From: 2 Peter 1:16-19
The Transfiguration, an Earnest of the Second Coming
Prophecy and the Second Coming
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Commentary:
16-18. The transfiguration of Jesus Christ, at which the voice of God the Father
was heard (verses 16-18), and the testimony of the Old Testament prophets
(verses 19-21) are a guarantee of the doctrine of Christ’s second coming.
“The power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ”: this phrase sums up the pur-
pose of apostolic preaching: “power” indicates that Jesus Christ is God and is
almighty like the Father; the “coming (literally “Parousia”) means the same as
His manifestation in glory at the end of time. This is not a matter of “myth”; it
will be as real as His sojourn on this earth, of which the Apostles are “eyewit-
nesses”. When speaking of the Transfiguration, the sacred writer refers to the
“majesty” of Jesus Christ (an attribute which He always possesses, because
He is God) and the “voice” of the Father confirming Christ’s divine nature (cf.
Matthew 17:5). The simple line of argument is that if Jesus Christ allowed His
divinity to be glimpsed just for a moment, He will also be able to manifest it in
its fullness and forever at the end of time.
“On the holy mountain”: this wording indicates that he is referring to the transfi-
guration and not to the baptism of our Lord (Matthew 3:16-17). The mountain is
described as “holy” because a theophany occurred there; similarly, in the Old
Testament Zion is called a “holy mountain” because God revealed Himself there
(cf. Psalm 2:6; Isaiah 11:9).
19-21. “The prophetic word” finds its complete fulfillment in Jesus Christ (cf.
Hebrews 1:1). This does not refer to a particular prophecy; at that time “the pro-
phetic word” meant the messianic prophecies or (more usually) all the Old Tes-
tament insofar as it proclaims the enduring salvation to come.
These verses encapsulate the whole notion of biblical prophecy—its value, inter-
pretation and divine origin. They also show the close connection between the
Old and the New Testaments. “The books of the Old Testament, all of them
caught up into the Gospel message, attain and show forth their full meaning in
the New Testament (cf. Matthew 5:17; Luke 24:27; Romans 16:25-26; 2 Corin-
thians 3:14-16) and, in their turn, shed light on it and explain it” (Vatican II,
“Dei Verbum”, 16).
By reaching their fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the Old Testament prophecies con-
firm the truthfulness of what Jesus said and did. Together with the Transfiguration
they constitute a guarantee of the second coming of the Lord.
The comparison of prophecy to the morning star is a very good one, for that star
is designed to bring light and announce the coming of day. Similarly, the fullness
of Revelation which begins with the earthly life of Christ will reach its climax when
He comes in glory.
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.
From: Matthew 17:1-9
The Transfiguration
[9] And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell
no one the vision, until the Son of man is raised from the dead.”
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Commentary:
1-13. Realizing that his death will demoralize his disciples, Jesus forewarns them
and strengthens their faith. Not content with telling them in advance about his
death and resurrection on the third day, he wants two of the three future pillars of
the Church ( cf. Gal 2:9) to see his transfiguration and thereby glimpse the glory
and majesty with which is holy human nature will be endowed in heaven.
The Father’s testimony (v. 5), expressed in the same words as he used at Christ’s
baptism (cf. Mt 3: 17), reveals to the three Apostles that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God, the beloved Son, God himself. To these words—also spoken at Christ’s
baptism—he adds, “Listen to him”, as if to indicate that Jesus is also the supreme
prophet foretold by Moses (cf. Deut 18:15-18).
3. Moses and Elijah are the two most prominent representatives of the Old Testa-
ment—the Law and the Prophets. The fact that Christ occupies the central position
points up his pre-eminence over them, and the superiority of the New Testament
over the Old.
This dazzling glimpse of divine glory is enough to send the Apostles into a rapture;
so happy are they that Peter cannot contain his desire to prolong this experience.
5. In Christ God speaks to all men; through the Church his voice resounds in all
ages: “The Church does not cease to listen to his words. She rereads them con-
tinually. With the greatest devotion she reconstructs every detail of his life. These
words are listened to also by non-Christians. The life of Christ speaks; also, to
many who are not capable of repeating with Peter, ‘You are the Christ, the Son
of the living God’ (Mt 16:16). He, the Son of the living God, speaks to people also
as Man: it is his life that speaks, his humanity, his fidelity to the truth, his all-em-
bracing love. Furthermore, his death on the Cross speaks—that is to say the in-
scrutable depth of his suffering and abandonment. The Church never ceases to
relive his death on the Cross and his resurrection, which constitute the content
of the Church’s daily life [...]. The Church lives his mystery, draws unwearyingly
from it and continually seeks ways of bringing this mystery of her Master and
Lord to humanity—to the peoples, the nations, the succeeding generations, and
every individual human being” (John Paul II, “Redemptor Hominis”, 7).
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Source: “The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries”. Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.
Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States.