Mountaintop experiences
Commentary
I can't begin to enumerate the number of times I have attended a retreat somewhere off in a secluded spot and heard at the conclusion, "This was a mountaintop experience." Some people regarded the days of retreat as a time of reflection and inspiration and motivation, and as a result they felt nourished by the content and the companionship of the retreat.
The trouble with those mountaintop experiences is that they occur so infrequently. Most of us realize the need for more regular nourishment even as we drive down the country lane, heading back to the trials and tribulations of life and work and even family.
People in biblical times must have had the same longings. They surely experienced the absence of God and the trials of life every bit as much as we do.
For Christians, however, the opportunities for such experiences are many indeed, even when we are standing on level ground.
Exodus 24:12-18
Our passage begins with the command of the Lord that Moses should come up on the mountain. Frankly, the command makes more sense by starting the reading at verse 12 than reading the chapter from the beginning. The previous paragraph, verses 9-11, indicates that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel were already on the mountain having a party in the presence of God. Now as though the others were not present and Moses downhill somewhere, the Lord commanded him to come up (further?) for some written instruction, and Joshua, his servant, accompanied him.
"So Moses went up into the mountain of God" (v. 13). God owns real estate! We talk about the whole world as belonging to God. We affirm with the psalmist, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." What is the significance of designating a particular piece of turf as "the mountain of God"?
Imagine a three-storied universe, the one that existed from ancient time, including biblical times, until Copernicus gave us a different view. The ancients believed that heaven was above, the earth right here under our feet, and the deep under the earth. Gods lived in the heavens, people shared the earth with animals and reptiles and birds, and some sort of monster occupied the deep. We can do without the monster for the moment, but the other two -- gods or God and earthly beings -- how do they get together?
Almost every ancient religion had the same solution to the problem. Between the earth and the heavens was a mountain, a very special mountain not like every hill on the horizon. This mountain was, of course, a lofty elevation, and if you lived in Switzerland, you could take your pick. If you lived in Canaan (or later Israel) you had fewer options, but if you lived in Iraq or Egypt, you had to build your own. Temple towers or ziggurats served the purpose in Mesopotamia, like the Tower of Babylon, and pyramids did the trick in Egypt.
Certain functions occurred on these "holy mountains" which belonged to the prevailing god in the area. For example, people and even other gods had to be invited to ascend that reserved space. Parties were frequent. Court was held.
In the Old Testament Mount Sinai (alias Horeb) was the original mountain of God (see besides here Exodus 3:1). A number of functions took place there. In Exodus 3:1-12 we have (a) the presence of God in the fire of the bush; (b) the invitation to Moses to ascend; (c) the self-introduction by God as the God of the ancestors (v. 6) and then as Yahweh (vv. 14-15); (d) the revelation of God's will: to save the people; (e) the commissioning of Moses as the agent of deliverance. When Moses returned from Egypt with the people, (f) a party was held on the mountain (24:9-11, immediately prior to our pericope).
Now Moses (and Joshua) went up "on the mountain," and there the cloud covered the mountain, something like a storm cloud that indicated the presence of God. The cloud, in fact, seems to be the visible expression of "the glory of the Lord" (v. 16). The author suddenly finds it important to tell his readers that "the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud." Why the timing?
The reference to "six days" is simply a Semitic way of saying that a long time passed before the significant event happened "on the seventh day." The literary device occurs frequently in Canaanite literature and occasionally in the Old Testament. Joshua 6:14-15 records the siege that took place at Jericho "for six days" and then the conquest of the city by Joshua "on the seventh day." At Genesis 1:1--2:4a the device appears in more detailed form to describe the creative activity of God for six days, and the climax occurs "on the seventh day" when God rested, that is, established the sabbath.
In our own pericope the waiting lasted "for six days," and then came the invitation "on the seventh day" for Moses to enter the cloud, even while the people below watched the glory of the Lord act like a devouring fire on the mountain. There Moses remained for forty days and forty nights receiving seven chapters of instruction.
Matthew 17:1-9
The discussion of the gospel must precede that of the second lesson from 2 Peter, for without the Transfiguration account the terminolgy in the epistle makes little sense.
