Moments on Mountains - New Testament

I have just rapelled down a vertical cliff after examining some of the mountains found in the Old Testament. Now let us look in the New Testament, how Jesus was associated with mountains. We will spend some moments on the mountains with Him.

1. Master meets master and masters the master.

Jesus had just been baptized. He had entered into His short ministry of a little over 3 years, and was led into a wilderness where He remained for 40 days and 40 nights. He fasted for that period of time. Satan being fully aware of Jesus’ supposed vulnerability, sought to tempt Him, making Him fall so that He could not complete His mission in life – to die for us for our sins.

Now let us see who the key players are, and the winner and the loser. The Master, of course, is Jesus, the Master of the universe and all that is in it. The master of course is Satan, who is the master of all sin and sinners, and who rules the world. So we have two masters meeting. The Master mastered the master. If Jesus can master Satan, tell me, can He master every person on this earth, and every demonic power? Of course! He is all-powerful!

Satan first tempted Jesus to make bread from the very stones on the ground. Satan could not even make bread from the stones. He was trying to break Jesus’ fast and which in turn would make Jesus yield to his temptation. Jesus, the Word, answered him with the Word. Next he took Jesus to the temple to the highest pinnacle, with a plunge into the Kidron Valley of about 450 feet. Then Satan also used the Word to tempt Jesus – He must throw Himself down and the angels would catch Him. How absolutely mean! Besides Satan could never use the Scriptures! He even tries using the Word of God to deceive and distract people today!

Then comes his meanest move. Just look at the highest peak of this mountain! “Again the devil took Him on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me”. Then Jesus said to Him, “AWAY WITH YOU, SATAN! For it is written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve”.

I love this part: “Then the devil left Him . . . “ and then “. . . angels came and ministered to Him”. (Matthew 4:8-11).

Now can you see – “Master meets master and masters the master”? That means that our MASTER will also cause us to have the victory over Satan!

 

2. Master on the Mountain meeting the Maker

When mastering the mountains, surely it must go through one’s mind that these mountains are the marvelous creations of a mighty God! Surely you must be awestruck!

Jesus faced hatred, rejection, criticism, false accusations – to sum His presence up while He walked on this earth – He, the Creator, the Son of God, the only Savior from sin, faced the most difficult mountain and “frozen waterfall” imaginable. No one could communicate with Him on His spiritual level. So what did He do?

“He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there”. (Matthew 14:23) Jesus needed communication with His Father. He did not just go anywhere quiet to pray. No, He chose to climb up a mountain to meet with His Father. Climbing up a mountain is difficult. The terrain is rough and steep. Rocks have to be scaled, eyes ever looking upwards, training them on the summit of the mountain; panting and out of breath; experiencing the icy winds while ascending higher, and eventually out of sight of man. Jesus selected a quiet spot, where His Father was in full view. Jesus, no doubt, told His Father how difficult it was to experience being a human being, and a despised one at that. There on the mountain top Jesus could share His burdens with His loving Father. Then came the steep descent after communicating with His Father.

Look at this scenario. Was it easy for Jesus to reach that place of intimate communion with His Father? What can we learn about prayer here? It is true that we can pray to God no matter where we are, but imagine if we had to climb a mountain every time we wanted to pray! I think most of us would cease to pray. I am speaking about the times when we have to get away and get into the presence of the Holy God, wrestling in prayer with Him. We choose a quiet spot – a high mountain. It must be high – away from everyone. We feel the strain on our muscles, to rather find an easier spot. We have to clamber over rocks that threaten our progress on our way to meet God – rocks of thoughts of the day, all distractions. Its not easy to get into the presence of God. As we ascend closer to Him, we tend to freeze in the icy winds and waterfalls and cool down in our quest to meet with God in a deep and personal way.

