Transfiguration And Justice

Our reading this week is from the gospel of Matthew:

Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. Then Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, suddenly a bright cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud a voice said, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell to the ground and were overcome by fear. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Get up and do not be afraid.” And when they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus himself alone.

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This is Part 1 of the series Justice Lessons from the Transfiguration

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus ordered them, “Tell no one about the vision until after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.” (Matthew 17:1-9)

In our reading this week, we encounter the gospel of Matthew’s version of Jesus’ Transfiguration. This story is often read as a moment of divine revelation and confirmation of Jesus’ identity. Yet when read through the lens of our justice work today, the scene becomes not only a mystical vision but also a political and ethical declaration about power, authority, and faithful resistance to injustice.

Jesus is transfigured on a mountain, his face shining and his clothes dazzling white. He is joined by Moses and Elijah—figures who embodied God’s liberating justice in Israel’s history. The Torah is not abstract morality; it is shaped by the experience of an oppressed people freed from imperial domination. Moses represents the law born out of liberation from slavery in Egypt, while Elijah represents prophetic resistance to corrupt power, especially in his confrontation with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel, who used state violence and religious manipulation to exploit the poor. Together, Moses and Elijah symbolize God’s enduring commitment to liberation and prophetic justice. Their appearance affirms that Jesus stands firmly in continuity with these traditions, not apart from them.

The context of the Transfiguration is crucial. Just before this scene, Jesus predicts his suffering and execution and calls his followers to take up their cross. In the Roman world, the cross was a tool of state terror, one used to crush resistance and enforce social order. The Transfiguration does not negate this path but confirms it. God’s affirmation, “This is my Son, the Beloved; with him I am well pleased; listen to him,” comes not in spite of Jesus’ commitment to confronting injustice, but because of it. Divine glory is revealed not through domination, but through solidarity with the oppressed and faithful resistance to the violence and injustice of unjust systems.

Peter’s impulse to build three dwellings for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah reflects a familiar temptation. We’ll pick up here in Part 2.

Begin each day being inspired toward love, compassion, justice and action. Free.