The gospel begins with a reference to time. Unfortunately the NRSV takes the liberty of translating the Greek "six days later" rather than the literal "and after six days." The loose translation deprives the interpreter of a key link to the Old Testament lesson. The literal translation "after six days" means the same as "on the seventh day." The reader need only consider the synonymous parallelism at Hosea 6:2 where "after two days" means the same as "on the third day." What difference would the literary device make in the way we understand the introduction? It would indicate that the event about to occur, the Transfiguration, is the climax to the preceding activity.
Beginning at 16:13 Jesus leads his disciples in a discussion about his identity. To his question about the popular opinion regarding his identity, the disciples report that some say he is John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Jesus, in other words, is considered by the populace to be a prophet. To his question about who do "you" say that I am, Peter confesses that Jesus is the "Messiah, the Son of the Living God," and Jesus affirms the confession. However, Jesus goes on to explain that he (Mark reads "the Son of Man") must suffer and die and "on the third day" (recall Hosea 6:2) be raised. Having just made the confession that Jesus was the Messiah, Peter could not tolerate this teaching, and so Jesus identifies him as Satan who would stand in the way of God's plan. Jesus then spells out the implications of his own suffering for discipleship.
"And after six days" introduces the climax to that Christological discussion. The time frame is not used the same way it is in the Old Testament lesson from Exodus 24. Instead it makes the entire Transfiguration story the climactic event.
Jesus "invites" to accompany him to "a high mountain" the chief honcho, Peter, and the brothers James and John, just as God invited to accompany Moses Aaron and the brothers Nadab and Abihu. There the figure of Jesus was transfigured, much like that of Moses' face at Exodus 34:29-35. Suddenly talking to Jesus were Moses and Elijah, the only two persons to whom God ever spoke "on the mountain" (for Elijah see 1 Kings 19:9-18). (Note that God did not speak to the seventy-plus persons in Exodus 24:9-11.) In the Sinai story and in the Gospel there is a "Jesus" present, a connection that is especially pronounced if you read the first lesson in Greek where Joshua is rendered by Iesous. Of course, "the cloud" which overshadows them is reminiscent of the cloud in Exodus 24:15-18 (see also 34:5), in each case representing the "presence of the Lord." And in both the first lesson and the Gospel "a voice" speaks from the cloud, in the former case inviting Moses to enter for long lists of instructions, in the latter speaking one sentence in which the Son is "introduced" to the disciples. There are sufficient parallels between our Gospel and the material about Mount Sinai in the Book of Exodus to suggest that the Transfiguration is "Sinai revisited."
However, there is one major piece missing: God's speech from the cloud regarding the identity of Jesus does not derive from Sinai. Let's take it apart and examine it to find its source.
"This is my Son" (houtos estin ho huios mou) sounds like the third person rendering of the speech of the Lord reported by a Davidic king on the day of his coronation: "You are my son" (Psalm 2:7). If the psalm is indeed the origin of the expression, then the saying comes from Mount Zion: "I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill" (Psalm 2:6). The connection would indicate that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one (Psalm 2:2), and Peter's confession at Matthew 16:16 is confirmed by God.
The combination "beloved Son" (huios agapetos) raises other questions about origin. Most New Testament scholars connect the expression to Isaiah 42:1 where the Lord introduces his servant as "my chosen (ho eklektos mou), in whom my soul delights." There is much to be said about this connection, especially because the rest of the verse is repeated in the words of God from the cloud at Matthew 17:5: "with whom I am well pleased." However, there is another possibility, one in which huios agapetos actually occurs, in fact the only time the combination occurs in the Septuagint: Genesis 22. In fact, the combination "beloved son" occurs three times in the narrative about God's command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. The only "beloved son" in the Old Testament is the child of promise, the one born miraculously, who is now to be sacrificed in the prime of life. The difference will be that God will not spare his own son as he spared Abraham's.
If the origin of the expression "beloved son" is Genesis 22, then it is imperative for the interpreter to recognize the role of the "mountain" in that story. "Go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you" (v. 2). No one knows where the "land of Moriah" is. However, some time prior to 400 B.C. when the Chronicler wrote his two volumes, Moriah became the name of the mountain on which Solomon built his temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). Legend has continued the connection, for the rock under the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is considered, among other things, to be the rock at which Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, and that mountain to this day is called Mount Moriah.
