Who Is Jesus? Focus on Matthew 17:1 9. n PREPARING FOR THE SESSION. WHAT is important to know? WHERE is God in these words?

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1 February 26, 2017 Transfiguration Sunday Exod. 24:12 18 Ps. 2 2 Pet. 1:16 21 Matt. 17:1 9 Who Is Jesus? Goal for the Session In the transfiguration of Christ, adults will explore how Jesus is the Christ for them. n PREPARING FOR THE SESSION Focus on Matthew 17:1 9 WHAT is important to know? From Exegetical Perspective by Robert A. Bryant The transformation of Jesus form (metemorphōthē, 17:2) reveals Jesus divine sonship. According to Matthew, Jesus whole body not just his face exudes a glory as bright as the sun that radiates even through his clothing (cf. Mark 9:3; Exod. 34:35). The brightness of his appearance reflects his righteousness and the nearness of the kingdom of heaven (13:43). Moreover, the voice from heaven at Jesus baptism (3:17) here confirms again Jesus divine identity and righteous character but now adds a command to obey him (17:5; 7:21 25; 28:19 20). Nothing less than Jesus identity and Israel s apocalyptic hope of resurrection glory is unveiled in this moment, for in the resurrection the righteous ones will shine like the sun (cf. Dan. 12:3; 2 Cor. 3:16 18; Rev. 1:16). The disciples vision on the mountain is a confirmation of Jesus identity and a preview of the glorious form of life that will characterize life in the kingdom of heaven. WHERE is God in these words? From Theological Perspective by Douglas John Hall For what is significant in the account is not its special effects, but what it affirms about the early church s foundational belief about Jesus: namely, that he was not just another exceptional human being, prophet, or great teacher and example for all, but the decisive representation of the Divine, the source and judge of life. As one of the three disciples who is said to have been with Jesus on that remembered occasion stated the matter bluntly: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16). SO WHAT does this mean for our lives? From Pastoral Perspective by Maryetta Madeleine Anschutz This moment of transfiguration is just such a moment. On one hand, the transfiguration affirms Jesus divinity; on the other, it begins to give the disciples eyes to see God s light in the chaos to come: death, loss, fear and resurrection, the work of the early church. The challenge to the disciples is to live in a world without Jesus bodily presence. The transfiguration anticipates this challenge, inviting us to live in the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). As that light shines in our hearts, the incarnate God is made real in the every day. NOW WHAT is God s word calling us to do? From Homiletical Perspective by Patrick J. Willson This is the way that God comes into the world: not simply the brilliant cloud of mystery, not only a voice thundering from heaven, but also a human hand laid upon a shoulder and the words, Do not be afraid. God comes to us quietly, gently, that we may draw near and not be afraid. God s glory is majestic and so far beyond our capacity to receive it that we can take just as much of God s glory as a human hand can hold. 1

2 Who Is Jesus? FOCUS SCRIPTURE Matthew 17:1 9 Focus on Your Teaching Many people seek to understand who Jesus was and how his life and teaching make a difference in their lives. How do your learners understand who he was and is today? What biblical image or story about Jesus most connects with their lives of faith? Certainly the Bible provides many different possible understandings. Jesus is described as a wise teacher, a political rebel, a model of human love, a prophet, and more. Today s discussion of Jesus transfiguration will provide an opportunity for adults to consider Jesus identity and who he is for them. Gracious God, as I lead this session open me to the transformative power of your Word. YOU WILL NEED newsprint markers index cards pens paper Bibles copies of Resource Sheet 1 candle and lighter copies of Resource Sheet 1 for March 5, 2017 For Responding option 1: Resource Sheet 2 option 2: paper, pens option 3: sticky notes, pens, newsprint Transfiguration connects the recent season of Epiphany to the upcoming season of Lent. Elements of both seasons are present today. Jesus divinity is revealed, and his passion is foretold. n LEADING THE SESSION GATHERING Before the session, post a piece of newsprint titled Titles and Words That Describe Jesus. Greet participants and visitors as they arrive and invite them to write responses on the newsprint as others gather. Tell them their responses can be words from the Bible as well as contemporary words they hear or use. Give an index card and pen to each participant. Ask them to look at the list of words or titles for Jesus created on the newsprint, and have them write three words or titles that especially define who Jesus is to them. Do not discuss, but ask participants to hold on to their cards. Remind the group that today is Transfiguration Sunday, which offers the opportunity to examine how Jesus was understood then, and now. Then say this prayer or one of your choosing: Gracious God, we give thanks for this time of searching and exploring your Scriptures. Open our minds and hearts now to encounter your living Word. Amen. EXPLORING Assign volunteers to read Matthew 17:1 9 as a drama by taking the following parts: Narrator, Peter, Voice (God), Jesus. Encourage people to read their parts dramatically. Following the reading, form pairs or groups of three. Have them discuss the different emotions they imagine the disciples experienced during their time on the mountain with Jesus. For example, the disciples experienced surprise and fear, but they were also comforted by Jesus words. Briefly, have volunteers from each pair or group tell their responses. 2

