Transformation: The Emergence of the Divine Nature of Jesus in Missionary Work

“And it came to pass in the day that Jesus took Peter, and James, and John his brother, and called them by name, and was transfigured before them, and his face was made as the sun, and his garments were made white as light” (Matt. 17:1-2). On the feast of the Transfiguration on Mount Tabor of the Lord Jesus Christ, our Church rejoices, the heavens rejoice, the hearts of the faithful rejoice, and creation acknowledges its Creator. Christ, despite the name of the feast, was not transformed, did not change his face. He merely brought out a part of His divine nature, and again, not all of it; only so far as it would benefit the disciples and not make them disappear from the face of the earth, gazing at the whole of Divine Perfection. For, as the Old Testament says, “no man shall see my face and live” (Ex. 33:20). Even this God-seeing Moses saw only the backside of God and not His face. The Transfiguration happened to prove that “the Lord lives” and that Christ is not only a great teacher with impeccable teaching, a great prophet, a miraculous man, or even the representative, the chosen one of God, but the Triune God Himself, as the fathers preach: “if the Father, if the Son, if the Holy Spirit”. The Lord reveals His Divinity, helping the disciples to understand His words: “he who is in the Father,” “I am in the Father, and the Father is in us” (Jn 14:9), and “I and the Father are in you” (Jn 10:30). He had included these phrases in His teaching, but they – being humanly incomprehensible – instead of raising the disciples’ faith, had rather scandalized them. Thus, by showing them a part of His divine greatness, He wanted to secure their confidence in Him and help them to overcome their reason by entering into the supreme, divine frequency of God’s plan, which – unfortunately – they could not achieve until His death. Shortly before the great event of His Transfiguration, the Savior had foretold of many sufferings that both He and His own people, His disciples, would endure. He had prophesied of Himself “that He would see Him come down to Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be answered and raised up the third day” (Matt. 16:21), and to His disciples He had taught “if He shall come after me, I will deny myself, and take up His cross, and follow me. For if any man will save his soul, he shall lose it; but if he shall lose his soul in me, he shall bless it” (Mt 16:24-25). And they should have known all this. Jesus could only be real with them. But He did not leave them helpless in the storm that the above words stirred up in their souls. He encouraged them, making them partakers of His glory in earthly life, so that they would not suffer in the future either for their own death or for the death of the Lord¹ He supported them so that they could later support the nations.

The divine foundation that was given to them is joyfully proclaimed by Peter in the apostolic reading of the feast: “Not having continued in myths, we have known the power and presence of our Lord our Lord Jesus Christ, but having been born into his majesty, having received honour and glory from God the Father” (2 Peter 1:16-17). This is aptly and melodically proclaimed in the Kontakion of the feast: “On the mount you were transfigured, and as your disciples were separated from your glory, Christ the God, so that when they saw you crucified, they would understand the passion of the one, and proclaim to the world that you exist in truth, the Father’s image” (Concertante of the Transfiguration). It is the first time that, according to the blessed professor of the New Testament, “human eyes are worthy to behold the glory of the deity”.² Yet, despite all the revelation of the glory of His deity, the disciples continued to treat Jesus as a man. Despite the shock they experience, their minds remain stubbornly attached to earthly things. And this is evidenced by the words of Peter; “And Peter answered and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us; if thou wilt, we will make thee three tabernacles, one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah” (Mt 17:4). The leading disciple, having already beheld the glory of the revealed God, the second Sun lit up beside him, was concerned about where they would stay, how and how they would survive on Mount Tabor, treating Moses, Elijah and Jesus as if they needed a place to stay. This is why Luke the Evangelist notes of Peter: “not as he said” (Lk 9:33). Did Moses or Elijah, who did not know death, need, or – even more so – did he need where the revealed God, our Lord Jesus Christ, would dwell? “What are you talking about, Petre?” exclaims Chrysostom, “Did you not just now separate the Lord from the servants? Are you again classifying him among the slaves?” and he continues: “Do you see how very imperfect spiritually Peter was before Christ’s crucifixion? For although the Father had revealed to him the things concerning Christ, yet he did not possess the revelation all the time, and therefore he was overwhelmed with anguish” ³

