The Transfiguration of Our Lord: God Manifests His Glory in the Body of Christ Jesus, Transfigured for Us by His Cross

Exodus 24:8–18; 2 Peter 1:16–21; Matthew 17:1–9; Psalm 2:6-12

Exegesis of the LectionaryStudying, expounding, and interpreting the Bible readings through the Church Year

THE TRANSFIGURATION OF OUR LORD

 

Exodus 24:8–18

2 Peter 1:16–21

Matthew 17:1–9

 

God Manifests His Glory in the Body of Christ Jesus, Transfigured for Us by His Cross

 The Transfiguration confirms “the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place” (2 Pet. 1:19). The divine glory of Jesus is manifested in the word of His apostles, who were “eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Pet. 1:16). “He was transfigured before them, and His face shone like the sun” (Matt. 17:2). Moses and Elijah witnessed the fulfillment of the Old Testament in this Lord Jesus, and the Father testified concerning Him: “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. 17:5). By His own blood, shed on the cross, Jesus makes and seals the new covenant with us. Hence, “the appearance of the glory of the Lord” is no longer “like a devouring fire” (Ex. 24:17), but is graciously revealed in His own body. As “Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel” went up the mountain with Moses and “beheld God, and ate and drank” (Ex. 24:9, 11), we also behold the Lord our God in Christ Jesus, and we abide with Him as we eat and drink His body and blood at the altar.

This week:

Transfiguration

The Transfiguration is a pivotal moment, and the setting on the mountain is presented as the point where human nature meets God: the meeting place for the temporal and the eternal, with Jesus himself as the connecting point, acting as the bridge between heaven and earth.

The disciples saw God reflected in Jesus. What are your mountaintop moments where you get that perfect picture of heaven?

“When higher beings allow us to see them, that's the very moment we begin to be one of them.” --Toba Beta(Indonesian Sci Fi author)

LSB 413

1 O wondrous type! O vision fairOf glory that the Church may share,Which Christ upon the mountain shows,Where brighter than the sun He glows!

2 With Moses and Elijah nighThe incarnate Lord holds converse high;And from the cloud the Holy OneBears record to the only Son.

3 With shining face and bright arrayChrist deigns to manifest todayWhat glory shall be theirs above

Who joy in God with perfect love.

4 And faithful hearts are raised on highBy this great vision's mystery,For which in joyful strains we raiseThe voice of prayer, the hymn of praise.

5 O Father, with the eternal SonAnd Holy Spirit ever one,We pray Thee, bring us by Thy graceTo see Thy glory face to face

Use your prayer notes. Use a verse from the

bible to reflect on. Pray for his light to

shine on us. P raise

R epentanceA ppreciationY ouE veryoneR esolve

Prayer Activity

Let us pray for the whole Church of God in Christ Jesus and for all people according to their needs, saying: Lord, whose only-begotten Son was transfigured on the mountaintop, hear us, we pray! O Lord, You have not left us destitute in these last days, but You have promised to abide with us in the prophetic Word. Grant us open ears and penitent hearts to hear the Scriptures as they are read aloud and preached in our midst, that we may join Peter, James and John in following Your Word as our light in the darkness. Lord, whose only-begotten Son was transfigured on the mountaintop, hear us, we pray! O God, in the glorious transfiguration of Your only-begotten Son, You revealed a glimpse of Your glory and proclaimed Jesus to be Your Son. Grant us the true glory of Your

incarnate presence in the blessed Sacrament, that we may believe that Jesus is the Christ and here learn from Him to live in faith toward God and in fervent love for one another. Lord, whose only-begotten Son was transfigured on the mountaintop, hear us, we pray! Heavenly Father, You are the Lord of the nations, the One who rules in perfect justice, world without end. Continue to guide, comfort and sustain our leaders, especially Barack, our president, [___________, our governor, ______________, our mayor], and all who administer the laws of the state. Grant that they might rule justly, put the good of our nation first and follow the example of Your Son, who came not to be served but to serve. Lord, whose only-begotten Son was transfigured on the mountaintop, hear us, we pray!

Use your prayer notes. Use a verse from the

bible to reflect on. Pray his light to shine

on us. P raise

R epentanceA ppreciationY ouE veryoneR esolve

Prayer Activity

O Lord, Your Son is the center of the church year, as sure as He is the center of the Christian faith and life. As we prepare for the season of Lent, grant us penitent hearts and steadfast faith to put first things first, to repent of our sins and to exercise the three-fold discipline of prayer, fasting and charitable giving. Grant that we may faithfully journey yet again with Your Word to the cross and empty tomb this Holy Week and keep the Easter Feast in sincerity and truth. Lord, whose only-begotten Son was transfigured on the mountaintop, hear us, we pray! Lord God, many in this world are lonely, devoid of family and friends, and suffering from divorce, recent deaths and other traumas. Send down Your Holy Spirit, we pray, to work through the preached Word to draw all men to Yourself, that we may find a place of consolation and comfort in the communion of saints. Lord,

whose only-begotten Son was transfigured on the mountaintop, hear us, we pray! O Lord, You know our every need, and You abundantly provide for all our needs of body and soul. Bless, guide and govern all who have requested our prayers, [especially_____________]. Grant that they may look to You alone in every need, patiently bear their crosses in faith and take great hope and comfort in the promise of the final resurrection of all flesh. Lord, whose only-begotten Son was transfigured on the mountaintop, hear us, we pray! Grant us these and all other things You know that we need, kind Father, for the sake of Your only-begotten Son, even Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

Meet w/teams3-5 min per box

What are the major points of your text? How does your topic fit the pericope

theme? How does it connect to the other texts?