3 Who Is Jesus? In order to help participants further describe the key elements of the transfiguration event, ask them to imagine that they were present and observed what the disciples experienced. Distribute paper and pens and have each person write a tweet or Facebook post that retells what they saw and heard. If the participants focus only on the spectacular parts of the scene, remind them to consider the disciples reaction and Jesus response to them. Have each group reveal their tweets or messages. Discuss how these reveal key aspects of what happened. Distribute copies of Resource Sheet 1 (Matthew 17:1 9). Invite participants to read silently the What? excerpt. Have the group respond to the following question and write their responses on a sheet of newsprint. Place this sheet next to the sheet used in the Gathering activity. P What does the transfiguration event reveal about who Jesus is? Next have the participants read Matthew 3: Ask them to compare the baptism story to the transfiguration story. What similarities do they see? How do the stories together provide a clearer picture of Jesus? Have the participants turn to Resource Sheet 1 and read the Where? excerpt. Ask: P What do you think the commentator means by calling Jesus the decisive representation of the Divine, the source and judge of life? P What in the focus scripture backs up this statement? (Point out God s voice calling Jesus my son, the Beloved if participants have difficulty coming up with answers.) Then have the participants read the So What? excerpt. Ask participants: P What does the transfiguration event mean for the disciples going forward? P What chaos to come is predicted in 17:9? What, if anything, might that have to do with Jesus telling the disciples not to tell anyone else about the vision they have just seen? Lead into Responding by having the participants read the Now What? excerpt. Ask: P According to the writer, how is God revealed ( comes into the world ) in the story of the transfiguration? Then, in pairs, ask participants to discuss their experience of where and how God is most clearly revealed. 3

4 Who Is Jesus? EASY PREP As leader, you might take some time to consider who Jesus is for you. Be prepared to express this if appropriate during any of the Responding activities. RESPONDING Choose one or more of these activities depending on the length of your session: 1. Statement of Faith One way the church has sought to describe how God is revealed in Christ is through its statements of faith, or creeds. Such statements help individual believers share a common confession. Distribute Resource Sheet 2 (Nicene Creed). Have participants discuss the questions and do the activity listed there. 2. A Word from Jesus To help participants consider who Jesus is for them, ask them to imagine having a meeting with Jesus. They should describe the setting of the meeting. Then have them write a message to themselves that they think Jesus might say to them about who he is and what he wants them to be or do. Perhaps his message might be one of comfort. Have volunteers read their responses to the whole group as time allows. 3. Jesus People In this activity, participants will identify ways they and their community of faith reflect Christ in the world and community. Provide each participant with pens and a number of sticky notes. Ask participants to think about the ways their church or faith community reflects the light of Christ. Give participants two or three minutes to list as many of these ways as possible on sticky notes and then place them on a sheet of newsprint. Take a few moments to review the responses and group them into categories. Then ask: P What additional ways might we reveal or reflect Christ in our church or community? P How might we make these happen? As appropriate, have participants imagine whether they want to recommend any actions, steps, or ideas to church leaders in any of these categories. CLOSING Light a candle as a symbol of Christ s dazzling transfiguration. In silence, have participants ponder what new meaning Jesus has for them as a result of this session. Invite volunteers to tell the group their responses. Close by inviting volunteers to pray, or pray together using these words: O God, open our eyes to see Jesus, raised in glory, offering peace, and leading us down into the valley to bear his cross in love to all people. We give thanks that your love and mercy endure forever. Amen. Distribute copies of Resource Sheet 1 for March 5, 2017, or it to the participants during the week. Encourage participants to read the focus scripture and Resource Sheet 1 before the next session. 4

