No Staying on the Mountain

Peter wanted to stay.  He wanted to build tents there... He even offered to build three tents for Jesus and His special guests Moses and Elijah.  The tent is where Moses when to meet with God.  Peter is sure it's a good thing to build a tent when Jesus is transfigured and meet with God.

But two things happen to Peter to illustrate an important reality for us...

1. God interrupts Peter to tell Him who Jesus is and that Peter should spend more time listening to Him.
I love how Luke inserts a little unspoken humor in this passage:
Luke 9:34–35 (ESV) As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!”

God just disregards Peter's speech to give the more important word!

You don't need a tent, you need Jesus... Jesus is the TRUE AND BETTER TEMPLE.  You can go to Him and you can listen to Him.  You meet with God when you meet with Jesus.

Are we listening to Christ?  Are we listening to what He says and who He is?  Are we continually exploring the depth of His person?

It takes quietness and time.  Jesus and the three spent a day on the mountain.  For they don't descend until the next day (see Verse 37).  They were there for a lot longer than we imagine in this dynamic scene.  And it was such a powerful moment that years later, Peter talks about it in his epistle.

Did Peter learn the lesson on listening?  Oh Yes!  Look at his account from the second Epistle in the New Testament Canon bearing his name:

First he recounts his experience:

2 Peter 1:18 (ESV) we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

Then he issues a command:

2 Peter 1:19–21 (ESV) we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

I love it when the Bible confirms it's authorship and integrity.

Listen, the Word is a Lamp.  It's here and everything else is dark.

2. Jesus leads them down off the mountain to encounter the devastation of evil and torment.
Luke 9:37–39 (ESV) On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 And behold, a man from the crowd cried out, “Teacher, I beg you to look at my son, for he is my only child. 39 And behold, a spirit seizes him, and he suddenly cries out. It convulses him so that he foams at the mouth, and shatters him, and will hardly leave him.

We aren't able to stay on the mountain top.  Not yet anyway.  There is a ministry we must complete.  There is a calling upon the church... We cannot simply enjoy our moments of Holy Spirit inspiration and the true and real presence of God when we worship.  We have to let Jesus lead us down off the mountain to face the real needs of people in our world.

So too take aways from this mountain and valley:

1. Spend time on the mountain listening, learning who Jesus is.

2. Get down the mountain and face the madness... because in Christ you have something now to offer.

PRAYER:

Father I thank you for my mountain top experiences.  I would like more.  I would also like to have a heart more driven to serve those in need.  I would also like to see the ways in which I can truly minister to others... to my family... to my neighbors.  Help me hear, and help me see.  Amen.