Lenten Reader | Day 20

March 12th, 2026

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

Then a cloud appeared and covered them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant.

And they asked him, “Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?”

Jesus replied, “To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him.”

Mark 9:2-13

This Is My Son

Jesus leads Peter, James, and John up a high mountain away from the noise and demands of daily life. Something astonishing happens: Jesus is transfigured before them. His clothes appear with a whiteness that no one could conceive. Moses and Elijah appear, and suddenly the disciples realize the glory of who Jesus truly is with this mountaintop moment. 

Peter, overwhelmed, wants to freeze the moment. Instead of taking in the moment, he suggests building shelters, as if glory could be contained or scheduled. How human that impulse is. When we experience God’s presence through worship, prayer, or moments of clarity, we often want to stay there, untouched by anything else. 

Then the cloud comes, and with it the Father’s voice: “This is my Son, whom I love and have sent. Listen to him!” Not admire Him. Not manage Him. Listen to Him. At the center of this scene is a call to obedience and trust.

Just as suddenly as it began, the vision ended. Moses and Elijah are gone, and Jesus remains. The disciples must walk back down the mountain, carrying the events that just occurred, heading toward a road that will lead to the cross. 

After working five years in the emergency department, this passage hits home. You will experience mountaintop moments that will reshape you and your walk. Carrying these events can weigh on you. We may not always understand what God is doing, but we know who Jesus is.

Once the cloud lifts and the moment passes, know that Jesus is still with us and may we listen and follow him.

Tyler Congrove