THEOSISVissarion (Nechaev)
The manifestation of God's glory had concluded, leaving only a cloud that concealed His presence. Moses quickly emerged from the rock's cleft, prostrating himself in humble gratitude before the Lord. At the same time, he yearned to renew his earlier appeal for the restoration of the covenant, a theme that is elaborated upon in the subsequent verse, although it is not included in the prescribed readings. On the Feast of the Transfiguration, it is appropriate to refer to the aforementioned readings due to their resemblance to the Lord’s Transfiguration.
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On Mount Sinai, the Lord revealed His divine splendor to Moses, a display so impenetrable that even Moses, who desired to witness His glory, was unable to behold the face of the Angel of the Lord, the Son of God, who manifested in a tangible form. Conversely, on Mount Tabor, the divine radiance of Jesus Christ shone forth through His body with a brilliant light, formidable enough that the Apostles Peter, James, and John, while able to witness this vision, were filled with fear (Mark 9:6). They experienced this trepidation even as the luminous cloud enveloped them. In contrast, Moses could only perceive the passing of God's back in divine glory, while the Apostles, despite witnessing the splendor of the Transfiguration, could behold only as much as their humanity allowed; it was granted to them in due measure. At the moment when God's glory enveloped Moses and His voice resonated in his ears, announcing His mercy and truth, Moses remained concealed in the rock, humbled beneath the Lord's hand. Likewise, the Apostles, upon hearing the voice of God the Father from the cloud proclaiming, "This is my beloved Son" (Matthew 17:5), experienced a profound revelation. Just as Moses witnessed the Lord’s glory at Sinai, he was also present at Tabor during the Transfiguration to behold, face to face, the One whose full glory was previously withheld from him at Sinai. The same glorious Son of God, who appeared on Sinai and was transfigured on Tabor, is acknowledged by the Holy Church during the Transfiguration service. The Church proclaims, "He who spoke with Moses on Mount Sinai about images, I am He; the same One who was transfigured today on Mount Tabor before the disciples, revealing the original light, taking on human form" (Verses at Vespers). The same readings, except for the last four verses, are recited at Vespers on Great Friday to illustrate that He who was most humiliated while hanging on the Cross and laid in the tomb, devoid of form and beauty, is the very same who revealed His glory on Sinai and Tabor. This serves to emphasize the voluntary humiliation and suffering He endured: possessing the divine glory, He could have easily evaded such trials had He chosen to do so. Thus, the Church encourages us to proclaim that the magnificence of the Transfiguration was revealed to the three Apostles on Tabor so that they might comprehend His voluntary suffering when they witnessed Christ crucified (Kondakion of the Transfiguration).