Only Jesus

[Song] “Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life.  Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life.”

Hello, my name is Miss Barb!  Welcome to Lifeline English, the podcast that helps you know God and know English.

You can read the written script for today’s lesson online at lifelineenglish.com.

I’ve got a couple more words to teach you today.  The first word is “dear”.  There are two words that are pronounced “dear” but they have different spellings.  D-E-E-R is a wild animal that is often hunted for its meat and antlers.  The word I want to teach you today is D-E-A-R.  D-E-A-R means “special” or “loved” or “highly valued”.  Often we begin letters by writing “Dear” in front of the name of the person we are writing to.   

The second word is “tent”.  Can you say “tent”?  A tent is a building made of cloth.  Usually tents only have one room.  Tents can be quickly taken down and put up.  People who hike or camp often sleep in tents. 

Today’s story is called, “Only Jesus”.  Ready?

Jesus brought Peter, James, and John up on a tall mountain.
How many people did Jesus bring?  Jesus brought three people.
Who did Jesus bring? Jesus brought Peter, James and John.
Where did Jesus bring them?  Jesus brought them up on a mountain.
What size was the mountain?  The mountain was tall.

No other people were there.
Were there other people on the mountain?  No, no other people were there.
How many people were on the mountain?  Four people were there: Jesus, Peter, James, and John.

Jesus’ face became bright like the sun.  His clothes became as white as light.
Whose face became bright?  Jesus’ face became bright.
Did Jesus’ feet become bright?  No, Jesus’ face became bright.
How bright was Jesus’ face?  Jesus’ face was bright like the sun.
Whose clothes became white?  Jesus’ clothes became white.

Then Moses and Elijah appeared, and talked with Jesus.
Who appeared?  Moses and Elijah appeared.  Moses and Elijah were very famous Jewish leaders.  They did many miracles and spoke God’s words to the Jewish people.  Moses and Elijah died hundreds of years before this story happened.  But their spirits were still alive in heaven.
With whom did Moses and Elijah talk?  They talked with Jesus.
How many people were on the mountain now?  Six people were on the mountain now.

Peter told Jesus, “If you want, I will put up three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”How many tents did Peter want to put up?  Peter wanted to put up three tents.
Who would the tents be for?  The tents would be for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.

While Peter was talking, a bright cloud covered them.
What covered them?  A cloud covered them.
Was the cloud dark?  No, the cloud was bright.
When did the bright cloud cover them? The bright cloud covered them while Peter was talking.
Who did the bright cloud cover?  The bright cloud covered Peter, James, John, Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  

A voice came from the cloud.
What came?  A voice came.
Where did the voice come from?  The voice came from the cloud.

“This is my dear Son.  I am very happy with Him.”Who’s voice was talking?  God’s voice was talking.
Who is God’s son?  Jesus is God’s son.
Is God happy with His Son?  Yes, God is very happy with His Son.
Is Jesus dear to His Father?  Yes, Jesus is God’s dear Son.
Is Moses God’s dear son?  No, Jesus is God’s dear Son.  Moses was God’s servant. 

“You must listen to Him!”
Who should listen to Him? Peter, James, and John should listen to Him.
To whom should Peter, James, and John listen?  Peter, James, and John should listen to Jesus.
To whom should we listen? We should listen to Jesus also. 

Peter, James, and John were very afraid.Who was afraid?  Peter, James, and John were afraid.
How afraid were they?  They were very afraid.
When were they afraid?  They were afraid when they heard the voice of God.

They fell facedown on the ground.
Who fell?  Peter, James, and John fell.
Where did they fall?  They fell facedown on the ground.
Why did they fall?  They fell because they were afraid.

But Jesus came and touched them.Whom did Jesus touch?  Jesus touched Peter, James, and John.
Did Elijah touch them?  No, Jesus touched them.

He said, “Get up.  Don’t be afraid.”Who said these words?  Jesus said these words.
Who should get up?  Peter, James, and John should get up.
Was Jesus angry?  No, Jesus was not angry.  Jesus was kind.  

When they looked up, they saw only Jesus.Who looked up?  Peter, James and John looked up.
Whom did they see?  They saw Jesus.
Did they see Moses and Elijah?  No, they saw only Jesus.  Moses and Elijah were gone.

Let’s listen to the whole story together.

Jesus brought Peter, James, and John up on a tall mountain. No other people were there.
Jesus’ face became bright like the sun. His clothes became as white as light.
Then Moses and Elijah appeared, and talked with Jesus.
Peter told Jesus, “If you want, I will put up three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While Peter was talking, a bright cloud covered them. A voice came from the cloud.
“This is my dear Son. I am very happy with Him. You must listen to Him!”
Peter, James, and John were very afraid. They fell facedown on the ground. But Jesus came and touched them. He said, “Get up.  Don’t be afraid.”
When they looked up, they saw only Jesus.

This story is told in the third person.  Now I will tell it to you again in the first person.  This is what the story would sound like if Peter told it.  Listen for the changes.

Jesus brought James, John, and me up on a tall mountain. No other people were there.
Jesus’ face became bright like the sun. His clothes became as white as light.
Then Moses and Elijah appeared, and talked with Jesus.
I told Jesus, “If you want, I will put up three tents here: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.”
While I was talking, a bright cloud covered us. A voice came from the cloud.
“This is my dear Son. I am very happy with Him. You must listen to Him!”
James, John and I were very afraid. We fell facedown on the ground. But Jesus came and touched us. He said, “Get up.  Don’t be afraid.”
When we looked up, we saw only Jesus.

In the original story, the three friends were listed as “Peter, James, and John”.  But when Peter told the story, it became “James, John and I” (or “me”).  When we list a group of nouns or pronouns that includes the personal pronoun “I” or “me”, the personal pronoun always goes last in the list.  So, for example, it is never correct to say “me and you”.  The correct way is to say,  “you and me”.  In this way, the English language teaches us to respect other people more than we respect ourselves. 

Whom do you respect?  There have been many prophets and wise men throughout history.  Moses and Elijah loved and served God.  They were famous.  But Jesus is more special than anyone else.  Only Jesus is God’s dear Son.  Only Jesus always made God happy.  We must not worship or follow Moses, Elijah, or any other prophet.  We must worship and listen to Jesus.  

Do you have any questions?  I would love to hear from you.  You can write me.  Go to our website, lifelineenglish.com. 

Until next time, may Jesus help you know Him and know English.  Good bye!

[Song] “Jesus only savior, sanctify forever, beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.  Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.”