Jesus is God Incarnate, who came among us as one of us. He lived like one of us and died like one of us to offer his sacrifice for our salvation. At the same time, a part of the reason for the incarnation was for God to reveal himself more fully to humanity. Jesus revealed himself through his teachings and through events we call theophanies, which are direct manifestation's of God's divinity.
We see such a moment in the Gospel passage for today, which describes the event knows as the Transfiguration. During the life and ministry of Jesus, theophanies happened at transitional moments or phases: At his conception; at his birth; at the Temple at the age of twelve, which was the time of coming of age in his culture; at his baptism, which was the start if his ministry; his miracles during the course of his ministry; the Transfiguration, marking the start of his journey to Jerusalem to be crucified; the Resurrection; his appearances after the Resurrection; his Ascension into Heaven; and the sending of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Read more...
Photo Credit: The Church of the Transfiguration on Mt. Tabor by Zoltan Abraham (c) 2016.