Flipbooks

1 . 8 0 0 . 3 2 5 . 3 0 4 0 33 GRADE 8 TEACHER GUIDE SAMPLE 2 3 5 LESSON 51 Jesus Is Transfigured | Jesus Shows His Glory Matthew 17; Mark 9; Luke 9 | Matthew 17:1–13; Mark 9:2–13; Luke 9:28–36 B A C K G R O U N D Throughout most of the Gospels, the disciples were left to wrestle with the paradox of the incarnation. Was Jesus a man? He looked like a man. He ate, slept, spoke, and behaved like a man. Or was He God? He healed the sick and the lame. He fed thousands with a few loaves of bread. He even openly forgave people's sins. The paradox of the incarnation proved to be a stumbling block for many potential fol- lowers. The disciples themselves had their moments of doubt. At the transfiguration, a small group of disciples finally receive a glimpse of the divinity of Jesus. But it was C L A S S R O O M D E V O T I O N Light is a funny phenomenon. It's natu- rally given off by things in the sky, like the sun, stars, and lightning. It can be pro- duced when chemicals combine (like in a glow stick) or when a substance is physi- cally changed (like chomping on winter- green Life Savers). Some things light up when they are heated or electrified. Some things store light, like fluorescent miner- als. A few living things, like lightning bugs and algae, make their own light. Jesus' transfiguration tells about a kind of light that has never been observed or measured anywhere else. It's the light of a person. Three different historical ac- counts, recorded in the Bible, describe Jesus as looking "altered" (Luke 9:29), "like the sun" (Matthew 17:2), and "radi- ant, intensely white" (Mark 9:3). The funny thing is that Jesus' light is the only real explanation we have for any kind of light. God's first act of creation was to say, "Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). Jesus tells us that He is the light of the world in John 8:12. All the light we know about—in the sun and stars, released with only for a moment. Then they went back down the mountain to the place where His divinity would be most difficult to believe: the cross. Remind your students that even though the way Jesus is present among us today don't appear that impressive—simple bread and wine, a splash of water, written and spoken words—the divinity they veil is no less than the omnipotent Creator of the universe, come to save them from their sin. heat, excited by chemicals, in electricity, and even made in living bodies—comes from God. Jesus' radiance on the Mount of Transfiguration gives us a clue: if we want answers to our questions about light, He is the one who has them. The darkest place in the world is the human heart. It is full of cruelty and self- ishness, sin and death. When Jesus died on the cross, the whole world went dark. That darkness was the black hole out of which burst the blazing light of God's forgiveness. Knowing and believing that Jesus forgives our sins and leads us out of darkness brings us into a world full of hope and light. PRAY Joyous light of glory of the im- mortal Father, heavenly, holy, blessed Jesus Christ, enlighten our darkness. Let Your Word be a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. We commend ourselves, one another, and our whole life to You. Amen. SING " 'Tis Good, Lord, to Be Here" (LSB 414). C E N T R A L T R U T H Jesus revealed His divine nature to His followers when He was transfigured. G R A D E - L E V E L T R U T H Jesus reveals His nature as true God to His followers. S T A N D A R D S • LD5: Identify and describe the person of Jesus Christ as true God and true man. • LD6: Recognize and describe the work of Jesus Christ as the Redeemer of the world. • CF4: Demonstrate the ability to explain why Christians believe what they do. O B J E C T I V E S • Gain a working knowledge of the scriptural account of Jesus' transfiguration. • Articulate that Jesus' revealed glory shows Him in His divine nature. • Connect Jesus' transfigured glory with the eternal glory to be given to all believers. M A T E R I A L S Session 1 • The Basics Session 2 • The Basics

• Cover