The Hidden Transfiguration of Christ in the Gospel of John

Jennifer Henry

SRT210

Dr. Gabrielli

May 6th, 2019

The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ was a visible sign of God’s presence, power, and

glory. In all three synoptic Gospels, Jesus takes Peter, James, and John up the mountain with

Him. The disciple John, the assumed author of the Gospel of John, does not include the account

of the Transfiguration in his Gospel. If John was on the mountain with Jesus, Peter, and his

brother James, why would he fail to include it in his own account of Jesus Christ? It could be

simply that John spends his entire gospel on the ministry of Jesus, a manifestation of glory. John

chose not to tell the narrative, but rather use the Transfiguration as a motif. John discusses the

manifestation of the Glory of God countless times throughout his Gospel through imagery,

symbolism, and as a structural component of his narrative. John, being an eye witness to the

account, rather chose to pervade the Transfiguration throughout his entire gospel. Therefore, the

reader should assume the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, although not directly stated throughout

the narrative, is hidden throughout the thematic structure of the John’s Gospel.

The Transfiguration

The Transfiguration is one of greatest moments of Jesus’s manifestation as the Son of

God. The word “transfigured” comes from the Greek word, metamorpho, meaning “to change”.

Jesus’s divine nature was “veiled”1 in His human form, and the Transfiguration reveals the

divinity and glory he was concealing. The Son of God came to Earth in the form of man to be the

servant of God, bringing the gift of eternal life to all of mankind. Although Jesus had revealed

several times to the people of Palestine that He was the Son of God through miracles (or signs)

and teachings, the Transfiguration solidified to Peter, James, and John who Jesus truly was. After

the Transfiguration, Luke’s gospel records that the disciples left keeping silent, and told no one

1
Heb. 10:20, NRSV
2

what had happened.2 By the nature of the event being recorded in the Synoptic Gospels and

Peter’s second letter, this obviously proves to be incorrect. The manifestation of Jesus Christ

through the Transfiguration proved to be a powerful event.

In the account of the Transfiguration, Jesus never says the words, “I am the Son of God.”

Rather, he reveals his divinity through His actions. There is no recorded section of any synoptic

gospel that states what the disciples had thought after the Transfiguration. Luke is the only

writing that gives any idea as to the next event, stating, “they kept silent, and in those days told

no one any of the things they had seen.”3 From this, the assumed understanding would be that

Peter, James, and John would have had to tell someone for the Transfiguration to be recorded,

and Peter later briefly discusses the Transfiguration in his own letter.4 Their silence is symbolic

of the call to action Jesus gives them. The right time to speak about the Transfiguration is not

now- it will come later.5 The call to action Jesus requests for this revelation would be hidden

behind the three apostle’s interpretation of the event.

John’s Gospel and the Transfiguration

As stated before, John’s gospel does not contain the Transfiguration event, nor does it

even mention the occurrence happening. If John the disciple was one of three eye witness

accounts to the Transfiguration, why is it not written in his gospel? John explores many stories

that help manifest Jesus’s divine nature not found in the synoptic gospels; i.e. the Wedding at

Cana. Although, the Wedding at Cana does not contain a voice from the sky announcing His

divinity. John could have chosen to avoid the discussion of the Transfiguration simply because

the synoptics had already covered it. John’s gospel was written in 90-100 CE, much later than

2
Lk. 9:36, NRSV.
3
Lk. 9:36, NRSV.
4
2 Peter 1:16–18, NRSV.
5
John Barton and John Muddiman. The Oxford Bible Commentary. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 940.
3

the other gospels.6 It is possible that John wanted to “fill in the blanks” that the synoptic gospels

had left out. Instead, John weaves the Transfiguration as a motif throughout his Gospel. This

symbolism starts in the Johannine Prologue, and continues into the Passion and Resurrection

Narrative.

Themes of Johannine Prologue

The Johannine Prologue from the start establishes the theme of the Transfiguration. John

echoes the start of Genesis but establishes the Incarnation of Christ. The motif John evokes is

light and darkness; the light that manifests power and God’s presence.7 The light that was “so

good” in the creation of the world,8 has come together to form the life of Jesus Christ. By

knowing the goodness of this light, one can know the goodness of Jesus Christ. In contrast, the

darkness also comes from the creation of the world as well. The prologue states that the light that

has entered the world in Jesus “enlightened everyone,”9 despite the darkness of sin that had

engulfed the world during First century Palestine. Enlightenment was meant to overcome sin,

bringing people into the Glory of God through His son. John’s opening lines in the prologue

open the Word of God to all of humanity, with the focus on being something all can relate to,

light.

