Lessons: Exodus 24: 12-18; Second Epistle of Peter 1: 16-21; Matthew 17: 1-9
These lessons offer Old Testament and Gospel Mountain Top Epiphanies!
Exodus
In this lesson from Exodus (Mishpatim section), in verses 1 to 11, Moses and 70 from the tribes of Israel are invited by God to worship and become obedient to God. In Verses 12 to 18 we get the story of Moses along with Joshua being invited to go up on Mount Sinai to be with God. Before he departs, Moses has a bit of business with the wandering tribes. He tells the Elders to wait upon him and instructs Aron & Hur to take care of disputes while he is away. In our discussion, we noted that Moses knew this band of people very well. He knew that they would not sit calmly until he returned. The purpose of the mountain visit was to receive the Ten Commandments on stone tablets. We gather that Joshua would be a companion on the trip and help Moses bring the tablets down the mountain (stone is not portable like an I Pad). The various numbers give a sense of time and a sense of meaning. Moses and Joshua had to cool their heals in a cloud bank for six days before God spoke. In our busy lives, would we sit for six days to have a chat with the boss? In the time of Moses, deliberation and patience had a slower pace and respect. Recall that it took six days for God the creator to make the earth and stock it with plants, animals, and man. So six is good; Seven is better, a Sabbath day to be with God. So it was on the seventh day that the fiery cloud opens and God calls out to Moses and Moses and God have 40 days to hammer out the commandment work. Forty is used frequently in scripture to describe time; it implies a long time, or a special number.
For Noah and the Arc, it rained for forty days and forty nights.
Isaac was forty years old when he married Rebekah daughter of Bethuel.
Jonah chatting about Nineveh, “What if only forty are found there?” He said, “For the sake of forty, I will not do it.” Genesis 18:28-30
Jesus once went out to the desert to fast and pray for forty days.
Recalling a mountain top experience is special and offers a glimpse of the Kingdom. The beauty and immense power of a mountain is inspiring in itself. The first big mountain I every saw was the Zugspitze the highest mountain in Germany, at 9,718 ft, district of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Bavaria. I rode to the top in a cable car; about 7, 000 ft up, we hit the cloud bank and could not see until we got very close to the top. On the top, it was amazing; we could look out on several countries, and at the top of the peak, a bronze cross (Pilgrims were hiking to the cross). Mountains are thrilling, but the experience of being close or in touch with God is much more important. The mountain top experience is not limited to high altitudes, it may occur on an island, at sea, or anywhere.
Second Peter
This is a late New Testament epistle, attributed to the Apostle Peter, but most scholars give credit to others, the author incorporated virtually the whole of the epistle of Jude. It was compiled between 60 and 130 AD, but was not well accepted until around 300 AD. Much of the focus is addressed to false teaching and doctrine. The theme of 2nd Peter can be gleaned from its last two verses (3:17-18), and stated as: “BEWARE, BUT GROW”
The verses 1: 16 to 21 exhort the believers to avoid false myths. We also have a repetition of the Gospel, “This is my Son, My Beloved, with whom, I am well pleased.” Peter was up on the mountain and heard this news.
Gospel
We have jumped from the 6th Chapter of Matthew last week to the 17th; perhaps as a set up for Lent that starts next Wednesday. We are back to the mountains, this time it was most likely Mount Hermon, 9,400 ft high, not far from Caesarea Philippi in the Jordan Valley. In the previous chapter, Jesus is issuing challenges, pick up your cross and follow me; he also gives warning and a promise, the warning is about judgment; the promise is about the coming of the kingdom.
We get into the numbers again; six days after Peter identified Jesus as the Christ, son of the Living God, Peter, James, John, and Jesus take a hike up Mount Hermon. While on the slopes, the Transfiguration occurs (recall Moses was also illuminated when he was on Mont Sinai). What was the overall purpose of this expedition? Jesus had his eyes and mind on Jerusalem and the cross; the purpose was to confirm with God the Father this was the course to take. Tough decisions are often best made with good counsel. Jesus was confirming that God’s will be done.
Adding to our climber’s number we gain Moses (Giver of the Law) and Elijah (a major Prophet), two great servants of God and fellow mountain climbers. Also of note is that in the Hebrew tradition, Elijah is the herald of the Messiah. In Luke’s account of the Transfiguration, Jesus speaks with Elijah and Moses about his Exodus in Jerusalem. Noteworthy is Matthew fascination of tying the Torah to Jesus’ messiah status. The illumination of the cloud is respected as the presence of God. In Jewish tradition the righteous face shall shine like the sun- Shechinah, the glory of God hovering over his people.
At this juncture the apostles are much bewildered; the cross was a terrible and humiliating prospect. Plus, what about the future, what about the apostles after Jesus’ Exodus? We see Peter trying to build some structures and stay on the mountain. It is good and wonderful to be on the mountain and be transfigured, but it is a way and means to walk the daily walk and do the daily chores. Enjoy your mountain, but use it as a support, not as a crutch!
Submitted by Walt Jaap
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