And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them and his face shone like the sun and his garments became white as light. (Matthew 17:1-2)

In these words the evangelist Matthew tells us of a transcendent moment in the ministry of our Lord.

Where It Occurred

It is noteworthy that Jesus went to a quiet place of welcome remoteness, and that he took with him the three disciples closest to him. The Transfiguration did not occur on a busy street in Jerusalem, nor in the household of Mary and Martha, nor even while ministering to the sick and dying. There is a clue for us to heed in the fact that Jesus changed the pace and the place of his work for a brief interlude of rest and retreat. He nee…