John’s prologue manifests Jesus’s glory directly to the reader. He directly states “…and

we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth.”10 The divine

glory manifest in Christ is not only a theme in John's gospel; it also serves as a structural

component of the narrative. Luke’s gospel and Peter’s letter record the visible glory seen on the

day of the Transfiguration.11 His exaltation comes from His raising up and gleaming before the
6
John Barton and John Muddiman. The Oxford Bible Commentary. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 961.
7
Craig R. Koester, Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995), 125.
8
Gen. 1:1, NRSV
9
Jn. 1:9, NRSV.
10
Ibid., 1:14, NRSV.
11
Lk. 9:32, 2 Pt. 1:17, NRSV.
4

disciples. Whether they recognize it or not, Jesus reveals his glory before them on the

Transfiguration.

Symbolism Structure of John’s Gospel

Throughout the development of his gospel, John creates a two-fold symbolism structure

he frequently brings into play. The first aspect of his structure is based on Christology. Jesus

makes several “I AM” statements throughout the narrative. “I am the bread of life,”12 “I am the

light of the world,”13 “I am the good shepherd,”14 are examples of some of his statements. These

revelations made it clear to all that He was claiming to be much more than just a rabbi or

prophet; Jesus claims He is the Son of God. Jesus evokes the prophetic call of Moses through

these revelations as well. In the Burning Bush Revelation, Moses asks who is speaking to him.

God responds “YHWH,” meaning “I AM who AM.”15 Jesus is referencing that His word is as

powerful as His Father’s word, who is ultimately speaking through Him.

The second part of the symbolism structure comes from the call to discipleship. In John

8, Jesus says “I am the light of the world.”16 He does not stop there though, he follows it with

“Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”17 Jesus’s

identification allows Him to credibly tell His disciples what they are called to do beyond their

discipleship with Jesus. Jesus, the light of the world, and his divine work among mankind

symbolizes the call to action, to bring forth the Kingdom of God today.18 This is a call to action

12
John. 6:35, NRSV.
13
Ibid., 8:12, NRSV
14
Ibid., 10:11, NRSV
15
Ex. 3:14, NRSV.
16
Jn. 8:12, NRSV.
17
Ibid., NRSV.
18
John Barton and John Muddiman. The Oxford Bible Commentary. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 978.
5

for them, it requires them to move beyond their comfort zone. They are called to live a life that

Jesus will provide for them, the life that God the Father wants them to live.

Glory and Passion

Jesus’s divinity belongs with the cross. The juxtaposition of these two things put into

perspective His life and mission.19 Before the Transfiguration, Jesus makes his first Passion

prediction, calling the disciples to “take up their cross” and to follow him.20 He later goes on to

predict his own glory, stating, “When he comes in the glory of his Father.”21 The Transfiguration

is then conveniently placed right after this account. In repeat of the previous section on the two-

fold structure, this is an excellent example of Jesus stating his identity with the call to action.

John expresses this same interconnectedness of the cross and glory when he claims the

cross is Jesus’s exaltation and that His exaltation is accomplished in no other way than the cross.

Although in John’s Gospel, Jesus does not lead Peter, James, and John up the mountain to

transfigure before them, rather, he reveals his glory through his Passion and Resurrection. In

Mark’s Gospel, the voice from the clouds speaks that “This is my son…”, similar to His baptism

account.22 Jesus’s sonship to the Father illustrates his obedience, obedience to the point of death.
23
After the Last Supper, John states that Jesus said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son

so that the Son may glorify you.”24 Already, John is painting his picture of how the Passion will

turn out. He immediately draws back the attention to his theme of glorification, and Jesus’s

manifestation as the Son of God. His clothes are not “dazzling white”,25 nor does the “appearance

of His face change,”26 but Jesus makes himself known as the Son of Man, whose mission will be
19
Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth (New York: Doubleday Press, 2007), 305.
20
Mk. 8:34, NRSV,
21
Ibid., 8:38, NRSV.
22
Mk., 9:7, NRSV.
23
John Barton and John Muddiman. The Oxford Bible Commentary. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 904.
24
Jn. 17:1, NRSV.
25
Mt. 17:2, NRSV.
26
Lk. 9:29, NRSV.
6

fulfilled through the Scripture. John from here starts to weave him his theme of glorification

through his Passion narrative.