The biblical Mount Zion and Mount Moriah are the same piece of turf. Therefore, the expression "this is my son" from Mount Zion (Psalm 2) and the combination "beloved son" from (Mount) Moriah derive from the same mountain. The announcement about the identity of Jesus is connected to the mountain (of God) in Jerusalem, the mountain made holy because God was believed to abide there as King, enthroned on the ark of the covenant. When Solomon built his temple on Zion/Moriah and established it as the dwelling place of God, that Jerusalem mount took over all the functions that once belonged to Sinai. There are thus two holy mountains in the Old Testament -- not simultaneously but sequentially, first Sinai, then Zion. The holy mountain serves as the place where God is present not exclusively but uniquely, and whichever mountain served to fulfill the functions, that was "the holy mountain." The function of the mountain here is to "introduce" the Son of God as the one who would be sacrificed, thus confirming Jesus' teaching at 16:21 that he would suffer and die.
Before we leave the speech from the cloud, let us consider what remains. "With him I am well pleased" we have already seen derives from Isaiah 42:1 where it introduces the servant of the Lord. In that first servant song the function of the servant is to establish justice among the nations, but the servant imagery goes on in other songs, especially the final one at 52:13--53:12 to describe the vicarious suffering of the servant by which many will be counted righteous (53:11). Finally, "listen to him" recalls the Lord's command to the people to obey the prophet like Moses whom the Lord will raise up from among the people (Deuteronomy 18:15), thus confirming the popular opinion that Jesus is a prophet.
Jesus is the Messiah, God's "beloved Son," the servant, and the prophet. By combining them into one divine announcement, each of those titles takes on new meaning. Each by itself has a specific background in the Old Testament. Together they settle the Christological issue on which the church makes or breaks itself.
2 Peter 1:16-21
The epistle shows marks of being written quite late in the development of Scripture, perhaps earning the reputation of being the latest book written. Because the author was someone other than the apostle Peter, that person goes to great pains to connect himself with Peter's experience alongside Jesus at the Transfiguration. Verses 16-18 make the point with some key expressions: "eyewitnesses of his majesty," "we heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain."
The last expression, "the holy mountain," is striking, because it is the only time in the New Testament that it appears. The functions of "the mountain" do indeed appear: "invitation" and "commissioning" at Mark 3:13-15 and Luke 6:12-13; "introduction" in the synoptics' account of the Transfiguration; "disclosure of the divine will" at Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount. But only here at 2 Peter 1:18 is a mountain called "the holy mountain." This one stands out above all others because it served as the spot where God announced the identity of Jesus and thus settled the Christological discussion that preceded it.
Having climbed the traditional site of Mount Sinai and having taxied up the traditional site of the Transfiguration, I feel no need to repeat the experience. The functions of "the mountain" we have discussed here occur over and over again in our corporate worship. As we gather together for worship, we realize that gathering as an invitation to come into the presence of God in a particular way. There together we hear proclaimed in lessons, hymns, psalms, and sermon the expression of the will of God for our lives. There, too, we regularly join in the party as we receive the foretaste of the eschatological feast to come. And there we hear in no ambiguous terms the identity of Jesus and the meaning of his life, death, and resurrection for our lives.
We do not need to climb mountains to experience the functions the biblical mountains provide. We can have mountaintop experience every time we worship together.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Exodus 24:12-18
It seems clear that we have a different source beginning in verse 12 than that found in 24:1-11, because while Moses and the elders are already on Mount Sinai in verse 11, Moses is bidden to ascend the mountain in 12. Nevertheless, the context forms a continuous story. The covenant of God with Israel is "cut" in 24:3-8, followed by the account of what could be called the first Lord's Supper in 24:9-11. Moses and the priests and the elders eat and drink the covenant meal with God himself. Then, following our text, God gives instructions to Moses and Israel about how to build the tabernacle with its ark of the covenant and all of its accoutrements (Exodus 25-31). Yet, it is also implied by 24:12 and by 32:18; 33:19; and chapter 34 that the instructions that God writes on the tables of the law given to Moses include the commandments now found in the Decalogue and the Ritual Decalogue of 34:12-28.
