Beyond The Mountain Top

The disciples really needed the mountain top experience witnessed in Matthew 17:1-9. This "transfiguration" transformed more than Jesus - it radiaclly altered Peter, James and John's understanding of this man they'd been following. It no doubt continued to carry them all the way up to the resurrection.

Experiences of God's glory does that to people.

Saul experienced such glory. It was so bright it blinded him for awhile. When he had time to process all the implications of his mountain top experience, he completely realligned his life to mirror the Way of Christ. His heart changed - it began beating as God's. He identified so much with the people God wanted to reach that his identity changed - he changed his name - how he was called and known. He moved from Jewish/Hebrew/Believer friendly "Saul" to Gentile/Greek/Seeker friendly "Paul."

The disciple's vision changed on the 4,000 ft. Mt. Meron that day. They saw dead people. But they weren't dead. They were alive in a greater way as they conversed with Jesus. Though the bright light of that moment faded, I beleive they held onto their "Mt. Meron vision." I don't think they saw dead people all the time, but I do think their perspective on life changed. Immediately, a lot of stuff no longer mattered much. Stuff, in fact, no longer mattered as much. Just as quickly, however, another reality began to dominate their thinking. After catching a glimpse into the spiritual world, how wold you guess their commitment to following Jesus was affected?

When they came off that mountain, and again after the resurrection, and again after Christ's ascension, they gave themselves to God and His Way with reckless abandon. God and His Way are the only eternal "things" that exist. Why would they give themselves to something less?

All of us who have come to follow Jesus have a tremendous advantage over those early disciples - nearly 2000 years of hsitory under our belt. We enter the story already knowing things about Jesus about which the disciples had to wait. We enter the Gospel story with the winds of victory at our back. We come to Jesus after he's already been glorified. Whereas the disciples needed to climb up that mountain to see the glory of God, we need to climb down the mountain, winding back the clock, to hear Jesus' teaching six days prior.

Jesus was telling the disciples about how his last days would play out. Suffering. Ridicule. Death. The King of Glory was choosing this path ahead of time. So committed to loving the world was Jesus that he willingly put aside his glory in order to bring in the Kingdom.

The Way of the Kingdom is different than the way of this world. But only the Way of the Kingdom is worth living and dying for. Everything else is simply ashes to ashes, dust to dust.

I don't want to be the pastor of FBC as it is now. We have a good amount of glory here after nearly 15 decades of existence. We could sit back and enjoy it. But my Lord calls me to rise from whatever glory we have and step into His Glory which is all the greater. I want to become and be the pastor of thsi church as she steps into that Glory-filled potential.

You may be tempted to sit back and enjoy basking in the reflected glory of where you are, and where our church is. But your Lord hasn't and isn't going to ask you to do that. Our Lord is calling us to become and be people who rise and walk into His Glory. To be the people who bring about FBC's globe-impacting potential as we follow the Way together.

We are called to see with Mt. Meron eyes, to recognize dust as dust, Glory as Glory, and choose Glory in every way possible. In spite of the fact that it will involve some serious cross-carrying in our share future. That dusty haul is laden with Glory...

The light shining off Jesus faded, but the disciples never forgot. They lost their lives for the sake of Jesus, and found life, everlasting life.

May we be credited for doing the same.