Unit 2: Ministry of Christ NT2.15 Transfiguration of Jesus€¦ · Unit 2: Ministry of Christ NT2.15 Transfiguration of Jesus Scripture: Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9: 28-37

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NT2.15 Transfiguration of Jesus © Beverly Wilson 2020

Unit 2: Ministry of Christ NT2.15 Transfiguration of Jesus

Scripture: Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9: 28-37

Lesson Goal: In this lesson we will learn how the transfiguration of Christ showed the disciples the glory of the Son of God in heaven.

Introduction: This is the fifteenth lesson in Unit 2: The Ministry of Christ. The life and ministry of Jesus is told to us in the first four books of the New Testament. During the later part of Jesus' ministry he often taught the disciples about His coming death and resurrection. One day on a mountain top Jesus showed them the most amazing scene that convinced the disciples that Jesus really was the Son of God. This lesson is found in the book of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. These books are part of the Gospels. The Gospels are the first four books in the New Testament. The gospels tell about the life and ministry of Jesus. The word "gospel" means the good news about Jesus. Let's say the names of the gospels together: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.

Attention Getter: Here are some pictures of some of the most beautiful mountain peaks you can imagine. Aren't they beautiful? These mountains are the Rocky Mountains in western United States. Have you ever taken a vacation in the mountains? Vacationing in the mountains can be lots of fun. The mountain air is cool and refreshing. The beautiful views from the mountains are so inspiring. They make you relax and enjoy the beauty God has created. Did you know that Jesus enjoyed getting away for a mountain retreat? The Bible tells us that one day Jesus took Peter, James and John high up into the mountains so that they could be alone. Here on the mountain top Jesus showed the disciples one of the most amazing scenes.

Opening Prayer: "Dear Father in heaven, Thank you that you showed to us through convincing proof that you are truly the Son of God. Your Word teaches us that You are the Almighty One, the Creator of the Universe and that you have all power and all wisdom and you have the right to forgive us our sins. Help us to trust in you and believe in You as the Son of God. Thank you that you have promised to make us your children so we can be a part of your forever family. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Memory Verse: The memory verse is 1 John 5:1a "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."

Lesson Video: https://youtu.be/fqfTZsKbiQU

When Jesus lived here on earth no one could tell just by looking at Him that He was the Son of God. He looked just like any other ordinary man. Only by His words and miracles did people know that He was not just an ordinary man. One day Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do the people say that I am? "John the Baptist," they answered him, "or Elijah or one of the other ancient prophets." "But what about you?" Jesus asked. "Who do you say that I am?" Peter answered for all the disciples and boldly said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God."

https://youtu.be/fqfTZsKbiQU

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Jesus was pleased with Peter's answer and said, "Blessed are you Peter. You did not figure this out on your own.--God revealed it to you." Then Jesus told the disciples something that was very upsetting to them. He said, "I must soon go to Jerusalem, where I will be rejected by the religious leaders. I will be killed but on the third day I will rise again." Peter was beside himself when he heard this. He scolded Jesus by saying, "Don't talk like that Lord. This will never happen to You!" Then Jesus warned Peter. "Satan is deceiving you. You aren't thinking the thoughts of God." Jesus knew that the devil did not want Peter to trust what Jesus was telling him. Jesus knew that He needed to help the disciples understand what was going to happen to him. So six days later Jesus took Peter and James and John and led them up on a high mountain to pray. They were all alone. Jesus began praying. But the disciples were very sleepy. As Jesus prayed the appearance of His face changed and His clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men Moses and Elijah appeared in glorious splendor talking with Jesus. They talked about the things that were to happen to Jesus to fulfill the scriptures. Peter, James, and John saw the glory of Jesus and the two men standing with Him. They were seeing Jesus like He was when He was in heaven. They were excited but frightened. When Peter blurted out, "Let's make three shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah." he did not realize what he was seeing or saying! He should have just been quiet and listened. God's 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. When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground. They were hearing the voice of God so they hid their faces. But Jesus came and touched them. "Get up," he said, "do not be afraid." When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus. As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until He had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant. The disciples obeyed their Lord; they told no one of anything that they had seen. They kept these wondrous things in their hearts, and after the Resurrection they wrote them down so we would have them in the Bible. How wonderful to know that someday in heaven we who are saved will see Jesus with our own eyes and we will also see Moses and Elijah and all the other Bible characters we have studied about! The transfiguration was a brief glimpse of the glory of Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Peter, James, and John were eye witnesses to the power and glory of Christ's kingdom. They got to see the beauty and radiance of heaven as we will one day see it. What a great privilege they had! Moses and Elijah were the two greatest prophets in the Old Testament. God used Moses to give to us the Law and the Ten Commandments to show us that we needed a Savior. Elijah along with all the other prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah Jesus. The presence of these two men with Jesus showed that Christ had fulfilled all the Law and the Prophets. He was truly the Son of God! When Jesus was resurrected from the grave the disciples fully realized what Jesus had been teaching them! They were convinced beyond a doubt that Jesus was God. He had come to save us from our sins. That is why today we can say with great confidence that Jesus is our Savior! We can

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trust in Him and believe! We have the evidence of the cross and the resurrection. If you have not believed in Jesus, today you can make that choice. Won't you believe in Jesus as your Savior? Remember Jesus is the Son of God! Believe in Him!.