Obviously this text in Exodus 24 has been chosen for this Sunday of the Transfiguration because it speaks of the glory of the Lord descending on Mount Sinai "like a devouring fire" (v. 17). "The glory of the Lord" refers here, in verse 16, to that shining light effulgence by which God manifests himself on earth, and it reminds the reader of the Transfiguration in which Jesus' face shines like the sun and his garments become white as light. The glory of the Lord, who made the light and the sun, can manifest their brilliance, and so human beings must be protected from that dazzling light by a cloud (vv. 15-16). Indeed, in the New Testament, even the reflection of such light must be veiled from the sight of those who view it (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:7, 13). As 1 Timothy 6:16 says, God dwells in "unapproachable light," and in John, Jesus Christ is "the light and the life of" all (John 1:4). The incredible gift, therefore, is that humankind has been allowed to approach the very light of God in the incarnation of our Lord.
There is a further emphasis to be noted in our text for the morning, however, and that is contained in 24:12. God specifically tells Moses that the covenant people must receive their instructions for their living from the Lord and not from human beings, not even Moses. In other words, the people of God are to live by the Lord's law and commandments and not by the ways and ordinances of the world and the society around them (cf. Leviticus 18:1-4).
Now we know that there can be found some parallels to the laws of Israel in the laws of other peoples of the ancient Near East, for example, in the Code of Hammurabi. Yet, even there, the parallels are not exact, and the Ten Commandments, for example, form a code of law unknown to other societies. Israel's laws are different from the laws of other peoples, because they are commandments given by God, and Israel is to conduct her life according to those commandments and not according to some other rules or mores or customs.
In short, Israel is not a natural people, bound together by race or soil or economics. Israel, like the Christian Church, is a "mixed multitude" (Exodus 12:38), bound together by their common redemption out of slavery and by their willing covenant with their Lord. God's acts and Israel's loyalty to him make Israel a community -- a people -- and apart from God they become "no people" (cf. Hosea 1:9) in which community is impossible.
That means, therefore, that the covenant people of God -- Israel and the Christian Church -- are not to do just what comes naturally. It is not natural to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you. It is not natural to deny yourself and to take up a cross. But the followers of Jesus Christ do not succumb to natural actions and wants. They follow a Lord who is greater than nature and instinct and desire.
By the same token, the covenant people of God -- Israel and the Christian Church -- do not do as the society around them does. In our society, the goal is to accumulate wealth and power. But the people of God know that "the meek shall inherit the earth" and that they are to lay up for themselves not treasures on earth but treasures in heaven.
The covenant people of God -- Israel and the Christian Church -- do not even seek after just humanitarian values and ideals, for they know that human valuation of what is "good" or "compassionate" is always distorted by human sin and self-
seeking. The "good" that we construct is never good enough, because it never measures up to the height and depth and breadth of the love of God in Jesus Christ. And the values that we hold are all tinged by our valuation of ourselves before all others. Our Lord emptied himself and became a servant for our sakes. There are very few of us who are able to get rid of ourselves and to serve others alone.
It follows, therefore, that unless we live by God's will, given us in his commandments, we will always go astray. We will never inherit that abundant life that God so much wants for us. And so God guides us and protects and loves us by giving us his law, his teaching, his merciful commandments in the New Testament. He points the way to abundant life, and he says to us, "This is the way; walk in it." And he does the same thing for Israel in the Old Testament here in our story of God's words to Moses on Mount Sinai.
The fact that we are to live by God's will and not by our own or by society's ways makes us a unique community in the world. As the Book of Numbers says of Israel, the church is "a people dwelling alone, and not reckoning itself among the nations" (Numbers 22:9). Or as Exodus 19 and 1 Peter have it, we and Israel are God's "own possession," his "peculiar treasure" (KJV), his "holy nation" (Exodus 19:5; 1 Peter 2:9), which means we are set apart for God's purpose. We are his witnesses in the world, his "kingdom of priests," set apart to "declare the wonderful deeds of him who called (us) out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once we were no people but now (we) are God's people; once we had not received mercy but now (we) have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10). And we will fulfill God's purpose for our lives and for our church if we follow those unique commandments that he gives to us in his love.
