Scripture: Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:1-13, Luke 9:28-36
Learning Objectives:
- Students will learn God wants us to know Jesus is the Messiah.
- Students will learn God wants us to listen and obey what Jesus said.
- Students will learn the prophecies in the Old Testament about the Messiah were fulfilled by John the Baptist and Jesus.
- Students will learn and review the characteristics of Moses, Elijah, and Jesus.
Guiding Question: How can comparing and contrasting Moses, Elijah, and Jesus give insight into how prophecies were fulfilled?
Materials: Paper, pencils
Procedure: Share the story of the Transfiguration from the scriptures above. Explain that this was a moment that help showed the disciples that Jesus was the Son of God and reminded them to listen/obey Jesus. Tell the students that many times during their lives, the Holy Spirit will guide them to listen and obey God and will help them make the right decisions. Explain that just as John the Baptist had fulfilled prophecies, Jesus would also fulfill prophecies made in the Old Testament.
Divide the students into teams of three. Give each group three pieces of paper and at the top of one write Moses, another Elijah and the third Jesus. When all students are ready, give the signal for them to begin and have the students write or draw everything they know about the person (set a time limit 8-10 min, more or less depending on your students) Make sure the students include certain facts: Moses Acts 7:20-44, Hebrews 11:23-28, Revelation 15:3…for Elijah James 5:17, and for Jesus Isaiah 7:14, Micah 5:2, Psalm 78:1-2 (this can be shared during review as a class). If needed, take some time and review the differences between Elijah and Elisha who was the prophet after Elijah but did not appear during the transfiguration.
Let the class compare lists and have students add to their lists anything they missed. Ask the students why they think God wanted us to know this event during the life of Jesus. With older students, ask why they think Moses and Elijah were the ones that appeared with Jesus during the transfiguration.
Additional Questions: How can we “transform” ourselves to become closer to God?
Supplemental Activity: Have students think about and write down what areas in their relationship with God they would like to be stronger in. Have the students share ways they could transform their personal relationships with God in order to listen and obey Him better. Have students create an action plan for their areas of improvement in order to help them transform their relationship with God into one that is even stronger.