From the dusty depths we looked at last week, today we are raising our gaze to the mountains. In the Old Testament, Mountains symbolise fidelity for example in Psalm 125 we read of towering mountains that cannot be shaken.
Other cultures and ancient mythologies have traditions that holy mounts were sites of divine creativity and centres of worship.
Mount Sinai was where God’s law was given and the covenant established between Jehovah and the Israelites. It’s the place where Moses met with God at the burning bush. It was a ground of awesome holiness – forbidding and dangerous. A place of revelation – showing the contrast between God and man but crossing the bridge from inaccessible to accessible.
Ezekiel 28 v 14,16 has a story of the fall of the King of Tyre which he sets on a holy mountain. A connection is made between the holy mountain where God is made known among His people and humanity living as God purposed.
Many passages such as Psalm 48 names Mount Zion as the specific holy mountain of God. In reality the Dome of the Rock isn’t particularly high and is rather unimposing, but the Psalmist uses it to symbolise the closeness of God and His people. Mount Zion, the holy hill of Jerusalem, with its imagery of fire and cloud, emphasises The Lord is with us – He is close and available.
So, with all this Jewish background about mountains in grained in the Jewish psyche, we come to the story of Jesus’ transfiguration. Matthew’s gospel contains 6 mountain stories: 4 v 8 His Preparation – where He is tempted, 5-7 his Pronouncements in the Sermon on the Mount, chapter 15 his Provision in the feeding of 4000, His Prayer on the Mount of Olives, and at the end of the gospel where he commissions his disciples and speaks of His Presence. Then in the middle chapter 17, the account of the transfiguration where we will understand clearly who Jesus is.
It is thought to happen on Mount Tabor, 6 days after Peter’s declaration , some say to echo the days of creation and the cloud covering Sinai for 6 days. Maybe to declare Jesus as the new Moses. Moses also goes to Sinai with three companions and his face shines reflecting God’s glory. Jesus appears with Moses and Elijah representing the Law and the prophets, both having had mountain top experiences and believed to have been taken into Heaven. The disciples are shown the true nature of Jesus – His divinity and glory. Then Jesus touches them. In the Old Testament the divine touch resulted in certain death. The idea of the exalted glory and intimate closeness of God together in the person of Jesus would have been an impossible concept for the Jews to comprehend and accept.
In Revelation, Jesus is referred to as the Temple on holy hill. There is no temple in the Holy city because its temple is Jesus (Rev 21v22).
God is with us, closer than we ever dared to hope, in the person of Jesus.
Prayer:
Jesus,
Forgive us when we find Your Glory so glowing that we don’t get close to You.
Forgive us when we come to You so informally that we forget Your awesome holiness.
Thank you that You want us to get close.
Amen