The trouble with those mountaintop experiences is that they occur so infrequently. Most of us realize the need for more regular nourishment even as we drive down the country lane, heading back to the trials and tribulations of life and work and even family.
People in biblical times must have had the same longings. They surely experienced the absence of God and the trials of life every bit as much as we do.
For Christians, however, the opportunities for such experiences are many indeed, even when we are standing on level ground.
Exodus 24:12-18
Our passage begins with the command of the Lord that Moses should come up on the mountain. Frankly, the command makes more sense by starting the reading at verse 12 than reading the chapter from the beginning. The previous paragraph, verses 9-11, indicates that Moses, Aaron, Nadab, Abihu, and seventy elders of Israel were already on the mountain having a party in the presence of God. Now as though the others were not present and Moses downhill somewhere, the Lord commanded him to come up (further?) for some written instruction, and Joshua, his servant, accompanied him.
"So Moses went up into the mountain of God" (v. 13). God owns real estate! We talk about the whole world as belonging to God. We affirm with the psalmist, "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof." What is the significance of designating a particular piece of turf as "the mountain of God"?
Imagine a three-storied universe, the one that existed from ancient time, including biblical times, until Copernicus gave us a different view. The ancients believed that heaven was above, the earth right here under our feet, and the deep under the earth. Gods lived in the heavens, people shared the earth with animals and reptiles and birds, and some sort of monster occupied the deep. We can do without the monster for the moment, but the other two -- gods or God and earthly beings -- how do they get together?
Almost every ancient religion had the same solution to the problem. Between the earth and the heavens was a mountain, a very special mountain not like every hill on the horizon. This mountain was, of course, a lofty elevation, and if you lived in Switzerland, you could take your pick. If you lived in Canaan (or later Israel) you had fewer options, but if you lived in Iraq or Egypt, you had to build your own. Temple towers or ziggurats served the purpose in Mesopotamia, like the Tower of Babylon, and pyramids did the trick in Egypt.
Certain functions occurred on these "holy mountains" which belonged to the prevailing god in the area. For example, people and even other gods had to be invited to ascend that reserved space. Parties were frequent. Court was held.
In the Old Testament Mount Sinai (alias Horeb) was the original mountain of God (see besides here Exodus 3:1). A number of functions took place there. In Exodus 3:1-12 we have (a) the presence of God in the fire of the bush; (b) the invitation to Moses to ascend; (c) the self-introduction by God as the God of the ancestors (v. 6) and then as Yahweh (vv. 14-15); (d) the revelation of God's will: to save the people; (e) the commissioning of Moses as the agent of deliverance. When Moses returned from Egypt with the people, (f) a party was held on the mountain (24:9-11, immediately prior to our pericope).
Now Moses (and Joshua) went up "on the mountain," and there the cloud covered the mountain, something like a storm cloud that indicated the presence of God. The cloud, in fact, seems to be the visible expression of "the glory of the Lord" (v. 16). The author suddenly finds it important to tell his readers that "the cloud covered it six days; and on the seventh day he called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud." Why the timing?
The reference to "six days" is simply a Semitic way of saying that a long time passed before the significant event happened "on the seventh day." The literary device occurs frequently in Canaanite literature and occasionally in the Old Testament. Joshua 6:14-15 records the siege that took place at Jericho "for six days" and then the conquest of the city by Joshua "on the seventh day." At Genesis 1:1--2:4a the device appears in more detailed form to describe the creative activity of God for six days, and the climax occurs "on the seventh day" when God rested, that is, established the sabbath.
In our own pericope the waiting lasted "for six days," and then came the invitation "on the seventh day" for Moses to enter the cloud, even while the people below watched the glory of the Lord act like a devouring fire on the mountain. There Moses remained for forty days and forty nights receiving seven chapters of instruction.
Matthew 17:1-9
The discussion of the gospel must precede that of the second lesson from 2 Peter, for without the Transfiguration account the terminolgy in the epistle makes little sense.
The gospel begins with a reference to time. Unfortunately the NRSV takes the liberty of translating the Greek "six days later" rather than the literal "and after six days." The loose translation deprives the interpreter of a key link to the Old Testament lesson. The literal translation "after six days" means the same as "on the seventh day." The reader need only consider the synonymous parallelism at Hosea 6:2 where "after two days" means the same as "on the third day." What difference would the literary device make in the way we understand the introduction? It would indicate that the event about to occur, the Transfiguration, is the climax to the preceding activity.
