Been to the Mountaintop

“Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land . . . Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’” (Excerpts, Deuteronomy 34: 1-4)

On April 3, 1968, less than 24 hours before he was assassinated, Martin Luther King, Jr. told striking sanitation workers in Memphis, “We’ve got some difficult days ahead . . . But it doesn’t really matter with me now, because I’ve been to the mountaintop. I’ve seen the Promised Land . . . we, as a people, will get to the Promised Land.”

Martin Luther King, Jr. was a man of great faith and great vision.  His reference to Moses’ mountaintop view of the Promised Land was not accidental: “Then Moses climbed Mount Nebo from the plains of Moab to the top of Pisgah, across from Jericho. There the Lord showed him the whole land . . . Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants’” (Excerpts, Deuteronomy 34: 1-4). The Scriptures reinforce our strong sense of God’s presence in the mountains. The psalmist sings, “Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain” (Psalm 99: 9).[1]

I have always loved the mountains.[2]  The crisp, cool, unpolluted air, clear blue mountain lakes, the scent of towering pine trees, the lookout views, the night skies populated with bright, clearly visible stars, the awesome grandeur of the mountains and craggy peaks, geological wonders –what’s not to love?  I even loved scrambling up the rocky hills in the backyard of the desert community where we lived when I was a child.  The view from the top was worth the climb; you could see for miles.  My father used to say, “This is God’s Country,” when we traveled through mountains on our many car trips across the country.  I get that.  We feel closer to God in the mountains. The mountains bridge the gap between heaven and earth.

The transfiguration of Jesus occurred when he took three of his disciples (Peter, James, and John) with him up to a mountain to pray.  Some scholars think that the mountain was Mt. Hermon, near where Jesus had been teaching in Caesarea Philippi. Peter, James, and John had the epitome of all mountain top experiences.  As he was praying, Jesus was transformed into a bright shining light:  “the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightening.  Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus” (Luke 9: 29-30). If there was any doubt left in their minds whether Jesus was God, it was put to rest when God confirmed what Peter had declared to Jesus in Capernaum, “You are the Son of God” (Luke 4:41).  God’s voice boomed from the clouds: “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” (Luke 9: 35).

No wonder they didn’t want to leave!  Peter offered to set up camp.  He wanted to stay there with Jesus, Moses, and Elijah.  Who wouldn’t?  That’s what happens when we encounter God on the mountain; we don’t want to leave.  And yet leave we must. Jesus’ work on earth was not done, and neither was the disciples’.  If you are reading this now, you also still have work to do.  Staying on the mountaintop keeps us from ministering to others; we become self-centered.  We need to retreat on occasion, but only so that we can return to the world to move forward on the path that God has laid before us. When we are blessed with a mountaintop experience that connects us in an intimate way to God, we need to remember that we were given that experience to use to minister to the sick, the discouraged, the needy, the lonely, and the broken-hearted—to bring God’s love to a broken world.

So go to the mountaintop. But don’t forget that you are needed at home.  Martin Luther King, Jr. came down from the mountaintop to minister one last time to the broken-hearted.  Go and do likewise.

Prayer: Father, we seek to grow close to you, to see you, and to spend time with you on the mountaintop so that we may be strengthened and refreshed in our faith journey.  Help us inspire others to turn to you that they also may be blessed with a glimpse of you and of the Promised Land, our eternal home with you. Amen.

Diane Cieslikowski Reagan

[1]The Scripture readings for the Transfiguration of Our Lord are Psalm 99; Deuteronomy 34:1-13; Hebrews 3: 1-6; Luke 9:28-36.

[2]A similar version of this blog entitled “A Mountaintop Experience” was published on this website on February 7, 2016.