Episode 44: The Transfiguration, Matthew 17:1-8

Bible Study: Parody and Subversion in Matthew's Gospel

The Transfiguration has baffled commentators for centuries. What is the point? How does it fit into the story? I think that I have a good answer for that. If we think of this gospel as a "hero story," what happens in that sort of story when the hero finally decides to take the gloves off and go on the offensive, no longer avoiding conflict but running towards it? I suggest, in this episode, that the answer to that question provides the key to understanding this pivotal scene in the Gospel of Matthew.