Beginning at 16:13 Jesus leads his disciples in a discussion about his identity. To his question about the popular opinion regarding his identity, the disciples report that some say he is John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets. Jesus, in other words, is considered by the populace to be a prophet. To his question about who do "you" say that I am, Peter confesses that Jesus is the "Messiah, the Son of the Living God," and Jesus affirms the confession. However, Jesus goes on to explain that he (Mark reads "the Son of Man") must suffer and die and "on the third day" (recall Hosea 6:2) be raised. Having just made the confession that Jesus was the Messiah, Peter could not tolerate this teaching, and so Jesus identifies him as Satan who would stand in the way of God's plan. Jesus then spells out the implications of his own suffering for discipleship.
"And after six days" introduces the climax to that Christological discussion. The time frame is not used the same way it is in the Old Testament lesson from Exodus 24. Instead it makes the entire Transfiguration story the climactic event.
Jesus "invites" to accompany him to "a high mountain" the chief honcho, Peter, and the brothers James and John, just as God invited to accompany Moses Aaron and the brothers Nadab and Abihu. There the figure of Jesus was transfigured, much like that of Moses' face at Exodus 34:29-35. Suddenly talking to Jesus were Moses and Elijah, the only two persons to whom God ever spoke "on the mountain" (for Elijah see 1 Kings 19:9-18). (Note that God did not speak to the seventy-plus persons in Exodus 24:9-11.) In the Sinai story and in the Gospel there is a "Jesus" present, a connection that is especially pronounced if you read the first lesson in Greek where Joshua is rendered by Iesous. Of course, "the cloud" which overshadows them is reminiscent of the cloud in Exodus 24:15-18 (see also 34:5), in each case representing the "presence of the Lord." And in both the first lesson and the Gospel "a voice" speaks from the cloud, in the former case inviting Moses to enter for long lists of instructions, in the latter speaking one sentence in which the Son is "introduced" to the disciples. There are sufficient parallels between our Gospel and the material about Mount Sinai in the Book of Exodus to suggest that the Transfiguration is "Sinai revisited."
However, there is one major piece missing: God's speech from the cloud regarding the identity of Jesus does not derive from Sinai. Let's take it apart and examine it to find its source.
"This is my Son" (houtos estin ho huios mou) sounds like the third person rendering of the speech of the Lord reported by a Davidic king on the day of his coronation: "You are my son" (Psalm 2:7). If the psalm is indeed the origin of the expression, then the saying comes from Mount Zion: "I have set my king on Zion, my holy hill" (Psalm 2:6). The connection would indicate that Jesus is the Messiah, the anointed one (Psalm 2:2), and Peter's confession at Matthew 16:16 is confirmed by God.
The combination "beloved Son" (huios agapetos) raises other questions about origin. Most New Testament scholars connect the expression to Isaiah 42:1 where the Lord introduces his servant as "my chosen (ho eklektos mou), in whom my soul delights." There is much to be said about this connection, especially because the rest of the verse is repeated in the words of God from the cloud at Matthew 17:5: "with whom I am well pleased." However, there is another possibility, one in which huios agapetos actually occurs, in fact the only time the combination occurs in the Septuagint: Genesis 22. In fact, the combination "beloved son" occurs three times in the narrative about God's command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. The only "beloved son" in the Old Testament is the child of promise, the one born miraculously, who is now to be sacrificed in the prime of life. The difference will be that God will not spare his own son as he spared Abraham's.
If the origin of the expression "beloved son" is Genesis 22, then it is imperative for the interpreter to recognize the role of the "mountain" in that story. "Go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains that I will show you" (v. 2). No one knows where the "land of Moriah" is. However, some time prior to 400 B.C. when the Chronicler wrote his two volumes, Moriah became the name of the mountain on which Solomon built his temple (2 Chronicles 3:1). Legend has continued the connection, for the rock under the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem is considered, among other things, to be the rock at which Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, and that mountain to this day is called Mount Moriah.
