The Prayer I Wake Up to Every Morning

Mark 9 opens with something we call the transfiguration, and honestly, it’s kind of a strange story. Jesus takes Peter and James and John, sort of the core of his inner circle, up a mountain with him. And there, alone with them, Jesus “was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus” (Mk 9:2–4).

So Peter says, “Rabbi, this is very cool. We should stay here. Let’s build some shelters. One for you, one for Moses, one for Elijah” (Mk 9:5). Not sure where Peter thought he was going to stay.

And if you read that and think it sounds kind of silly, just know that it sounded silly to Mark too. Here’s what he writes next: “He didn’t know what to say, they were just frightened” (slight paraphrase Mk 9:6).

But before they can even pitch a tent, “a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: ‘This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!’” (Mk 9:7).

Before we move on, let’s talk about this transfiguration. What is that all about? The Greek word here is metemorphōthē, “he was changed in form.” Obviously it’s where we get our English word metamorphosis. So what does it mean here? The way to think about it is not that Jesus suddenly looked like a different person. They still recognise him. No, the intent of this story is to suggest that the disciples are getting to see Jesus in his final form.

Now, if that makes you think of Pokémon, it’s actually not a bad analogy. The idea is that the disciples are getting a glimpse of the kingdom evolved, Jesus in his glory. That’s the traditional language we use. But the point is that the disciples are getting to see what the world will look like ahead of history, once it’s finally healed and everything is made right. That’s what this story is about.

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