Mark 9:2-10

Genesis 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18

Psalm 116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19

Romans 8:31b-34

Mark 9:2-10

Jesus took Peter, James, and John

and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves.

And he was transfigured before them,

and his clothes became dazzling white,

such as no fuller on earth could bleach them.

Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses,

and they were conversing with Jesus.

Then Peter said to Jesus in reply,

“Rabbi, it is good that we are here!

Let us make three tents:

one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”

He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified.

Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them;

from the cloud came a voice,

“This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone

but Jesus alone with them.

As they were coming down from the mountain,

he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone,

except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead.

So they kept the matter to themselves,

questioning what rising from the dead meant.

Opening Prayer: Lord God, you reveal your beloved Son to us and cry out to me today, “Listen to him!” Open my ears to hear your Word today and put it into practice.

Encountering the Word of God

1. The Binding of Isaac, the Beloved Son of Abraham: Last Sunday, we read about the second major covenant in the Bible – the covenant with Noah. Today we read about the third covenant – the covenant oath made by God to Abraham. The first covenant of creation told us that God created us to be his sons and daughters and to share in his divine life. The second covenant, made with Noah, told us that God is faithful despite our failings and mercifully seeks to save us. The third covenant, with Abraham, tells us how God will bless all the nations of the earth. The unleashing of this blessing is tied to the willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son on Mt. Moriah. According to the Letter to the Hebrews, Abraham willingly obeyed God’s command to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac, because he trusted that if Isaac died, God could raise him up from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19). Abraham passed the test and God spared Abraham’s son Isaac. Abraham sacrificed a ram that day to God but also believed that one day God would provide a lamb. That lamb, we know, is Jesus. Jesus is the Lamb of God, who, through his sacrifice on Mt. Moriah, unleashed the blessing of salvation upon all humanity.

2. God the Father Did Not Spare His Own Son: In the Letter to the Romans, Paul reflects on how God the Father spared Isaac, the son of Abraham, but did not spare his own Son. The willingness of Abraham to sacrifice his son foreshadows the actions of God the Father who wills that Jesus be handed over and sacrificed for our sins. Jesus now sits at the Father’s right hand and intercedes for us.

3. The Mystery of the Transfiguration: At his Baptism, Jesus was called God’s “Beloved Son.” And, now, at his Transfiguration, the voice of the Father declares once more that Jesus is his “Beloved Son.” This title harkens back to the binding of Isaac, when God asked Abraham to offer his “beloved son” as a holocaust. All three stories point to Jesus’ death and resurrection. Jesus’ descent into the waters of the Jordan River anticipates his death and burial; his ascent from the waters anticipates his resurrection and ascension to God’s right hand. When Jesus descends the mountain of the Transfiguration, he speaks of his death and resurrection to the three Apostles. The experience of the Transfiguration strengthened the Apostles for the day of Jesus’ crucifixion. It looks forward to Jesus’ glorification and our glorification. Jesus’ death on the Cross is not the final word. The sacrifice on Mount Moriah leads to the glory of Mount Zion and the Heavenly Jerusalem.

Conversing with Christ: Lord Jesus, you revealed your glory to Peter, James, and John. Allow me to contemplate the glory of your face. May it be a source of strength in time of trial.

Resolution: Do I have my sight set on heaven or am I overwhelmed by the cares and worries of this world? How can the contemplation of the glory of heaven help me in the struggles of my daily life?