Luke 9:28-36
A. INTRODUCTION
One of the major struggles that many Christians face is the problem of having a meaningful spiritual life. While it can be seen that some, apparently, experience no end of encounters with God, for many the whole spiritual thing is just one big struggle. And for those who struggle and yearn for those mountain top experiences, sentiments like: ‘Why not me?’ is something with which that many of us can identify.
Is it any wonder, then, that faced with stories like the Transfiguration, feelings such as envy, or frustration, or inadequacy can emerge. After all, ‘Why can’t I experience God like that?’
The transfiguration: Peter, James, and John witnessing Jesus’s face and clothes changing to be as bright as a flash of lightning. Moses and Elijah suddenly appearing in glorious splendour. And then the voice of God from the cloud, calling down, ‘This is my Son, my chosen one. Listen to him.’
Of course, to some, the ultimate spiritual high—a very close encounter with God or ‘mountain top’ experience, if you like—is very much a matter of something that happened in the past. However, for others, it is something that dreams are made of, and what many people hope for.
B. MOUNTAIN TOP EXPERIENCES
1. Other Examples
But then the story of the Transfiguration is not the only story in the Bible of a close encounter with God. Indeed, naming three other biblical incidents:
Moses on Mt Sinai (Exodus 24)—receiving the first set of stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were engraved—witnessed the ‘glory of God’ looking like a cloud or a consuming fire on the top of the mountain.
Elijah, hiding in a cave (1 Kings 19:9b-18), scared for his life—after dealing with the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel—experienced God, not in the wind, in the earthquake, or in the fire, but in a gentle whisper.
And Ezekiel, a priest in exile (Ezekiel 1), experienced something perhaps more suited to a science fiction story. Because he saw a strange mixture of creatures and wheels. And at the centre was a throne, with a figure ‘like that of a man.’
2. Backgrounds
Now if you’re anything like me, you wouldn’t have minded any of those mountain top experiences. And you might be hoping that in some way you might have a mountain top experience too. But the reality is that we don’t all have those mountain top experiences. And those who have, haven’t necessarily had one after another after another.
And why is that? And is there something that we should be doing?
Well perhaps the circumstances behind those biblical events might give us some clue:
Because Moses had already led his people out of slavery. As the crow flies, he was a third of the way from Egypt to the Promised Land. He’d already battled Pharaoh, but now he was about to face the stubbornness of his own people, with their substitution of God with a golden calf.
Elijah, on the other hand, had made himself so unpopular with the authorities that he was scared and desperately lonely. He felt that he was the lone voice for God in the world. Furthermore, the very next thing he was going to be asked to do was to commission Elisha to take over his prophetic duty.
And Ezekiel, although already a priest, was in exile. He was unable to practice his priestly ministry, and his role was about to change to a more prophetic ministry.
And even taking into account Peter, James, and John . . . Well, only eight days before Jesus had asked them, ‘Who do you say that I am?’ to which Peter’s reply was, ‘The Messiah of God.’ And very shortly afterwards all three were expected to stand up and be counted.
3. Summary
So in those four encounters with God – we have four quite different experiences. And four completely different situations.
Yes, they all had something in common—they were all believers. (Although there are biblical stories of God appearing to non-believers (like, Samuel and Paul). But they also have substantial differences too.
For example, each seems to be at a different stage in their journey. Moses, of course, had many encounters with God, but in this particular case, it was two-thirds of the way through his life; Elijah’s encounter was at the end of his ministry; and Ezekiel, Peter, James, and John were all at the beginning of something quite new.
As a consequence, the one thing we find out, is that there is no nice neat formula behind the mountain top experiences with God. And perhaps that shouldn’t surprise us. In fact, the best conclusion we should probably make is that God does what God does in his own way and in his own time.
Yes, may want to have a mountain top experience of our own. But if we don’t, then it’s not, necessarily, a matter of inadequacy, failure, or anything else. It’s simply a matter of God.
C. THE MORE COMMON EXPERIENCES
So, where does that leave us, in our quest for our relationship with God?
Well it seems to me that in talking about the spiritual life the Bible doesn’t just talk about mountain top experiences, but describes other ways in which we can have encounters with God. Some of which, some of us will experience, and others we can all experience.
For example, the prophet Joel (Joel 2:28b) stated that in the end days, ‘Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, and your young men will see visions.’
The apostle Paul talked about the gifts of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:8-10). And he provided a list, which wasn’t exhaustive by any means. But his point was that every Christian, without exception, has been given a gift to build up God’s church. And gifts, if we use them, which will all give us experiences of God.
And Jesus, of course talked about prayer (Luke 11:9-10)—the most common experience of God, we all have access to.
Now God may be in charge; God may dictate the kind of experiences of him that each of us can enjoy; God may think some things are appropriate and others not. But one thing he does guarantee is a direct personal relationship with him, which has to be worth more than just a one-off mountain top experience.
Indeed, Jesus said, ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks will receive; everyone who seeks will find; and to those who knock it will be opened’ (Matthew 7:7).
So, yes, it may be good to have mountain top experiences, but let us not forget the day-to-day communication with God that we can all share.
But let’s not stop there either. Because there’s still one major area of experience of God that often gets missed. And it’s the experience of God we have when both are feet are planted firmly on the ground.
Because, once Moses came down from the mountain, he got on with the task that God had given him to do: he led his people to the Promised Land. Once Elijah came out of hiding, he went and anointed Elisha to continue his earthly ministry. Once Ezekiel had finished his encounter with God, he put into practice his strange theatrics. And once Peter, James, and John came down off the mountain, they continued to follow Jesus around—and became the core of God’s church. They all experienced God in the more mundane everyday walk with God.
Experiences of God . . . They can be experienced on the mountain, and in the streets and houses. And yes, some people may have mountain top experiences, but other experiences of God can be found, even in the routine of being an everyday Christian.
D. CONCLUSION
But if a mountain top experience should come our way . . . Well, I want to leave you with a word of warning: Peter, on the mountain, asked Jesus whether he should set up three tents— one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah—and in doing so, Peter has often been criticised for wanting to prolong his mountain top experience.
But whether that is a fair interpretation of Peter’s motives, I don’t know. But what I do know is that mountain top experiences are not designed to last. When they are over we are expected to come down; we are expected to get on with the everyday routine of life, and with pursuing our walk with God on a more earthly plain. In other words, we need to learn balance.
And so my wish is that we can all experience those mountain top experiences. But that, equally, we can also find God in the streets and houses and in the routine of our everyday Christian lives too.
Posted: 11th June 2024
© 2024, Brian A Curtis
www.brianacurtis.com.au