The biblical Mount Zion and Mount Moriah are the same piece of turf. Therefore, the expression "this is my son" from Mount Zion (Psalm 2) and the combination "beloved son" from (Mount) Moriah derive from the same mountain. The announcement about the identity of Jesus is connected to the mountain (of God) in Jerusalem, the mountain made holy because God was believed to abide there as King, enthroned on the ark of the covenant. When Solomon built his temple on Zion/Moriah and established it as the dwelling place of God, that Jerusalem mount took over all the functions that once belonged to Sinai. There are thus two holy mountains in the Old Testament -- not simultaneously but sequentially, first Sinai, then Zion. The holy mountain serves as the place where God is present not exclusively but uniquely, and whichever mountain served to fulfill the functions, that was "the holy mountain." The function of the mountain here is to "introduce" the Son of God as the one who would be sacrificed, thus confirming Jesus' teaching at 16:21 that he would suffer and die.
Before we leave the speech from the cloud, let us consider what remains. "With him I am well pleased" we have already seen derives from Isaiah 42:1 where it introduces the servant of the Lord. In that first servant song the function of the servant is to establish justice among the nations, but the servant imagery goes on in other songs, especially the final one at 52:13--53:12 to describe the vicarious suffering of the servant by which many will be counted righteous (53:11). Finally, "listen to him" recalls the Lord's command to the people to obey the prophet like Moses whom the Lord will raise up from among the people (Deuteronomy 18:15), thus confirming the popular opinion that Jesus is a prophet.
Jesus is the Messiah, God's "beloved Son," the servant, and the prophet. By combining them into one divine announcement, each of those titles takes on new meaning. Each by itself has a specific background in the Old Testament. Together they settle the Christological issue on which the church makes or breaks itself.
2 Peter 1:16-21
The epistle shows marks of being written quite late in the development of Scripture, perhaps earning the reputation of being the latest book written. Because the author was someone other than the apostle Peter, that person goes to great pains to connect himself with Peter's experience alongside Jesus at the Transfiguration. Verses 16-18 make the point with some key expressions: "eyewitnesses of his majesty," "we heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain."
The last expression, "the holy mountain," is striking, because it is the only time in the New Testament that it appears. The functions of "the mountain" do indeed appear: "invitation" and "commissioning" at Mark 3:13-15 and Luke 6:12-13; "introduction" in the synoptics' account of the Transfiguration; "disclosure of the divine will" at Matthew 5-7, the Sermon on the Mount. But only here at 2 Peter 1:18 is a mountain called "the holy mountain." This one stands out above all others because it served as the spot where God announced the identity of Jesus and thus settled the Christological discussion that preceded it.
Having climbed the traditional site of Mount Sinai and having taxied up the traditional site of the Transfiguration, I feel no need to repeat the experience. The functions of "the mountain" we have discussed here occur over and over again in our corporate worship. As we gather together for worship, we realize that gathering as an invitation to come into the presence of God in a particular way. There together we hear proclaimed in lessons, hymns, psalms, and sermon the expression of the will of God for our lives. There, too, we regularly join in the party as we receive the foretaste of the eschatological feast to come. And there we hear in no ambiguous terms the identity of Jesus and the meaning of his life, death, and resurrection for our lives.
We do not need to climb mountains to experience the functions the biblical mountains provide. We can have mountaintop experience every time we worship together.
FIRST LESSON FOCUS
By Elizabeth Achtemeier
Exodus 24:12-18
It seems clear that we have a different source beginning in verse 12 than that found in 24:1-11, because while Moses and the elders are already on Mount Sinai in verse 11, Moses is bidden to ascend the mountain in 12. Nevertheless, the context forms a continuous story. The covenant of God with Israel is "cut" in 24:3-8, followed by the account of what could be called the first Lord's Supper in 24:9-11. Moses and the priests and the elders eat and drink the covenant meal with God himself. Then, following our text, God gives instructions to Moses and Israel about how to build the tabernacle with its ark of the covenant and all of its accoutrements (Exodus 25-31). Yet, it is also implied by 24:12 and by 32:18; 33:19; and chapter 34 that the instructions that God writes on the tables of the law given to Moses include the commandments now found in the Decalogue and the Ritual Decalogue of 34:12-28.
