“The Mountain Top”

“Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. ³⁰ Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. ³¹ They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. ³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.” Luke 9:28-36

“The mountain-top is a delightful place. There the soul reaches heights and depths such as it reaches at no other time. Preachers love to preach and poets love to sing of the mountain-tops of life. How delightful are these times in our spiritual life, and how naturally we long for these seasons! How often they are pictured up till one would suppose that they are the principal things in the Christian life! Some people have fancied that when they became Christians the mountain-top experience would be their constant portion. They thought that this exaltation of spirit was the normal state of a Christian. They gloried in it as the days passed by. The time came, however, when this emotional glow subsided. As the barometer of their feelings fell, they began to question themselves thus: “What is the matter with me? Have I done something wrong?” Thus, their faith fell with their emotions. After a while their emotions rose again, and their faith rose with their emotions. Now they knew that they were all right. There are times when we seem to draw near to God in prayer, when the sight and sound of the world is shut out. An inexpressible sweetness and joy and satisfaction come into the heart. How near God seems! How calm and precious is the hour! How our spirits drink in of the water of life! How we seem to talk face to face with our Lord, and how the curtain seems drawn back till our eyes behold the secrets of the Eternal! We give ourselves over to the supreme enjoyment of the hour. But alas! in a short time we find ourselves no longer on the mountain, but out in the broad plain of life, and how tame and monotonous is that plain when we think of the mountain! (C.W. Naylor, “Heart Talks”, p. 181-182)

Have you stood on a mountain top and wondered about life, the universe and all things possible? When you stand on the top of a mountain, it seems nothing can surpass that picture, that view, that feeling. And you are right – nothing can top the top of the mountain. But, unless we are moving into a monastery somewhere in the Alps, we cannot live on top of a mountain. Oh, yes, some people try – but eventually then need to come down for provisions, for possessions, and for people. Jesus goes to the mountain top for the moment of his Transfiguration – and it is there where he speaks to Moses and Elijah. It was good for him to be there – it was good for the three disciples to see this experience. But they were not going to stay atop the mountain. In fact, Jesus comes down so that he can be with the people, to gather more provisions, and to preach against the hoarding of possessions to more people.

Mountain top experiences are nice, but the place where real action happens is down in the valley. Why? Because everything that goes up, must come down. Even Jesus did not just stay on the mountain – he came down to make things happen. Life cannot just be about mountain tops – because there is only so much room on the top.

Extraordinary sights are nice, but you and I live within the ordinary, practical side of life. Enjoy the mountain-top experiences G-d may give to you, but do not count this as the ordinary, usual thing – especially when we compare them to our everyday, Christian life. We must need to learn to enjoy the toil of the ordinary life – and to learn to find the beauty in the common things of life — for some of the most common things are among the most beautiful when our eyes are taught to see their beauty.

Pastor Dave