Review Questions: “Wheel of Fortune” Preparation: You will need a large spinning wheel with different intervals painted with various point values and a chalkboard or whiteboard to record points. Procedure: This game is based on the TV show "Wheel of Fortune." This game can be used on a quarterly or monthly basis once it is set up in the classroom to review the lesson that has just been taught. Use a chalkboard or a whiteboard with a large area for keeping score. A Spinner can be borrowed from a board game or relabeled with point values ranging from 1-25 in 5 point intervals. You may want to include some special sections labeled: "lose a turn," or "spin again." Choose a word from the story to become the puzzle. Write "blanks" across the chalkboard for each letter in the word such as the popular game Hangman. Divide the class into two or three teams. The team is given one of the following review questions. If they answer it correctly then one child from their team may come up and spin the spinner to determine the number of points and guess a letter to solve the puzzle. For example the puzzle words for this lesson might be "transfiguration"; "mountain"; "prophets" etc.

1. Which disciples were Jesus’ closest friends? (Peter, James and John.) 2. What does it mean that Jesus was “transfigured” before them? (He was transformed or

changed.) 3. What was different about Jesus when his appearance changed? (His face shone like the sun,

and His clothes became as white as the light.) 4. When Jesus was transfigured, who were the other two men that the disciples saw in their

glorified bodies? (Moses and Elijah.) 5. What were Moses and Elijah probably talking to Jesus about? (His death.) 6. What crazy thing did Peter say when he saw Jesus and Moses and Elijah in their glorified

bodies? (Shall I make three shelters for you?) 7. What happened when the bright cloud overshadowed them? (Suddenly God’s voice came out

of the cloud, saying “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him!”) 8. What did the disciples do when they heard God’s voice from the cloud? (They fell on their

faces in fear.) 9. How did this change in Jesus change Peter’s, James’ and John’s understanding of who He

was? (Jesus’ true nature as God shone through His human body. They realized that He was God the Son.)

10. How do you hear God’s voice? (Through reading His Word, the Bible.) 11. As the disciples were lying on the ground in fear, what did Jesus do to comfort them? (He

touched them and said, “Arise, do not be afraid.”) 12. What did Jesus tell them to do as they came down the mountain? (Not to tell anyone what

happened until after He rose from the dead.) 13. Has your relationship with Jesus changed your life? If so, how?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheel_of_Fortune_(U.S._game_show)

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Bible Memory Verse Activity: “Heart Shape” Our memory verse is 1 John 5:1a "Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." Have students locate this verse in scripture and read together several times. Say: “This verse promises us that when we believe in Jesus that we become a part of God's family. Let’s play a game that will help us remember our verse. The heart shape in this game is to remind us that we are to believe that Jesus is the Christ in order to be born into God’s family.” Give each student a red heart shape to write the memory verse on. Students should be encouraged to take their heart home and hang it on their door or bulletin board to help them remember the verse. Optional: Write the memory verse on the whiteboard. Cover each word of the verse with a red heart. Children can take turns removing a heart with the words displayed underneath. This process could be done again to see who can say the verse while some of the hearts are still attached.

Group Learning Activity: “Walk with Jesus” Game (Grades K-3) Preparation: You will need a flashlight for the leader and some objects in the room that are large enough for children to hide behind. This is a game similar to “Flashlight Tag.” Say: “In this lesson we learned that Jesus showed three of His disciples Peter, James and John, the glory that He had in heaven before coming to earth. He wanted them to know that He was truly the Son of God. Today we are going to play a game that will help us to remember that Jesus shone brightly with the glory of God.” Procedure: Choose one child or teacher as the designated leader. Give that person a flashlight. Ask the children to "hide" around the room (under tables, behind chairs, behind doors, etc.) As the children hide the flashlight leader will SHINE the light on someone he finds and then continue to tag other children with the flashlight. As soon as a child is tagged with the light, they will form a circle holding hands with the leaders. They must stay close to the leader with the flashlight as they hunt for more children. Say: “Jesus wants us to walk with Him. He will shine His light on us to guide us and to show us the way to go. We must stay close to Jesus and walk with Him every day.”

