There’s something about mountains. The way in which rock pushes up from the surface of the earth to be enveloped by the sky, is beautiful and inspiring. The sight of them has often led my thoughts into prayers; heaven and earth becoming one.

The Gospel reading for today, talks of earth and heaven merging into one. Jesus has gone up a mountain (we are not told which one) with his three closest companions. On the mountain some rather strange events take place, culminating in a disembodied voice proclaiming that:

“This is my Son, my chosen, listen to him.”

That voice is an echo of the same voice that at Jesus’ Baptism in the Jordan proclaimed:

“This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:17b

It is a voice that sets Jesus ‘aside’ - that makes him special, that says to those who hear it that this man is my (the Lord your God’s) chosen one. He is the one that I, God, have decided to use to show you how much I love you. It is a voice that gives authority to Jesus and to everything he says and does from then on. It also seeks to tell those who hear this voice who Jesus really is.

It is important to Matthew and his Jewish audience that the events of the Transfiguration took place upon a mountain; because mountains were sacred places for the Jews. Mountains were seen as being places closer to heaven and therefore closer to God. Places that one could almost reach out and touch God or be touched by him and many important religious events took place on mountains; such as the ark coming to rest on Ararat after the flood and Moses receiving the 10 commandments. In the Orthodox Church almost every hill top and mountain has a small chapel on its summit; a sacred space to offer prayer to God and a place to encounter him as well. Mountains give us a chance to leave ourselves behind and to experience something other than ourselves.

This is what seems to be going on for Jesus and his companions; Peter, James and John today. The four of them left their old selves behind as they climbed to the peak of the mountain. The three disciples probably thought that Jesus wanted to walk and talk with them alone in order to tell them something important, away from prying ears. I doubt they had any idea what they were actually going to experience.

I wonder how they handled it all. I wonder how I might have handled it! Suddenly your friend and guide starts to glow and then two other figures from history appear and chat with him, especially as these two figures are the premier characters in the history of your people and then you hear a disembodied voice from nowhere. Weird or what?

I am not surprised that Peter, with his tendency for ‘foot in mouth disease’ suggests building dwellings for the three beings, as a way of keeping the event going. I like Peter because he often says and does the wrong thing at points of dramatic encounter. As soon as he suggests building the tents the voices shouts out – NO! You need only to listen to Jesus; you do not need the others because he is the one who speaks for me NOW, not them. The fact that you have seen Moses and Elijah conversing with him should be a visual confirmation to you of what I say. The giver of the Law and the senior prophet affirm him - he therefore embodies all the Law and the prophets in his being and in what he says and does, you need no one else.

It was following the affirmation of Jesus by the Law Giver and the prophet of prophets that Jesus set his sights on Jerusalem and all that awaited him there. Peter, James and John did not gain insight as to what was to happen to Jesus in Jerusalem or why but they were given a glimpse of something other than the ordinary. They may not have fully comprehended what it was all about but they would have been left in no doubt as to the importance of Jesus and that they were to follow him and to do his will until their lives end.

The image of Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus is very powerful for in that conversation all that they represented to the Jews was seen to be transferred to Jesus. Jesus is the Law, Jesus is the prophets, and Jesus is the voice of God. Jesus is more important than anyone else because he truly is the chosen one of God and as such can now be seen to speak directly for God. That revelation must have hit the disciples like an express train!

Then as suddenly as it appeared the vision disappeared. It was gone and Jesus was left alone. The disciples had experienced one of those moments in life when there is no fog, no haze, no cloud or trees or any obstruction of the truth of God. One of those rare times when God is clearly perceived and the reality of Jesus became apparent. The vision of those three disciples all those years ago not only transformed their lives but continue to transform ours today.

The disciples realised that they had been privy to a revelation that would change the world. For the disciples that vision was a point of clarity in their lives, for us it is an encouragement to listen to Jesus; just as they did because what he says is true. Life for the disciples had changed on that mountain, they too were transfigured and enabled to glimpse possibilities, to see beyond the mundane and hindrances to look into the ‘Promised Land’.

Visions enable us to see possibilities, to look beyond problems and seemingly insurmountable obstacles. The disciples believed their vision and would ultimately give their lives for it too. Visions are vitally important to our wellbeing. We need to be able to vision the future for our lives, our relationships, our children and friends our country our faith. We need to be able to rise above the haze and fog and to see clearly where it is that God is calling us to go. People like Martin Luther King Junior and Nelson Mandela glimpsed the Promised Land and saw beyond racial and social divisions that kept people apart. They believed their visions and one gave his life for it, the other his freedom for many years.

On the mountain of transfiguration Jesus was given clarity of vision, an insight into his destiny and purpose. Peter, James and John were shown clearly who Jesus was and what authority he held. We too are given understanding in the account of the transfiguration as Peter says:

“...be attentive to this as a lamp shining in a dark place” 2Peter 1:19a

We do well to listen to what Jesus actually says in the Gospels because he and no other speaks directly for God, not Paul, not the epistle writers not the OT prophets only Jesus.

If Jesus speaks directly in the voice of God, what does he say to you?