A Superfluous Miracle?
Jesus' miracles were intended not only to help and to inspire wonder,
but also to provoke reflection which was in turn to lead to deeper faith and
discipleship as well.
When I was growing
up, the Transfiguration of Jesus almost appeared to me as a superfluous event. Nearly
all of Jesus' miracles were clearly worked as an intentional blessing for other
people: changing water into wine, numerous healings, multiplication of the
loaves, etc. Yet the beneficiaries of Jesus' Transfiguration are not
immediately apparent, since Peter, James, and John certainly failed to grasp
the significance of the moment (cf. Luke 9:33), and were even forbidden by
Jesus to recount what they had seen (Mark 9:9).
Yet we must
remember that Jesus' miracles were intended not only to help and to inspire
wonder, but also to provoke reflection which was in turn to lead to deeper
faith and discipleship as well (cf. John 6:26). This is especially true of the
Transfiguration - everything about it invites questions: why? how? what does it
mean? Jesus silenced His disciples because He knew they had not reflected
enough at that time to speak coherently about it - after the Resurrection,
their fuller faith would enable them to proclaim and explain the
Transfiguration (cf. 2 Peter 1:16-18).
The same is true
for you and me - through prayerful questioning and meditation, key insights
about Christ can be established. For instance, the Transfiguration occurs
immediately after the first time Jesus explicitly predicts His Passion, so the
timing reveals Jesus' intention to link the glory of the Transfiguration (and
Resurrection) to the suffering of the Passion. Moreover, since Moses and Elijah
represent the Law and the Prophets, Jesus standing in their midst demonstrates
clearly that the Old Testament is meant to lead the focus to Jesus. His
glorious aspect and the Father's voice from Heaven confirm Jesus as the beloved
Son of God, Whom we should always listen to! You take it from here - think and
pray about the Transfiguration to understand why it's not superfluous at all,
but supersaturated with revelation about the resplendent face of our faith!