January 28, 2026

Today's Reading: Exodus 34:29-35 or Exodus 3:1-14

Daily Lectionary: Zechariah 6:1-7:14; Romans 16:17-27

“Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” (Exodus 34:29)

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

In the Transfiguration of our Lord, we see the communication, or the delivery, of the divine majesty to the human nature of Jesus. This means that things that are normally only true of God are also true of the human being Jesus Christ. Normally, human flesh and blood does not shine with uncreated light as bright as the sun. But the human flesh of Jesus shines with the light of divine glory. This is not because of any quality of the human nature, but because in the union of God and man in the person of Jesus, the divine nature lends its light to the human.

But that’s Jesus. The God-man. The one and only Son of God who assumed human nature in the unity of person. The one in whom the whole fullness of Deity dwells bodily (Colossians 2:9). No other human being who has ever walked this earth has been personally united with one of the persons of the Holy Trinity. But the fact that the Son of God has communicated His divine glory to the human flesh and blood He assumed in His person opens the possibility for other flesh-and-blood humans to receive the Gifts of divine majesty.

And Moses shows that it does, in fact, happen. After conversing with God and writing the commands of God on a replacement set of stone tables, he comes back down the mountain. “Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.” Normally, human flesh does not shine with light. But Moses’ skin shone. While Scripture does not say that its brilliance was like the sun (as was the Transfiguration of Jesus), they still had to put a veil over his face (Exodus 34:33).

If Jesus’ face shone like the sun with its own divine light, then the face of Moses shone like the moon, reflecting the glory of God. And do not miss the cause: “because he had been talking with God.” Moses’ face shines with borrowed light communicated to him by the Word of God.

You, too, shine with a certain borrowed light when you hear the Word of God and keep it. St. Paul urges you to be “children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast to the word of life” (Philippians 2:15b–16a). This light is God’s by nature, but yours by grace. Follow Jesus and you will not walk in darkness, but you will have the light of life (John 8:12).

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

Renew me, O eternal Light, And let my heart and soul be bright, Illumined with the light of grace That issues from Your holy face. (LSB 704:1)

Author: Rev. Jacob Ehrhard, pastor of St. John's Lutheran Church and School in Chicago, IL.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Rev. Richard Heinz, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lowell, IN.

Better understand difficult and overlooked Old Testament passages in this new book by Authors R. Reed Lessing and Andrew E. Steinmann. Their conversational yet academic writing style makes learning about the Old Testament accessible to those at all points in their Bible reading journey. Discussion questions at the end of each chapter invite you to think more in-depth about what you just read and record your answers. To stretch your understanding, a list of resources for further reading is also included at the back of the book.