Saturday, March 3, 2012

Mark 9:2-10 The Transfiguration of Jesus


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.




In this passage, Mark gives specific details on the transfiguration of Jesus. Here he changes from being a mortal to becoming dazzling white. Here God appears as a cloud and proclaims "This is my beloved Son. Listen to him". This is very similar to the moment of Jesus' baptism in the Gospel of John where the voice from heave declares that "This is my son, of whom I am well pleased". There is a possibility both these stories are referring to the same primary text fragment and are constructing a narrative around it.



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