👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾The Mystery and Glory of #Debre #Tabor
(Part 2)
Beloved children of the Holy Church, let us lift our minds today to the mystery of Debre Tabor that radiant mountain where the glory of Christ was revealed, where heaven and earth joined , and within human eyes beheld the uncreated light. This feast is not a mere remembrance of history, but a divine revelation preserved for our salvation, celebrated in the Orthodox Church with reverence, as it was handed down by the Fathers.
The Time and the Day
The Evangelist Matthew records: “After six days, Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and brought them up into a high mountain apart” (Matt. 17:1). Mark likewise bears witness (Mark 9:2). Yet Luke says “after eight days” (Luke 9:28). Is there contradiction here? By no means. The Fathers explain that Matthew and Mark counted the days in between, while Luke numbered both the day of departure and the day of return, thus making eight. As Saint Athanasius the Great reminds us, Scripture sometimes speaks in the fullness of seven, and at other times in the symbol of eight, for the eighth day signifies the eternal day beyond time.
Even in the Wisdom of Solomon it is written: “I was fashioned in the womb of my mother, being compacted in blood for ten months” (Wis. 7:2). The sacred text, then, often stretches or compresses time not to confuse, but to reveal mysteries. It is our lack of understanding, not the divine Word, that falters.
Why Christ Revealed His Glory
But let us ask: Why did the Lord ascend this mountain? Why did He unveil His divinity in such dazzling light?
1. To Confirm Peter’s Confession. Days earlier, at Caesarea Philippi, the disciples heard the Lord ask: “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” They gave many answers some said John the Baptist, others Elijah, others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. But Simon Peter, enlightened by the Father, confessed: “You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God.” To seal this confession, Christ revealed on Tabor the radiance of His eternal Sonship.
2. To Show That He is Lord of the Prophets. Men said He was a prophet among prophets. Therefore, Moses and Elijah appeared beside Him. Yet note this, brethren: Moses stood there as servant, Elijah as servant, but Christ stood as Lord. Who is the God of Moses? Christ. Who revealed Himself in the whisper to Elijah? Christ. Therefore, the mountain proclaimed: He is not one among them, but the Lord of them all.
3. To Prepare the Disciples for His Passion. For He had begun to tell them that He must suffer, be rejected, and be crucified. Peter, in his weakness, rebuked the Lord, saying: “Far be it from you, Lord; this shall never happen to you.” But on Tabor, when they beheld the brightness of His face shining like the sun, and His garments whiter than snow, they learned that the coming Cross was not defeat but glory. Thus the Father’s voice thundered: “This is my beloved Son, listen to Him.” Even if He speaks of suffering, listen. For through the suffering comes the Resurrection, and through the Cross comes the salvation of the world.
Continues 👇🏾