Gospel Reflection on Matthew 17:1-9
- Feb 25
- 3 min read
March 1, 2026
And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his garments became white as light. And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Eli′jah, talking with him. And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is well that we are here; if you wish, I will make three booths here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Eli′jah.” He was still speaking, when lo, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces, and were filled with awe. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.
And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead.”
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Last Sunday, alone in the desert, this question is put to Jesus, if you are the Son of God. That question is meant to plan a seat of doubt about his identity. It's a question that's also directed at us as we continue this journey.
The question suggests that perhaps we're not generated by anyone. Perhaps we were never conceived or carried or wound, not created by the love of another, but we're just a product of our own efforts. Our culture prizes the self-made person, celebrates individuals who owe no one the debt of being created.
Anyway, people whose lives have been transformed by a voice from outside, from beyond: Abraham is transfigured from a sterile old man into the father of a great people; Peter and Andrew are transfigured into fissures of people.
The word 'transfiguration', metamorphe, indicates a fundamental change in the form of something. When the Lord calls Abraham, he says, 'go forth from your land, away from your kinship, from your father's house, towards a land I will show you. I will make you a great nation and bless you. I will make your name great so that you will be a blessing.'
What the Lord is doing here is announcing the transfiguration of Abraham. He was sterile, but he will become a father of multitudes.
When Jesus calls Peter and Andrew, he says, 'I will make you fishers of people.' This will be God's work.
The phrase, 'I will make of you' as it is at the center of every personal transformation. God calls every living thing, every person to be transfigured. Transfiguration is not so much transformation as the revelation of a beauty that is already present but hidden.
In the transfiguration we see that in Christ the Father completes his work in humanity. Human nature is transfigured into light, into beauty. It is not only the body of Christ that has changed, but it is the human body that is transfigured and it's hidden truth revealed.
We too can be transfigured completely by God's voice, but how does it work? At the event of the transfiguration on the mountain Moses and our Elijah are present, they represent all the promises of God. And the central promise is that finally our true identity as children will
be revealed. That is our future. We will all hear God say about us: 'here is my beloved child in whom I am well pleased.'
It is a relationship with the Father that is the source of the light and beauty of Christ, and He is also the source of our light and beauty. If we immerse ourselves humbly and obediently in God's word, then we too can be transfigured.
When someone knows they are cared for and listened to, their internal beauty shines out. We too will become radiant with the light of God as we reflect on the Father's love for us and the promise of God; then our hidden beauty will also become manifest.
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