Group Learning Activity: "White Robe" Drama (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need three white robes for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah and a white sheet for the cloud. Procedure: Retell the Bible story by reading the scripture Matthew 17: 1-13 as children act out the events. Have children take turns assuming various roles: Jesus, Peter, James, and John; Moses and Elijah. Give white robes to those playing the parts of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Lead the children to portraying the following scenes:

Have children pretend that they are the disciples climbing up the mountain with Jesus.

Shine a flashlight on Jesus, Peter, James, and John when they are "transfigured."

The teacher or leader should use a loud, deep voice to read the words of God when He says, "This is my beloved Son. Listen to Him!"

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Cover the disciples with a sheet when the cloud appears.

Have Jesus come and touch them and remove the sheet.

Discuss the events in the Biblical account. Be sure to ask why Jesus took the disciples to the mountain (to show them all His glory and to help them understand that He was the Son of God.)

Group Learning Activity: “Post Transfiguration Press Conference”(Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need a ball cap with a card in the brim that says “PRESS.” You will also need an old microphone or make a pretend one from a Styrofoam ball covered in aluminum foil and a toilet paper tube covered with black construction paper. You can also use a toy microphone if desired. Say:"Today our lesson was about the disciples seeing Jesus transfigured before them while they were on the mountain. For fun today we are going to hold a Post-Transfiguration Press Conference. That is, we are going to interview each of the disciples as well as Jesus about their experience on the mountain." Procedure: Assign each child a part as one of the characters in today’s story. Put on a cap with the word PRESS written on a card and placed on the bill. You can hold a pretend microphone and ask the following questions:

What happened up there on the mountain with Jesus?

Who did you see and what did you hear?

Is it true that you had been sleeping?

Were you afraid when you saw the cloud coming over you?

Peter, what did you say when you saw Jesus, Moses, and Elijah talking?

Peter, why do you think that God sent Moses and Elijah to talk to His Son Jesus?

Jesus, why did you tell the disciples not to tell about this event until after your resurrection?

Jesus, what were you trying to teach the disciples?

Peter, James, or John, did you understand what Jesus was trying to say?

After the press conference is over summarize the event. Say: “The transfiguration was a brief look into the glory of Jesus as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Peter, James, and John got to see the beauty and radiance of heaven as we will one day see it.” “Moses and Elijah were the two greatest prophets in the Old Testament. God used Moses to give to us the Law and the Ten Commandments to show us that we needed a Savior. Elijah along with all the other prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah Jesus. The presence of these two men with Jesus showed that Christ had fulfilled all the Law and the Prophets. He was truly the Son of God!” “When Jesus was resurrected from the grave the disciples fully realized what Jesus had been teaching them! They were convinced beyond a doubt that Jesus was God. He had come to save us from our sins. That is why today we can say with great confidence that Jesus is our Savior! We can trust in Him and believe! We have the evidence of the cross and the resurrection.”

PRESS

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Group Learning Activity: “Transfiguration” Word Game Preparation: You will need a whiteboard and markers. You can also use the wooden letters from the game of scrabble and let students make as many words as they can from the letters in the word “transfiguration.” Procedure: Write the word "transfiguration" on the white board or on a piece of paper. Give your students a certain amount of time (3-5 minutes) to think of as many words as possible using the letters from the word. If you want to keep score then give one point for each word the children have written. Examples of words: rag, to, of, an, it, fig, air, gun, torn, ruin, four, fun, sung, goat, runs, giant, front, fair, stair, sofa, sting, stair, train, strain, string, rising, roast, ironing, sorting, station, snoring, sorting, rising, frosting, roar, training, toasting, trusting, frosting, iguana, etc. Say: “What does “transfigured” mean? (Changed or transformed) What two Old Testament men appeared on the mountain with Jesus? (Moses and Elijah) Whose voice did the disciples hear coming out of the bright cloud on the mountain? (The voice of God spoke from heaven.) Jesus was God’s son. What did God tell the disciples to do? (Listen to Jesus.)”

Group Learning Activity: “Transfiguration” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need Bibles, pencils and spiritual journals. Say: “In this lesson we learned that Jesus showed His heavenly glory to His disciples Peter, James, and John. Today we are going to find scriptures that tell us about that event.” Procedure: Have students look up the following passages of scripture and read aloud: Discuss the principles in each scripture:

Matthew 17: 1-5 “After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud covered them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!” ---The transfiguration was a vision of the glory of Jesus in heaven. This was a special revelation of Jesus to His disciples to show that He was the Son of God. It would help the disciples better understand why Jesus had to die on the cross and be resurrected from the grave.

2 Peter 1:16-19 “For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.”—Peter later wrote about the Transfiguration in this letter. He never forgot that He had seen the glory of Christ and one day they would again see Him in His glory in heaven. Christ is the morning Star and when He returns He will shine in all His glory.

