2007 January 09

Mountain-top experiences, Part 2; Luke 9:28-36

So, is that something to be aware of – that incredible times of experiencing God during prayer may be seen by others as being unbelievable?

Where was everyone else while this was happening on the mountain? We presume it was toward the end of the day, or maybe very early in the morning, as indicated by the disciples’ tiredness. Could anyone else see the light show, the supernatural cloud, and hear the Voice of God? Did God shield these events from anyone else’s prying eyes?

What does this say about eternity breaking into real time during prayer? What does it say of the nature of eternity as it connects with real time during prayer? And then, how do we respond to it?

Peter seems to want to somehow contain the experience by building huts for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Why? Was it to prolong the intensity of the experience? Why was it that Peter suggested it, and not the others? Why was it Moses and Elijah? Moses led the people out of slavery in Egypt, while Elijah showed God to be God in the battle on Mount Carmel with the priests of Ba’al.

Moses met God on a mountain, Elijah proved God on the mountain. And now Jesus is proclaimed God’s own beloved Son by none other than God Himself, on a mountain.

And Jesus’ mission was also to set captives free, to point the way to God as Lord of all.

How long did that experience last? How much could the disciples take in? What did Jesus receive from the experience? Truly, it must have been an amazing time of prayer.

I wonder how much Jesus needed that experience on the mountain. Did he know what was going to happen before he got there? What is it about ‘mountain-top experiences’ that are so awesome?

I imagine it must be amazing for mountain climbers to sit at the summit and look around. Do they sense God as they sit there? I bet they marvel at the awesomeness of creation and how beautiful it is. I wonder how changed they are by the experience of the mountain-top.