 552 of the
catechism is about the keys of the kingdom and there's a
specific reference. Stu Peter here.
Remember Peter is one of the only Apostles it's allowed to
come up the mountain, Simon Peter holds.
The first place in the College of the 12.
Jesus entrusted, a unique mission to him.
And then the paragraph goes on from there paragraph 151.
This is a really interesting one.
This is in the section about what it means to believe.
In Jesus, for a Christian believing in God cannot be
separated from believing in the one he sent his beloved Son in
whom the father is, well pleased, God tells us to listen
to him. The Lord himself said to his
disciples believe in God believe.
Also in me, we can believe in Jesus Christ because he is him.
Himself God, the word made flesh.
No one has ever seen God. The only son who is in the bosom
of the father. He has made him known because he
has seen the father. Jesus Christ, is the only one
who knows him and can reveal him.
Paragraph, 4, 59. This is in the section about why
did the word become flesh? The word became flesh to be our
model of Holiness. Take my yoke upon you and learn
from me. I am the way the truth and the
life. No one comes to the father, but
by me on the mountain of the Transfiguration, the father
commands, listen to him. See here, we have an interesting
explanation or various explanations of why the word
became flesh and there's more than one reason.
And in this section, the catechism, says, one of the
reasons is so that he could be a model of Holiness and it links
it here to the passage in the Transfiguration where the father
says, listen to him. And paragraph. 649 this is about
the resurrection and here at links to the entire chapter of
Mark chapter 9. It says, As for the sun, he
affects his own Resurrection by virtue of his divine power.
Jesus announces that the son of man will have much to suffer
die. And then rise elsewhere.
He affirms explicitly. I lay down my life.
That I may take it again. I have power to lay it down and
I have power to take it up again.
And the paragraph goes on from there.
I hope you learned something new in today's episode, the
Transfiguration is really quite fascinating, and in a lot of
ways, you can't really exhaust. It, it's well worth studying.
If you've learnt something new, you think others would benefit
from hearing this, please share this podcast with them and will
continue tomorrow.