We grip the rocks with our hands, wedge our feet into little cracks and crevices on the way up; clinging tenaciously lest we should fall and miss this opportunity to meet with God and to hear what He has to say to us personally. Birds – fleeting thoughts may startle us to distract us, but no, we have to go higher and higher until we meet that spot where God is. Is that how we meet with our Maker and the Master in prayer? Or is it just shutting our eyes, uttering a few “religious” words? Do we “say” prayers and not “pray” prayers? Are there boulders of distraction in our way, and we sit for a while on them and think of other things? When we allow Satan to freeze our minds with other desires and distractions, do we wrap God’s warmth around us with a burning desire to meet personally with a living God? Climb to the summit! Don’t stop on the way! The views of God at the top are the most spectacular. It takes spiritual stamina to meet alone with God. It is there that the “water falls” from our eyes and freezes because of the great height that we have reached to meet with God – alone!

3. Master Ministers on the Mountain

“And seeing the multitudes, He went up on a mountain, and when He was seated His disciples came to Him. Then He opened His mouth and taught them, saying . . . .” (Matthew 5:1-11)

Okay – pause right there! What a contrast in this pic! What a picture of our lives! Icy cold, full of cracks from sin; a perilous journey on one side, and then on the other, warm, inviting, colorful, sweet smelling breezes – all under the same sky. Quite amazing.

“The multitudes” – that includes us – we were all born ice cold spiritually and from our  early days we started cracking up with sin, our lives gaping and revealing the ugliness of the deep recesses of our hearts? Do you identify with that? If so, you are about to cross over to spiritual warmth and beauty.

Jesus is about to deliver a powerful sermon. His venue – a mountainside. He is seated and His power attracts two groups of people – (1) His disciples, those who followed Him, and (2) a multitude of icy cold, cracked people, all needing to be transferred to the mountain of God’s love, mercy and grace – His mountain covered with perfumed blooms of knowing Him personally.

Listen – He is telling us how to leave the seracs of sin and our glacier-type life, and to move to His landscape of beauty. The Master of and on the mountain is painting three pictures of the crevasses in our lives, and three pictures of what our spiritual lives are like on the “scented and floral” side of our new life in Himself. And right in the center, He adds, as it were, the “filling” to a “sandwich” if  we can see it like that – filled with a hunger for spiritual food, the perfect diet for our spiritual lives – to live a righteous life as God desires that we should live.

While in a “serac and sinful state”, we must be poor in spirit. In other words recognize that we are so poverty-stricken because of our sin. We must see that clearly. And what pops up? A blessing! What a discovery! Picture 2 is a scene of us looking at our cold and cracked state, and we are mourning deeply because we are in this awful position. Up pops another blessing. Then we must decide if we are going to place our will, our self-control completely under the power of the Holy Spirit. It is no more what we want – we demonstrate meekness – totally submitted to what God wants with us and our lives. Up pops another blessing. Something is happening to us. Out of the blue, as it were, we start becoming hungry. Who thought of food, when we see how miserable we are without God, and while grieving over our sinful state! What stimulated our appetite? Well, you see, it is like this. When we see what sinners we are, and we mourn because of our miserable state, God begins to entice us to fill that void in our lives with His righteousness. We need spiritual food and we crave for it – we begin to “hunger and thirst after (God and) righteousness”. Newborn babies start sucking on their mother’s breast the moment they are born. When we are born again, we immediately want to begin nourishing ourselves in our “new birth” status.

We have now left the seracs and crevasses on our previous glacier life, when we see and admit exactly who we are. And what do we discover from Jesus, in our new flourishing life. We now become both “givers and receivers”. We (1) are merciful to others, and when it is our turn to have mercy, we receive it; (2) we hate sin and desire to be pure in God’s sight – He who sees everything about us, and because our spiritual eyes have been opened, we begin to see God and to adore Him, and (3) we seek after peace – peace in ourselves and peace with others. No more challenging others who challenge us, but rather seeking to bring peace into our situations with others, and with ourselves. People begin to recognize the attributes of God in us. Can you see those beautiful “floral” attributes?  (Matthew 5:1-10) But Jesus quickly slips in a word of caution. What is it?

It’s a blessing with a “but”. and that blessing is reserved in Heaven for us. But before we receive it we will have to suffer for the sake of the Man on the Mountain.

“Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven. . . “ (Matthew 5:11-12)

 

4. Master, the Master of Mountains

What a challenge! Paul said: “I am hard-pressed between the two, having a desire to be with Christ, which is far better. Nevertheless to remain in the flesh is more needful for you” (Philippians 1:23-24) In essence, what he was saying, was this: The Greek word for “hard-pressed” refers to a narrow pathway, with rock walls on either side. There is no way that the traveler (climber) can turn and go back – he has to continue until he has conquered the mountain. This is a tough mountain, and a very tough climb, indeed!

“Jesus said to them, ”. . . I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’, and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you”. (Matthew 17:20)

If the mountain in the pic above, had to suddenly be removed because of someone’s faith, I wonder where the poor climber would find himself. Imagine the panic if the famous Mount Rainier could suddenly not be found, or the famous Table Mountain in South Africa, with all the people visiting on the top of the mountain, would suddenly be found in another town. There would be chaos. No, Jesus was not referring to literal mountains.

Jesus was referring to the disciples who tried to cast out a demon from a little boy, and they failed to do so. Then Jesus came along, and the demon fled and the little boy was healed. Three sets of persons were faced with the same mountain in this example. The little boy had a “mountain”; the disciples spoke to the “mountain” and nothing happened; Jesus came along and the “mountain” disappeared.

If we, or others are grappling with a “mountain”, a  problem in life, we, of our own, cannot move that mountain. Others trying to help us, will not be able to move the mountain. But, set our faith in Jesus, the Master of every mountain, and He will give us the spiritual power to push our mountains out of our way. Consider these components to remove obstacles (mountains) that stand in our way. An additional mountain may also be as the result of the effect on the person facing the mountain – how the individual perceives his mountain.

It is not just “say to the mountain” – it is say, pray and stay – in faith in Jesus and watch Him remove the mountain. Then we can add the last part of that verse – “and nothing will be impossible for you”. And Jesus added: “It will move!” He will see to it somehow. Look at Paul again. He had an infirmity, and he asked God three times to remove it, but one of his “mountains” remained, and the other one was removed. That’s weird! Is it? Paul in fact had two mountains, (1) his infirmity and, (2) his greatest desire to get rid of that mountain. God said, “No, Paul, I will not remove the one mountain, but the second one, that bothers and burdens you to be completely whole again, and I will take that second mountain, and give you the grace to bear it. Hear God’s reply: “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness”. And Paul goes on, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me”. (1 Corinthians 12:9). Either way, whatever God chooses, one of your mountains will surely be moved to another place. That is God’s grace!

 

5. Master Magnified on the Mountain

Poor petrified Peter. He always seemed to utter something quite ridiculous when he was caught in a strange situation. What is troubling Peter?

“. . . Jesus took Peter, James and John his brother, led them up on a high mountain by themselves; and He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as the light. . . “ (Matthew 17:1-2)

Think carefully. Have you ever had a fleeting moment, or a flash of the glory and the brightness of Jesus, the Son of God? I’m sure that you have. It is not seeing Jesus’ glory with our physical eyes. We could never see Him that way, except when this body dies, and God raises His children up, clothing them with a heavenly body, with eyes that will actually see Him as He is. Wow! That will be something! That WILL eventually become a reality for every child of God!

Do you think, or rather, know for sure that Jesus drew alongside of you in your troubles, when He rescued you from danger, when He answered your prayer, when He provided for your need and snatched you from sure disaster; when He gave you that “Rhema” word from His Word; when He gave you your heart’s deep desire? God can reveal Himself to us in any way He chooses, even in supernatural ways. His presence is in the miracles.

Let’s take a look at some truths from this account of Jesus’ transfiguration. (1) Peter, James and John were fisherman, rugged, rough and simple, down-to-earth men. (2) they accompanied the King of the Universe on His mission here on earth, not even being aware of who this Man Jesus really was; (3) Out of the twelve disciples, Jesus invited these three along with Him, in this instance to climb a mountain; (4) they, no doubt, must have asked Jesus why they had to climb the mountain; (5) Jesus led them up the mountain – Jesus must have been physically fit; (6) Suddenly this same Jesus turns electrically white, and His face becomes as bright as the sun; (7) the next minute Moses and Elijah appeared. I can picture Peter’s face – it’s petrified, and he’s petrified too. (8) As if that was not enough, a bright cloud suddenly appeared and then the three men heard a voice coming out of heaven and which said, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well-pleased. Hear Him” Peter’s mouth fell open and the three of them fall down.