The Glory of God Incarnate in His Son

Even in his Passion narrative, John draws back on his own theme in the Prologue. The

Transfiguration manifests Jesus as the Incarnation, of God the Son. But rather, the Glory of God

Incarnate comes forth from the Son, as stated throughout the Gospel of John. Jesus speaks, “So

now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before

the world existed.”27 Here, Jesus speaks of his own identity, that He is the word Incarnate. He

reinforces the Johannine Prologue, bringing the motif of glory further displayed by His life. The

theme of the Transfiguration is present here, as Jesus calls on His messianic expectation to

reform the world and to bring the Kingdom of God to the people of Earth. Jesus is aware of the

sin and despair that is upon the Earth and calls the people to believe in the glory He reveals. This

light theme runs through John 1:15, “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not

overcome it,”; through faith, the race of mankind has become illuminated.28 Human nature, being

obscured in the blackness of sin, can be saved through the glory of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ, in

His light that is seen present during the Transfiguration and manifested throughout the Johannine

Prologue, is where the fate of mankind is displayed.

Resurrection and Perception

The Transfiguration has room for two developments of its understanding. The event can

be understood as a displaced Resurrection narrative, or it can be seen as a “parable,” a portrayal

27
Jn. 17:5, NRSV
28
Michael H Kibbe, “Light that conquers the Darkness,” Theology Today 75, no. 4 (2019): 13.
7

of the spiritual realities hidden by Christ’s incarnation and only visible to eyes of faith.29 The

Transfiguration is about his Resurrection, his ascension, and his glorification all in one singular

event. Jesus is still the same person throughout all of the events in His life – He is still fully

divine and fully human. The question of what the narrative of the Transfiguration is considered

could be developed as a displaced Resurrection Narrative. The glory of Jesus Christ is shown on

the Mountain and is rather further developed through his Passion and Resurrection. Several

theologians believe that Mark leaves his Gospel on the Empty Tomb narrative because he

already discusses the Resurrection through the Transfiguration.30 On the contrary, John does not

discuss the Transfiguration, but rather manifests Jesus’s divinity through his Resurrection.

Although this could be a stylistic moment for Mark, it proves to be irrelevant juxtaposed to

Matthew and Luke’s gospel.

The other option, the parable of Jesus’s spiritual reality, further discusses that Jesus’s

divinity is masked through his humanity, and the incarnation is only visible to those who believe

in Him. This theme of perception of faith is visible throughout all the Gospels, often those

closest to Jesus do not understand what He is doing, rather those who only catch a glimpse of his

divinity fully understand His mission.

The Gospel of John and the account of the Transfiguration brings the revelation of

Jesus’s divine glory to light. The themes of the Prologue of John, such as light and glory, bring a

closer look into the events of the Transfiguration. Descended from Heaven, the true light has

come to bring the world out of sin and darkness to bring the divine light into the lives of the

people.31 John displays the light and glory motifs further through his two-fold symbolism

29
Bruce Vawter, The Four Gospels: An Introduction (Garden City: Doubleday & Company Inc., 1967), 201.
30
Chris Knights, “Metamorphosis and Obedience an Interpretation of Mark’s Account of the Transfiguration of
Jesus,” The Expository Times 121, no. 5 (2010): 221.
31
Nonnus of Nisibis, Edited by Robert W Thomas, Nonnus of Nisibis, Commentary on the
Gospel of Saint John (Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2014), 13.
8

structure. By Jesus’s example, the disciples are able to go forth by their own call to action. By

Jesus transfiguration, the light of the passion is able to burn within the people. The Passion and

Resurrection hold as examples of Jesus’s revelation of His identity and divinity. Whether the

Transfiguration is held as a displaced version of Resurrection, or a portrayal of the spiritual

realities He has brought to Earth, the people are called to transfigure as well. Although the

divinity behind the Transfiguration is held for the Son of Man, by living the themes of the

Gospel of John, the world can too be transfigured into the light of Jesus Christ.

Bibliography

Barton, John, and Muddiman, John. The Oxford Bible Commentary. Oxford: Oxford
University Press USA - 2001.

Benedict XVI, Pope . Jesus of Nazareth. New York: Doubleday, 2007.

Kibbe, Michael H. “Light that conquers the Darkness.” Theology Today 75, no. 4 (2019):
447-57.

Knights, Chris. “Metamorphosis and Obedience: An Interpretation of Mark’s Account of the

Koester, Craig R. Symbolism in the Fourth Gospel. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1995.

Nonnus of Nisibis. Edited by Thomson, Robert W. Nonnus of Nisibis, Commentary on the

Vawter, Bruce. The Four Gospels: An Introduction. Garden City: Doubleday & Company Inc.,
1967.