The Transfiguration on Mt Tabor
The Transfiguration of Jesus on Mt Tabor, this event has been on my heart in prayer for a little while, so i went down a rabbit hole of bible reading, research, prayer and reflection. I painted the work in two steps. The background landscape in 2023 was based on an Australian high country landscape from my brothers farm, but I always thought it was not quite right, so then realizing the landscape from on high mountain looking over farmland was similar to Mt Tabor in Israel, I partially went over the top with the transfiguration event in 2024.
In the story Jesus goes up to the mountain with Peter, James and John to pray. Whilst he is up there he becomes transfigured- bright and shining like the sun. It comes after He has already spoken to the apostles about his upcoming death.
“His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”
While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!”
When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified. But Jesus came and touched them. “Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.” When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus”.
It seemed to be saying to me that Jesus is more than Moses and Elijah two of the most key important figures in the books of the Tanakh or the Old Testament. Jesus is not just a prophet, Jesus is divine, Jesus is God. But why Moses and Elijah, there had to be a reason those two characters appeared? I was more familiar with the story of Moses, so my thinking lead me to read all about Elijah. His story is amazing and runs through 1st book of Kings ch 17-22, and 2nd book of kings ch 1-2. For reference the story of Moses is in the book of Exodus and Deuteronomy, and well the story of Jesus’s transfiguration- well versions can be found in the Gospels Mathew, Mark and Luke. This question, really felt like an onion peel with so many deep layers.
What did these figures have in common?
Firstly, the miracle of bread, God sent Moses and the Jewish people mana or bread from heaven to survive in the wilderness, after their flight from Egypt. God sent Elijah the widow who only had enough flour and oil for one more meal, left for her and her son before they would die of starvation, God performed a miracle, and the flour and oil was constantly replenished, such that all three would have enough to survive the drought and Elijah’s time in exile. As for Jesus, well apart from the amazing miracle of the loaves and fishes, where Jesus feeds 5 thousand from 5 loaves and two fishes. Jesus also said on a number of different occasions that He is the bread of life. The importance of the words through-out John chapter 6 seemed to be emphasized again in this event, the importance of the last supper and holy communion or the Eucharist are emphasized here again in the the transfiguration. I would encourage everyone to read the whole of John chapter 6 to get a full understanding but for example a short section Jesus says
“Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread that I shall give is My flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world.'
In all cases God provides both physically and spiritually what we need to survive.
Secondly all three figures have to fight false belief and false Gods, with the truth of God. Moses goes up mount Sinai to receive the 10 commandments and other important laws from God, interestingly his face also shines like the sun after talking with God. But while he is up there the Israeli people turn away from the true God and put their faith in the false god of the golden bull. So Moses has to show them how wrong they are and re-establish their faith in the one Holy God of Isreal with the new commandments provided to him. On another mountain Mount Carmel in Israel Elijah sets the stage of the great battle between the belief of false god of Baal - the bull again, and the belief he one Holy God of Israel. This is a long excerpt from the bible but I think worth putting here
So Ahab sent to all the people of Israel and gathered the prophets together at Mount Carmel. And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. Then Elijah said to the people, “I, even I only, am left a prophet of the Lord, but Baal's prophets are 450 men. Let two bulls be given to us, and let them choose one bull for themselves and cut it in pieces and lay it on the wood, but put no fire to it. And I will prepare the other bull and lay it on the wood and put no fire to it. And you call upon the name of your god, and I will call upon the name of the Lord, and the God who answers by fire, he is God.” And all the people answered, “It is well spoken.” Then Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose for yourselves one bull and prepare it first, for you are many, and call upon the name of your god, but put no fire to it.” And they took the bull that was given them, and they prepared it and called upon the name of Baal from morning until noon, saying, “O Baal, answer us!” But there was no voice, and no one answered. And they limped around the altar that they had made. And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” And they cried aloud and cut themselves after their custom with swords and lances, until the blood gushed out upon them. And as midday passed, they raved on until the time of the offering of the oblation, but there was no voice. No one answered; no one paid attention.
Then Elijah said to all the people, “Come near to me.” And all the people came near to him. And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been thrown down. Elijah took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the Lord came, saying, “Israel shall be your name,” and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the Lord. And he made a trench about the altar, as great as would contain two seahs of seed. And he put the wood in order and cut the bull in pieces and laid it on the wood. And he said, “Fill four jars with water and pour it on the burnt offering and on the wood.” And he said, “Do it a second time.” And they did it a second time. And he said, “Do it a third time.” And they did it a third time. And the water ran around the altar and filled the trench also with water.
And at the time of the offering of the oblation, Elijah the prophet came near and said, “O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that you are God in Israel, and that I am your servant, and that I have done all these things at your word. Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that you, O Lord, are God, and that you have turned their hearts back.” Then the fire of the Lord fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces and said, “The Lord, he is God; the Lord, he is God.”
Thirdly, all three of these figures have stories about God overcoming death, the widow’s son in the story of Elijah dies and she is distraught, Elijah cries out in prayer to God and the boy is bought back to life. In the story of Moses people where getting fed up in the wilderness and started sinning, so God sent snakes among them, and people started dying of snake bites. God instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent and raise it up, the people are to look on the bronze serpent and will be healed. Which is what happens. Makes me think about the importance of reflection of Jesus crucified, and how a painting of this event can help with this reflection. For when look upon and think about Christ crucified, and recognize the horror of our sin, and sins result- the perfect loving God disfigured, brutalized, slaughtered, and believe in Jesus as God, and as a result repent of our sin. Then we will be healed, we will be saved.
Finally saving the people of God, Moses led Gods people out of a horrible situation in Egypt, fleeing through the parted red sea, initially into wilderness, and eventually they make it into the promised land of Israel. They are saved through God, Gods law, belief in God, rejection of sin, holy sacrifice, and rejection of false gods. Elijah bough the people back to the true God through the miraculous sacrifice and fire on the hill of Mt Carmel, and left earth for Heaven in a chariot of fire. Finally well Jesus who is God, God incarnate on earth, makes the final perfect sacrifice of himself, and in doing so He overcomes death. He is raised from death after 3 days. He appears in the flesh on earth over the next few weeks, He talks and eats with his follows. The wound in his side is touched by Thomas the disciple, in otherword he is physically present not a vision or illusion. He then goes up to Heaven before a large group of witnesses. Those who believe in Jesus are saved and will have eternal life.
Sorry for the length, and I feel like that is only the first layers of the onion, there is so much going on in this Transfiguration story and how it ties the old books of the Jewish story, into the story of Christ. You can just go deeper and deeper with understanding all that is happening, But I wont do here.
Since I reconnected with and deepened my faith over the last few years, I have had a yearning to visit Israel and travel to these holy sites, among them these Holy Hills Mt Tabor, Mt Carmel, Mt Sinai, the Mt of Olives and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on the grounds of hill of Golgotha or Calvary. So I pray for enduring peace, an end to the war, the survival of the Jewish homeland, the upholding of a strong free safe democratic state in Israel for the Jewish people. Also a nation state which will welcome Christians and women into the Holy land to visit, with the freedom to pray and explore these holy sites. And indeed an Isreal that allows local Christian groups to continue to live there as they have done for 2000 years, and does not drive them out or off these holy sites. And I pray one day I will get to visit in a time of peace and security. God bless Israel.