Jesus takes three of his disciples, Peter, James and John up to a mountaintop to pray. Jesus begins to shine with bright rays of light, his face and clothes radiant. Then Old Testament figures Moses and Elijah appear with him, and he speaks with them. Then they are covered by a cloud, and Jesus is called the Son by the voice of God the Father, who says to listen to Jesus. The disciples are initially afraid and fall in terror at God’s voice, and Jesus says not to be afraid, and they look up to see only Jesus.
God appears to Moses in the form of a burning bush. God identifies himself as “I Am” (Yahweh), the God of Moses’ ancestors. God outlines the rescue plan to free the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and invites Moses to lead them into freedom.
Moses doubts his ability to achieve God’s mission so God shows Moses his power in a simple act of obedience. Moses throws his staff on the ground and it turns into a snake, then when he picks it up it transforms back into a staff. Moses trusts God’s plan and agrees to lead the rescue mission.
God sent Moses to Pharaoh to command him to set God’s people free. Pharaoh opposed God’s request and so God sent 10 plagues of increasing severity to convince Pharaoh. The plagues were: water turning to blood, frogs, lice, flies, livestock pestilence, boils, hail, locusts, darkness and the killing of the firstborn sons of every household. It is only after the last plague that Pharaoh agrees to set the Israelites free. During the final plague, God gave the Israelites very specific instructions about what they needed to do so that the angel of death would ‘pass over’ their houses and their babies wouldn’t die. Ever since, the Jewish people have celebrated the Passover, when the blood of a lamb smeared on their doors saved them from death. After this Pharoah releases the Israelites and an estimated two million men, women and children cross the Red Sea into the Sinai Peninsula.