Have you ever had an embarrassing situation where you haven’t seen or understood something properly? Maybe you’ve caught sight of someone you know and called out their name, only to realise as they come closer that you don’t know them at all? Or maybe you’ve joined in a conversation, and been given funny looks as you suddenly realise that you’ve missed the point that was being discussed entirely?
Often our way of seeing and understanding something can be quite different to those around us and it seems, that is what’s happening in our gospel reading today.
Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up a mountain. In the Bible, mountains are often places where God is revealed, places where heaven and earth seem to almost join. And here Jesus chooses to take his friends there – away from the chaos happening below – and as they stand they see Jesus transfigured before them. The translation in Greek is metamorphosis, and many of us will know about that in animals, it means total transformation.
Jesus’ face shines like the sun, his clothes become dazzling white, and for a moment, heaven and earth seem to overlap. Jesus has been revealed for who he has always been. Moses and Elijah appear with him, standing for the Law and the Prophets, can we even begin to imagine the scene? The transfiguration has been depicted by artists ancient and modern – but personally I don’t think any of the paintings that I’ve seen, even come close to what I imagine when I think about that day. Many of the paintings show the disciples cowering down, covering their eyes, mouths open in shock – what they had witnessed must have been the most amazing gift, a moment of grace as they have their eyes opened to clearly see Jesus revealed for who he truly is, no misconceptions, no confusion.
They’ve been through so much with Jesus – battling misunderstandings, exhaustion and opposition – then suddenly his hidden glory is displayed as he shines with divine life – surely a moment of revelation and affirmation that changes all that the disciples had thought and known about Jesus? Jesus hadn’t changed, but the way the disciples saw him had.
Is this sometimes us? Do we stumble along trying to follow Jesus, losing focus, becoming tired, but carry on, knowing it’s the right thing to do, only partially understanding why we’re doing it? Do we ever have those mountaintop experiences? Those moments of clarity when we come so close to God that everything falls into place, and we just know why we’re walking this road of faith?
Last Saturday I had the gift of a worship day for women up in North Lincolnshire – two of the 3 speakers, all women, were ex heroin addicts who spoke of their transformation through Jesus – they had most certainly travelled an arduous path of faith – one of repeatedly returning to the place of chaos and addiction – the comfort zone they knew so well. But at some point, something changed, they were given a glimpse of heaven, a glimpse of a Jesus who knew of their suffering and was desperate to bring them out of it into a relationship with Him. At that point they turned away from what they knew and embraced all that was on offer through faith – these were transformed women.
Let’s go back to the mountain top.
In the moment, Peter, who as we know is always the chap to respond first and try to please Jesus, offers to build three tents — one for Jesus, one for Moses, one for Elijah. Was he trying to hold on to the moment? Trying to make it last as long as possible? I can imagine that I’d want to do that – to savour something so incredible and unimaginable by trying to make it last. Of course, there were no cameras or videos to capture the moment, only memory – but sometimes the best parts of our lives last only for a fleeting moment and it’s the lingering memories that give us the warmth and comfort that see us through the harder times.
Before Peter can finish speaking, a bright cloud overshadows them, and a voice interrupts him, speaking from the cloud: “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him.” Words that make the disciples fall to the ground in fear, until Jesus touches them, comforts them and tells them to get up, asking them to tell no one about what had happened. The voice said ‘listen’, that’s the message to us today as well, if we want to have the mountaintop moments, we need to learn to distinguish the voice of God in our lives, listening is absolutely essential, and it changes us.
Do we sometimes act like Peter? Do we get busy, pushing everything else out of the way, focusing so hard on the job in hand that we can’t hear or experience anything else? Peter’s tents weren’t needed, paying attention and listening matters much more than taking control and getting busy.
When the disciples fell to the floor in fear, Jesus who moments before had shone with divine glory, laid a hand of comfort on them – this is the Jesus we need in our lives! This is the Jesus we walk and walk on our journey of faith to meet – however hard that journey is. When the disciples looked up, those representing the law and prophets had gone – only Jesus remained – Jesus who brings all of God’s purpose into focus.
When the disciples come down from the mountain it’s into a world of confusion, betrayal, and loss. They’ll soon follow a Lord they can no longer see, just as we do; they had this moment with Jesus to sustain them as they continue their walk of faith, and we must seek out those moments to sustain us in our walk of faith, especially as we come towards the demands of Lent. The path of discipleship really isn’t easy, life can be hard, but all the more reason to listen constantly to Jesus and allow him to reshape us, to transform us as we carry the memory of the glory of those mountaintop experiences with us in our walk of faith. Those moments won’t necessarily make life easier in the long term, life isn’t about constant mountaintop moments, but they give us hope and bring us back to Jesus, helping us to recognise him much more easily in our day-to-day life where we do need him to be present and at work, to sustain and comfort us.
Let us remember the Jesus that stooped to touch his friends when they were full of fear, and aim to meet that Jesus in our everyday lives, by slowing down, seeking Jesus and listening more attentively, just as God asked of the disciples and of us – ‘This is my Son, the Beloved… Listen to him.’
Service: Revd Rebecca Yates 15th February 2026. (St John the Baptist Church Peterborough UK)
Readings: Matthew 17.1-9 / Exodus 24.12-18 / Psalm 2 or Psalm 99 / 2 Peter 1.16-2