Jesus is transfigured in our lives, too. First, He saved us – that was the greatest miracle. His presence blinds us; His revelations from the Scriptures, cause our hearts to burn within us; He appears to us in our daily walk with Him; in our spiritual  eyes, no one shines like Jesus does; everything He is and does is a miracle.

Jesus will continue to lead us up into mountains to catch supernatural glimpses of Himself. God invites us even today to – “HEAR HIM!” . . . . and He will be transfigured before our eyes!

 

 

6. Master Mutilated on the Mountain

The mountaineer in this photograph is going it alone. Tediously and laboriously step by step mounting this steep mountain. Every weary step he takes brings him closer to his final destination - the mission he planned, executed and achieved. Now picture Jesus on His journey, the final stage of His mission that God planned in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve failed. Jesus fulfilled every step of the way that was set before Him; He trudged up the hill, His body mutilated, with not a soul to help Him or to accompany Him. No throwing his arms into the air at the top of the mountain in ecstasy, but instead they were secured down. Let us follow His footprints from the Garden of Gethsemane to being hung on a cross.

John recorded 17 steps that Jesus had to take to the cross. Jesus agonized in the Garden of Gethsemane until His sweat turned to great drops of blood – that was His final determination to die for us. His disciple Judas stepped forward and betrayed him for 20 measly pieces of silver, bringing with him troops and the offices from the Chief Priests, and the Pharisees carrying lanterns, torches and weapons. Jesus is arrested and bound and taken away for an informal Jewish Trial – to Annas the High Priest and to Caiaphas. This lasted through the night, and early next morning His Roman Trial began – all because those concerned in the Jewish trial pronounced Him guilty of death. He was presented before the Roman Governor, Pilate, who briefly examined Him, saying that He was innocent of death, and proposed that a robber, Barabbas be released. Pilate then ordered Jesus to be scourged with a leather whip, with pieces of bone secured to the thongs of the whip, tearing Jesus flesh to pieces with each lash – 39 of them. With bleeding and excruciating pain as a result of the lashes, the Roman soldiers plaited a crown of long, sharp thorns, and placed it on His head, piercing His flesh and blood oozing down His gentle, but unrecognizable face. They place a purple robe on Him, mocking Him now as “KING!”. They struck Him through the face for telling the truth – He IS the KING – the King of the universe.

Jesus was the target of their murderous cries, “Crucify Him!” He was led away carrying His cross on His bleeding and broken back. Step-by-step up that mountain, closer and closer to victory. His hands and feet are nailed to a wooden cross. Closer to victory. His meager possession, His garment was gambled as a trophy for the fortunate soldier. Jesus, in His agony spots His Mother and He exchanges places with John, His beloved disciple – he is to care for His Mother. Then in an act of victory, He bowed his precious head, and gave up His spirit – for you and for I, and we as Barabbas, walk away scot free. Jesus planted His stake of conquering the mountain of sin, by planting His cross on the mountain that His hands created. Where is the victory in all of this – in Jesus’ death? The writer to the Hebrews tells us clearly of His victory. “I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.” (Hebrews 1:18) Jesus arose from the dead – Victorious!

“But now Christ is risen from the dead and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all shall be made alive .” (1 Corinthians 15:20-22)

Why was he so marred and mutilated? To bear the punishment for our sin, the eternal punishment that we deserve, and to make a way for us to enter into Heaven, sin-free, and free of charge.

“Mountains” – quite a topic! I’m sure you agree.

Allow me to direct you to the next post on “Moments on Mountains” which contains two challenging Bible Studies designed by Doctor Curt Scarborough, one on Old Testament Mountains and the other on mountains found in the New Testament, under the following headings: (1) Moses’ Mountain-top Experiences and (2) Mountain Climbing with the Messiah.

I earnestly encourage you to take your Bible, and to climb high mountains in your search of the Scriptures.