Obviously this text in Exodus 24 has been chosen for this Sunday of the Transfiguration because it speaks of the glory of the Lord descending on Mount Sinai "like a devouring fire" (v. 17). "The glory of the Lord" refers here, in verse 16, to that shining light effulgence by which God manifests himself on earth, and it reminds the reader of the Transfiguration in which Jesus' face shines like the sun and his garments become white as light. The glory of the Lord, who made the light and the sun, can manifest their brilliance, and so human beings must be protected from that dazzling light by a cloud (vv. 15-16). Indeed, in the New Testament, even the reflection of such light must be veiled from the sight of those who view it (cf. 2 Corinthians 3:7, 13). As 1 Timothy 6:16 says, God dwells in "unapproachable light," and in John, Jesus Christ is "the light and the life of" all (John 1:4). The incredible gift, therefore, is that humankind has been allowed to approach the very light of God in the incarnation of our Lord.
There is a further emphasis to be noted in our text for the morning, however, and that is contained in 24:12. God specifically tells Moses that the covenant people must receive their instructions for their living from the Lord and not from human beings, not even Moses. In other words, the people of God are to live by the Lord's law and commandments and not by the ways and ordinances of the world and the society around them (cf. Leviticus 18:1-4).
Now we know that there can be found some parallels to the laws of Israel in the laws of other peoples of the ancient Near East, for example, in the Code of Hammurabi. Yet, even there, the parallels are not exact, and the Ten Commandments, for example, form a code of law unknown to other societies. Israel's laws are different from the laws of other peoples, because they are commandments given by God, and Israel is to conduct her life according to those commandments and not according to some other rules or mores or customs.
In short, Israel is not a natural people, bound together by race or soil or economics. Israel, like the Christian Church, is a "mixed multitude" (Exodus 12:38), bound together by their common redemption out of slavery and by their willing covenant with their Lord. God's acts and Israel's loyalty to him make Israel a community -- a people -- and apart from God they become "no people" (cf. Hosea 1:9) in which community is impossible.
That means, therefore, that the covenant people of God -- Israel and the Christian Church -- are not to do just what comes naturally. It is not natural to love your enemies and to pray for those who persecute you. It is not natural to deny yourself and to take up a cross. But the followers of Jesus Christ do not succumb to natural actions and wants. They follow a Lord who is greater than nature and instinct and desire.
By the same token, the covenant people of God -- Israel and the Christian Church -- do not do as the society around them does. In our society, the goal is to accumulate wealth and power. But the people of God know that "the meek shall inherit the earth" and that they are to lay up for themselves not treasures on earth but treasures in heaven.
The covenant people of God -- Israel and the Christian Church -- do not even seek after just humanitarian values and ideals, for they know that human valuation of what is "good" or "compassionate" is always distorted by human sin and self-
seeking. The "good" that we construct is never good enough, because it never measures up to the height and depth and breadth of the love of God in Jesus Christ. And the values that we hold are all tinged by our valuation of ourselves before all others. Our Lord emptied himself and became a servant for our sakes. There are very few of us who are able to get rid of ourselves and to serve others alone.
It follows, therefore, that unless we live by God's will, given us in his commandments, we will always go astray. We will never inherit that abundant life that God so much wants for us. And so God guides us and protects and loves us by giving us his law, his teaching, his merciful commandments in the New Testament. He points the way to abundant life, and he says to us, "This is the way; walk in it." And he does the same thing for Israel in the Old Testament here in our story of God's words to Moses on Mount Sinai.
The fact that we are to live by God's will and not by our own or by society's ways makes us a unique community in the world. As the Book of Numbers says of Israel, the church is "a people dwelling alone, and not reckoning itself among the nations" (Numbers 22:9). Or as Exodus 19 and 1 Peter have it, we and Israel are God's "own possession," his "peculiar treasure" (KJV), his "holy nation" (Exodus 19:5; 1 Peter 2:9), which means we are set apart for God's purpose. We are his witnesses in the world, his "kingdom of priests," set apart to "declare the wonderful deeds of him who called (us) out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once we were no people but now (we) are God's people; once we had not received mercy but now (we) have received mercy" (1 Peter 2:9-10). And we will fulfill God's purpose for our lives and for our church if we follow those unique commandments that he gives to us in his love.