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John 1:14 “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”—John also wrote about the Transfiguration. Jesus was God in human flesh. When John saw the glory of God on the mountain he understood better the relationship of Jesus to God. Jesus was the only Son of the Father. Jesus was full of grace and truth.

Say: “Jesus wanted Peter, James, and John to see this amazing event happen because He wanted to strengthen their faith in Him. He wanted them to have this precious moment to remember and to look back on forever. Jesus knew He was going to the die on the cross and that His death would be difficult for His disciples. He knew that they would suffer persecution for their faith in Him when they began to tell the whole world about Jesus. They would all end up dying for their faith. Jesus knew all of these things, and He wanted to give them something they could look back on that would encourage them during those difficult times.” Have students record what they have learned in their spiritual journals.

Craft Learning Activity: "Transfigured" Jesus Bookmark (Grades 2-5) Preparation: You will need the Jesus Bookmark Pattern printed on cardstock; 3/4 inch wide white paper "satin" ribbon; white glitter pencil, felt pens; glue, scissors, stapler and staples, ruler. Say: "Jesus took his disciples up to a mountain to show them a special vision. This vision was the presence of Jesus with all His glory as it was when Jesus was in heaven. Moses and Elijah also appeared to show that Jesus fulfilled the Law and the Prophets. This event was to prove to the disciples that Jesus really was the Son of God. Today we are going to make a bookmark depicting the transfiguration of Jesus that you can use in your Bible."

Procedure: Give one copy of the Jesus Bookmark pattern printed on white cardstock to each child. Have students cut out the pattern. Cut white paper satin ribbon for streamers into 6 inch lengths--four for each child. Cut ribbon for waistbands into 3 inch lengths--one for each child. Have children use felt pens to draw Jesus' facial features and hair. Staple ribbon streamers to the waist of the figure of Jesus. Glue the ribbon waistband over the staples to hide stapes and raw edges. Glue ends of waistband to back of bookmark. To use the bookmark place the arms of Jesus across the page you want to mark. Use glue sticks to apply small amount of white glitter to Jesus' robe. Have students find the scripture about the Transfiguration in Matthew 17:1-13 and place the bookmark in that passage. Encourage students to share the lesson with someone this week.

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Craft Learning Activity: “Mountain Art” (Grades K-5) Preparation: You will need yellow, brown, black, white, and green construction paper, scissors, glue, and cotton balls for each child. Say: "Jesus took his disciples up to mountain to display the glory that He had with the Father. Jesus used this experience to teach His disciples about His coming death, burial, and resurrection. He wanted them to know that He was the Son of God. Today we are going to make a picture from construction paper that shows the mountain where Jesus took His disciples. We will write the words that the disciples heard God speak to them about Jesus." Procedure: Give each child a sheet of yellow construction paper to cut out a big sun and brown or black paper to cut out mountains. Use green paper to cut shapes of trees to glue on the mountains and some cotton to glue at the top of the mountains for snow. Across the top or bottom of the picture have students write the words that God said about Jesus: "This is my Son whom I love. Listen to Him!"

Craft Learning Activity: “Pin Hole Light Beams” (Grades 3-5) Preparation: You will need one copy of the pin hole template below for each child; one sheet of black construction paper for each child; paper clips; flashlight; soft surface such as carpet or soft foam board; white crayon Procedure Give each child a printed copy of the light template below and a sheet of black construction paper. Stack the pattern on top of the black construction sheet and place on a soft surface such as the carpet or soft foam board. Use paper clips to hold the pattern template in place. Give each child a bulletin board push pin and have them use the pin to punch holes through both layers of the paper and the black construction paper. Using white crayon write the words, "Shine, Jesus, Shine!" on the black paper. Hang Pin Hole Picture in the window so light beams can shine through. You can also use the flashlight to give the light beam effect.

Say: "When Jesus was transfigured his body, face and clothes shone with a very bright radiant light. Jesus was transfigured so His disciples would know who He was. Jesus is the Son of God."

Life Application Challenge: “Telling Others” Say: "As Jesus and His disciples were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave his followers orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until He had risen from the dead. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant. The disciples obeyed their Lord; they told no one of anything that they had seen. They kept these wondrous things in their hearts, and after the resurrection they wrote them down so we would have them in the Bible. Today we are encouraged to tell others about this event." Challenge the children to use their art project this week as a way of telling someone this week about their relationship with Christ. Encourage them to make sure others know that Jesus truly is the Son of God.

"This is my Son whom I love. Listen to Him!"

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Transfiguration of Jesus

1 John 5:1a

"Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God."

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Transfiguration Crossword Puzzle

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Transfigured Jesus pattern

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Documents

Unit 2: Ministry of Christ NT2.15 Transfiguration of Jesus€¦ · Unit 2: Ministry of Christ NT2.15 Transfiguration of Jesus Scripture: Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9: 28-37