How is it unique?

Group Time God Manifests His Glory in the Body of Christ Jesus, Transfigured for Us by His Cross

Exodus 24:8-188 Moses then took the blood, sprinkled it on the people and said, “This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words.”9 Moses and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, and the seventy elders of Israel went up10 and saw the God of Israel. Under his feet was something like a pavement made of lapis lazuli, as bright blue as the sky. 11 But God did not raise his hand against these leaders of the Israelites; they saw God, and they ate and drank.12 The LORD said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.”

13 Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. 14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.”15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the LORD settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day theLORD called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelites the glory of the LORD looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.

2 Peter 1:16-21 16 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.”[a] 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.19 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. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 17:1-9The Transfiguration17 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4 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.”5 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!”6 When the disciples heard this, they fell facedown to the ground, terrified.7 But Jesus came and touched them.“Get up,” he said. “Don’t be afraid.”8 When they looked up, they saw no one except Jesus.9 As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus instructed them, “Don’t tell anyone what you have seen, until the Son of Man has been raised from the dead.”

Psalm 2:6-126 “I have installed my king on Zion, my holy mountain.”7 I will proclaim the LORD’s decree:He said to me, “You are my son; today I have become your father.8 Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.9 You will break them with a rod of iron[a]; you will dash them to pieces like pottery.”

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.11 Serve the LORD with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.12 Kiss his son, or he will be angry and your way will lead to your destruction,for his wrath can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

Sing it!

1 'Tis good, Lord, to be here!Thy glory fills the night;Thy face and garments, like the sun,Shine with unborrowed light.

2 'Tis good, Lord, to be here,Thy beauty to beholdWhere Moses and Elijah stand,Thy messengers of old.

3 Fulfiller of the pastAnd hope of things to be,

We hail Thy body glorifiedAnd our redemption see.

4 Before we taste of death,We see Thy kingdom come;We long to hold the vision bright,And make this hill our home.

5 'Tis good, Lord, to be here!Yet we may not remain;But since you bidst us leave the mount,Come with us to the plain.

Ash WednesdayJoel 2:12-19 2 Cor. 5:20b—6:10Matt. 6:(1-6)

16-21Psalm 51:1–13 (14-19)

Anticipating…

Return to the Lord Your God with All Your Heart, for He Has Reconciled You to Himself On Ash Wednesday, we come down from the mountain with Jesus and set our face toward His Cross and Passion in Jerusalem. We make our pilgrimage with Him by way of repentance, and thus we return to our dying and rising in Holy Baptism. Christ Jesus, “who knew no sin,” became our sin, so that by His death we are released from sin and in His resurrection we “become the righteousness of God” (2 Cor. 5:21). As God has thereby reconciled the world to Himself in Christ, “now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2). He has provided the sacrificial Lamb, and He has left “a blessing behind Him, a grain offering and a drink offering” (Joel 2:14, 19) in the Eucharist. He summons us to return to Him with all our heart, because He is “gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love” (Joel 2:13). We do so with faith and confidence in Him, and so we pray to Him as our Father, give to the needy from a heart of love, and fast for the sake of repentance (Matt. 6:3–4, 6, 17–18).

First Sunday in Lent: The Lord Jesus Christ Is Our Champion against Satan

Genesis 3:1-21 The FallRomans 5:12-19 Death Through

Adam, Life Through ChristMatthew 4:1-11 Jesus is Tested

in the WildernessPsalm 32:1-7 Blessed is the one

whose transgressions are forgiven

Next Week…

Genesis 3:1-21; Romans 5:12-19; Matthew 4:1-11; Psalm 32:1-7

Genesis 3:1-21The Fall3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,“Cursed are you above all livestock    and all wild animals!You will crawl on your belly    and you will eat dust    all the days of your life.15 And I will put enmity    between you and the woman,    and between your offspring[a] and hers;he will crush[b] your head,    and you will strike his heel.”16 To the woman he said,“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;    with painful labor you will give birth to children.

Your desire will be for your husband,    and he will rule over you.”17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’“Cursed is the ground because of you;    through painful toil you will eat food from it    all the days of your life.18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,    and you will eat the plants of the field.19 By the sweat of your brow    you will eat your fooduntil you return to the ground,    since from it you were taken;for dust you are    and to dust you will return.”20 Adam[c] named his wife Eve,[d] because she would become the mother of all the living.21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.Romans 5:12-19Death Through Adam, Life Through Christ12 Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all sinned—13 To be sure, sin was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not charged against anyone’s account where there is no law. 14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ!18 Consequently, just as one trespass resulted in condemnation for all people, so also one righteous act resulted in justification and life for all people. 19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.Matthew 4:1-11Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be

tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:“‘He will command his angels concerning you,    and they will lift you up in their hands,    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor.9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.Psalm 32:1-7Psalm 32Of David. A maskil.[a]

1 Blessed is the one    whose transgressions are forgiven,    whose sins are covered.2 Blessed is the one    whose sin the LORD does not count against them    and in whose spirit is no deceit.3 When I kept silent,    my bones wasted away    through my groaning all day long.4 For day and night    your hand was heavy on me;my strength was sapped    as in the heat of summer.[b]

5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you    and did not cover up my iniquity.I said, “I will confess    my transgressions to the LORD.”And you forgave    the guilt of my sin.6 Therefore let all the faithful pray to you    while you may be found;surely the rising of the mighty waters    will not reach them.7 You are my hiding place;    you will protect me from trouble    and surround me with songs of deliverance.