5 February 26, 2017 Who Is Jesus? Adult Resource Sheet 1 Focus on Matthew 17:1 9 WHAT is important to know? From Exegetical Perspective by Robert A. Bryant The transformation of Jesus form (metemorphōthē, 17:2) reveals Jesus divine sonship. According to Matthew, Jesus whole body not just his face exudes a glory as bright as the sun that radiates even through his clothing (cf. Mark 9:3; Exod. 34:35). The brightness of his appearance reflects his righteousness and the nearness of the kingdom of heaven (13:43). Moreover, the voice from heaven at Jesus baptism (3:17) here confirms again Jesus divine identity and righteous character but now adds a command to obey him (17:5; 7:21 25; 28:19 20). Nothing less than Jesus identity and Israel s apocalyptic hope of resurrection glory is unveiled in this moment, for in the resurrection the righteous ones will shine like the sun (cf. Dan. 12:3; 2 Cor. 3:16 18; Rev. 1:16). The disciples vision on the mountain is a confirmation of Jesus identity and a preview of the glorious form of life that will characterize life in the kingdom of heaven. WHERE is God in these words? From Theological Perspective by Douglas John Hall For what is significant in the account is not its special effects, but what it affirms about the early church s foundational belief about Jesus: namely, that he was not just another exceptional human being, prophet, or great teacher and example for all, but the decisive representation of the Divine, the source and judge of life. As one of the three disciples who is said to have been with Jesus on that remembered occasion stated the matter bluntly: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God (Matt. 16:16). SO WHAT does this mean for our lives? From Pastoral Perspective by Maryetta Madeleine Anschutz This moment of transfiguration is just such a moment. On one hand, the transfiguration affirms Jesus divinity; on the other, it begins to give the disciples eyes to see God s light in the chaos to come: death, loss, fear and resurrection, the work of the early church. The challenge to the disciples is to live in a world without Jesus bodily presence. The transfiguration anticipates this challenge, inviting us to live in the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 4:6). As that light shines in our hearts, the incarnate God is made real in the every day. NOW WHAT is God s word calling us to do? From Homiletical Perspective by Patrick J. Willson This is the way that God comes into the world: not simply the brilliant cloud of mystery, not only a voice thundering from heaven, but also a human hand laid upon a shoulder and the words, Do not be afraid. God comes to us quietly, gently, that we may draw near and not be afraid. God s glory is majestic and so far beyond our capacity to receive it that we can take just as much of God s glory as a human hand can hold Westminster John Knox Press 5

6 February 26, 2017 Who Is Jesus? Adult Resource Sheet 2 One way the early church responded to questions about the identity of God was to create statements of faith called creeds. These creeds were drawn from the pages of Scripture, including passages such as the transfiguration. The creed shown here is the Nicene Creed. It was created in A.D. 381 at a church council in Constantinople as a response to theological disputes and conflicting understandings of the nature of Christ. We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and unseen. We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, eternally begotten of the Father, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made, of one Being with the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven: by the power of the Holy Spirit he became incarnate from the Virgin Mary, and was made man. For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the Scriptures; he ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end. We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son he is worshiped and glorified. He has spoken through the Prophets. International Consultation on English Texts translation Nicene Creed P What words or phrases in the Nicene Creed shed light on the identity of Jesus for you? P Compare these words with the words on your index card from the Gathering activity. What do you notice? P On a note card, write your own statement of faith. Read it to one or two others in the group Westminster John Knox Press 6