We bless the Apostle’s spirit of sacrifice, ministry, enthusiasm and love, but unfortunately he could not fully grasp the divinity of his Master. Not only did he not receive an answer, but – as the Evangelist tells us – before he had even finished his thought, “for as he spoke, behold a bright cloud appeared to them, and a voice out of the cloud saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I rejoiced; hear ye him; and the disciples, when they heard, fell upon their faces, and were sore afraid'” (Mt 17:5-6). How terrible! What more shocking? Second revelation. The voice of God the Father is heard! We have at the Transfiguration of the Savior and TheophanyStergios⁴ Really, what else would Peter, James and John, who were on the mountain, have expected to be assured of Jesus’ divinity? Once on the mountain, the Lord – their otherwise humble teacher – reveals His deity, shining like the sun. Before their astonished eyes, they behold two prominent Old Testament figures who confirm by their presence that Jesus is the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament. The event is witnessed by the disciples from earth, Elijah from heaven and Moses from hell⁵ Their testimony is sealed by the voice of God the Father, who repeats the words he used at the moment of Jesus’ baptism by John: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Mt 3,17). It reinforces Peter’s confession that Jesus is “the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt 16:6). This testimony expresses the theological and doctrinal revelation, it constitutes orthodoxy, that is, what we should believe about Christ⁶”

Then the first person of the Holy Trinity also makes an addition. For the first time in the New Testament, he gives to the disciples on the mountain – and therefore to all of us who want to be disciples of Him, the revealed God – an advice/command: ‘Listen to him’ (Mt 17:5). A commandment that missionary people are to apply and at the same time teach.

“The command is complemented by practical and moral revelation, orthopraxy –how to apply faith in our daily life. Orthodoxy and orthopraxy are inextricably linked, so that the one is a basic condition of the other. “⁷ God the Father exhorts us to obey His Son and this divine command is the simplest; it is the simplest; it is not open to interpretation and misinterpretation, it is the most comprehensible and the most appropriate: Obedience to the Incorruptible, the Immaculate, the Sinless, the Source of wisdom, wisdom and truth. Submission to the Chief of Life, the Creator of the universe, the Governor of Nature, the Living God. Yes! Oh, yes, my brothers! The fact of the Transfiguration of the Savior thunders that our Lord Jesus Christ is the Living God! He lives in the Old Testament, as drawn from the stunning miracles that accompanied the circumcision people and the fulfilled prophecies. He lives in the New Testament as revealed by the “signs” of the Nazarene and especially the sign of signs, the resurrection, so fought over and never defeated. It lives in church history, where through the storms and temptations, the multitude of heresies, political pressures and vested interests, the church as the body of the living Christ continues unscathed through history. She lives in our days in the life of the Saints, each in his own way – always in accordance with the Bible – shining in the heaven of Divine Glory as a bright star on our way to the Saviour. Finally, the Lord lives in the liturgical and sacramental life of our Church, from which we draw the life of eternity. If we experience the above, then we too – by reason and by deed – will bring forth His divinity and His redemptive capacity. Fallen man, all steeped in sin, was no longer able to gaze into heaven. He had forgotten where he had come from, he had betrayed his image, he had lost his likeness, he was left as a mere earth… And He who created him, He who loved him, came. He took his flesh and lived near him to shake the stagnant waters of his existence… to help him look up again, as St. Gregory Palamas eloquently notes: “Our nature, stripped by transgression of this divine glory and splendour, was mercifully merciful for its ugliness by the Word of God, and out of mercy He took it and showed it again, more solemnly united on Mount Tabor to His chosen disciples, thus revealing what we once were and what we shall be through Him in the age to come. “⁸, if we decide to make His life our life and our life His life, and also if we try to make the lives of men His life and His life the life of the peoples of the earth. Amen. The feast of the Transfiguration of Christ the Savior is celebrated on August 6 of each year.

Apolytikon
Be thou transformed in the mountain, O Christ God, show thy disciples thy glory, as they were able. Shine on us sinners also, Thy own light, Thy own light, through the intercession of the Virgin Mary, Thou light-giver, glory to Thee.

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2. Stergios Sakkos, Interpretation of Luke, vol. 2, ed.
3. John Chrysostom, Sermon Ninth Interpretation on Matthew, vol. 11, ed.
4. Sakkos, Interpretation of Luke, vol. 2, “Christian Elpis”, Thessaloniki 2010, p. 63.
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7. Stergios Sakkou, Interpretation of Luke, vol. 2, Christian Elpis, Thessaloniki 2010, p. 63.
8. Benedictus Jerome, The Palamatic Treasury, ed.”Synodia Spyridon hieromonachos, Mount Athos 2007, p. 603