All three Gospels of Matthew (17:1-8), Mark (9:2-8) and Luke (9:28-36) record the event of the Transfiguration of Christ. All three Gospels mention that Jesus conversed with Moses and Elijah. However, Luke’s Gospel alone reveals the subject of what they were conversing about – Moses and Elijah were speaking with Christ about the exodus which he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31).
Let us compare the exodus in the Old Testament with the exodus of Christ:
- The exodus in the Old Testament was the event when Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, wandering in the desert for forty years before finally reaching the Promised Land. At the Transfiguration, the exodus which Jesus was going to accomplish in Jerusalem was His Passion, Death and Resurrection. In what way is that an exodus?
- In the exodus of the Old Testament, God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt from the bondage of slavery. In the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ, Christians would be delivered from the bondage of sin and death.
The exodus in the Old Testament is very straightforward, in the sense that Moses, acting as an instrument of God, led the Israelites out of Egypt, where they had been under the yoke of slavery. The question now is: how could the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ deliver someone from the yoke of sin and death?
When speaking of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ, one cannot avoid mentioning the Cross. The Cross makes many people uncomfortable, because it reminds them of the bloody Sacrifice of Jesus, who died on the Cross for our sins. In a world that no longer recognizes the seriousness of sin, the Cross stands out as a ubiquitous reminder of the reality of sin and its consequences. The cross reminds us that salvation is free, but it is not cheap. St. Paul says that we were bought at a price. (1Cor 6:20) If we can only take the time to consider the cost of our redemption, we might become more bound to refrain from sin.
St. Peter tells us that Christ Himself “bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.” (1Peter 2:24) Jesus died on the Cross in order to deliver us from the bondage of sin and the everlasting death which it brings. The Precious Blood of Christ which flowed from His wounds bestow a healing grace for our souls which have been wounded in sin. It has empowered many to turn away from sin and to live in a manner that is pleasing to God. Ultimately, it is the Resurrection that proves that the saving grace through Christ is real and true. St. Paul has the last word on this: “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins.” (1Cor 15:17)