Joyful Moments in Christ

This Bible study lesson is for people who are learning English (ELL or ESL students). It is made for advanced beginner and intermediate English learners. Children who speak English or adults who prefer easy English may also enjoy it and learn from it.

All lessons on this website are protected by copyright, but you can use them for free in small groups or Bible classes. You may share a link to this page, but please do not copy these pages and put them on other websites.

Lesson Icebreaker Question

Have you ever seen something so beautiful or surprising that it made you stop and look? What was it?

Lesson Highlight

In this lesson, we will hear about a special day when Jesus showed his heavenly glory to three of his friends. We will learn how God spoke from a cloud and told them to listen to Jesus.

Vocabulary List (GNT)

1. About — Close to a certain time or number.
2. Afraid — Feeling scared.
3. Alone — With no one else.
4. Appeared — Showed up so people could see.
5. Appearance — The way something or someone looks.
6. Chose — Picked one person or thing out of many.
7. Clothes — The things people wear, like shirts and pants.
8. Cloud — A white or gray thing in the sky made of tiny drops of water.
9. Companions — Friends or people who go with you.
10. Covered — Put something over or around.
11. Dazzling — Very bright and shining.
12. Dying — Getting ready to stop living.
13. Face Changed — The way a person’s face looked became different.
14. Fulfill — To finish or do what was planned.
15. Glory — Great beauty and honor.
16. Good — Nice or right.
17. Heavenly — From heaven or like heaven.
18. Hill — A small mountain.
19. Know — To understand something.
20. Listen — To hear and pay attention.
21. Make — To build or create something.
22. Master — A teacher or leader.
23. Moses — A man in the Bible who led God’s people long ago.
24. Peter — One of Jesus’ close disciples.
25. Pray — To talk to God.
26. Purpose — The reason something is done.
27. Quiet — Not talking or making noise.
28. Saw — Looked at something with your eyes.
29. Shadow — A dark shape made when light is blocked.
30. Son — A male child.
31. Sound Asleep — Sleeping deeply.
32. Speaking — Talking with words.
33. Stopped — Ended or finished.
34. Suddenly — Quickly and without warning.
35. Tent — A small house made of cloth or other soft material you can move.
36. Talking — Speaking words with someone.
37. Told — Said something to someone.
38. Took — Carried or led someone somewhere.
39. Transfiguration — A special change in how Jesus looked to show his heavenly glory.
40. Voice — The sound people make when they speak.
41. Way — A plan or path to do something.
42. Went — Moved from one place to another.
43. Week — Seven days in a row.
44. Woke Up — Stopped sleeping.

Summary of the Passage

This passage tells about a very special day in Jesus’ life. One week after he spoke to his disciples about who he was and what would happen, Jesus took three of his closest friends—Peter, John, and James—up a hill to pray. As Jesus prayed, something amazing happened. His face changed, and his clothes became bright and shining like light.

Then, two men from long ago, Moses and Elijah, appeared next to Jesus. They came from heaven to talk with him about what would soon happen when Jesus died in Jerusalem. While this was happening, Peter and the other two were very sleepy, but they woke up and saw Jesus’ shining face and the two men standing with him.

Peter felt so happy to be there that he said they should build tents for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. But he did not really understand what was happening. Then a cloud came and covered them, and the disciples were afraid. A voice came from the cloud and said that Jesus was God’s Son and that they should listen to him.

When the voice stopped, Jesus was alone again. The disciples kept quiet and did not tell anyone what they had seen for a long time.

This passage teaches us that Jesus is very special and shines with God’s glory. It shows us that God wants people to listen to Jesus because he is God’s chosen Son.

Read The Passage

The Transfiguration
28 About a week after he had said these things, Jesus took Peter, John, and James with him and went up a hill to pray.
29 While he was praying, his face changed its appearance, and his clothes became dazzling white.
30-31 Suddenly two men were there talking with him. They were Moses and Elijah, who appeared in heavenly glory and talked with Jesus about the way in which he would soon fulfill God’s purpose by dying in Jerusalem.
32 Peter and his companions were sound asleep, but they woke up and saw Jesus’ glory and the two men who were standing with him.
33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, how good it is that we are here! We will make three tents, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” (He did not really know what he was saying.)
34 While he was still speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them with its shadow; and the disciples were afraid as the cloud came over them.
35 A voice said from the cloud, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen—listen to him!”
36 When the voice stopped, there was Jesus all alone. The disciples kept quiet about all this and told no one at that time anything they had seen.

Luke 9:28-36 (GNT)

Most English learners should use the New International Reader’s Version (NIRV) or the Good News Translation (GNT) because they are easy to read. If you want to try something harder, you can read one of the other Bible versions:

• Very Easy: New International Reader’s Version: Luke 9:28-36 (NIRV)
• Easy: Good News Translation: Luke 9:28-36 (GNT)
• Medium: New Living Translation: Luke 9:28-36 (NLT)
• Hard: New International Version: Luke 9:28-36 (NIV)
• Very Hard: English Standard Version: Luke 9:28-36 (ESV)

Comprehension Questions

1. Who did Jesus take with him up the hill?
2. What happened to Jesus while he was praying?
3. Who appeared and talked with Jesus?
4. What did Peter want to do when he saw them?
5. What covered them while Peter was speaking?
6. How did the disciples feel when the cloud came?
7. What did the voice from the cloud say?
8. When the voice stopped, who was left alone?
9. Did the disciples tell anyone about what they saw right away?

Application Questions

1. Why do you think Jesus showed his glory to Peter, John, and James?
2. What do you think it means that God said to listen to Jesus?
3. Have you ever felt afraid when you saw or heard something you did not understand?
4. How can we listen to Jesus today?
5. Why is it important to remember that Jesus is God’s Son?

Theological Insights

1. Jesus is God’s Son, full of glory and power.
2. God spoke from heaven to tell people to listen to Jesus.
3. Moses and Elijah showed that Jesus is the one God promised a long time ago.
4. Jesus shines with heavenly glory, showing he is more than just a good teacher.
5. God wants us to trust Jesus and follow his words.

Closing Prayer

Dear Father, thank you for showing us that Jesus is your Son. Help us to listen to him and follow him every day. Thank you for loving us. Amen.

ELL Resources for the Gospel of Luke

More ELL Resources

You can find more Bible lessons for English learners on the main ELL page.

Scripture quotations marked (GNT) are from the Good News Translation in Today’s English Version- Second Edition Copyright © 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.