Author's Note: All previous volumes of this series are here. The first 56 volumes are compiled into the book "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible." "Part Two," featuring volumes 57-113, was published in December 2022.
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Thanks for spending time with us for our study of mountains in the New Testament — a continuation of last week’s discussion based on the Hebrew Bible. If somehow you missed Vol. 207 because you were busy living your life, the rest of us will patiently wait while listening to the Jeopardy theme music.
As with all our “quick” Bible studies, this topic is vast, high, and deep. Hence, my primary goal is to spark interest and encourage further study. I say that because today’s study has mountains of content, and we only have space for the 50,000-foot view.
Significant events occur at mountains in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke — known as the “synoptic” gospels, meaning “seen together” — chronicling Jesus’s life and ministry with similar teachings.
The first recording of Jesus going to a “very high mountain” and a “high place” was the Temple Mount after His baptism. The event, known as the “Temptation of Jesus,” is found in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4. Mountains are where Jesus and the devil had their first recorded in-your-face showdown, which was also a thrilling “throwdown.” That setting signified how mountains are well-suited for messages of faith about the identity of Jesus and the relationship between humanity and the divine. Matthew wrote:
“Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ‘If you are the Son of God,’ he said, ‘throw yourself down. For it is written: ‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’ ”
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“Jesus answered him, ‘It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ‘All this I will give you,’ he said, ‘if you will bow down and worship me.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him” (Matthew 4: 5-11).
Throughout His teachings, Jesus uses mountains as metaphors. Here is a famous passage about faith after his disciples asked Jesus why they could not drive a demon from a child:
“He replied, ‘Because you have so little faith. Truly, I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you ’ ” (Matthew 17:14-20).
Again, in Mark’s gospel, Jesus references a mountain in this faith teaching:
“ ‘Have faith in God,’ Jesus answered. ‘Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. Therefore, I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.’ ” (Mark 11: 20-25).
St. Paul took cues from those two passages when he wrote about love in 1 Corinthians:
“If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing” (1 Corinthians 13-2).
Let’s turn to some mountain events where Jesus's divinity was prominently displayed.
The Sermon of the Mount was delivered on a hill overlooking the Sea of Galilee that today is called The Beatitudes. This most famous and significant moral teaching is recorded only in Matthew’s gospel, spanning Chapters 5, 6, and 7. Here are the opening verses:
“ ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”
Over the years, the Lord blessed me with two visits to The Beatitudes. I can report that the magnificent physical setting complements and enhances the magnitude of Jesus’s message, which has stood the test of time and will never be outdated.
Next, we travel to Mount Tabor, the Mountain of Transfiguration. However, Tabor is not named, and some Bible scholars believe the Transfiguration occurred on Mount Hermon. Nonetheless, having also twice visited this site decades apart, I believe the location dispute dwarfs the importance of the event.
The Transfiguration was when Jesus affirmed His divine nature with a physical transformation of bright light, and suddenly, Moses and Elijah appear. They discuss the cross He must bear, referenced in Scripture as “his departure.” Read Vol. 26 for more details and note that Peter, John, and James witnessed the Transfiguration.
Our final stop is the Mount of Olives, a hill very close to Jerusalem where Jesus ascended to Heaven and will return:
“After he [Jesus] said this, he was taken up before their [Disciples] very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into Heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven’ ” (Acts 1:9-12).
Today, the Chapel of the Ascension stands over that spot. Check out this video, and in frames 0:21-0:22, notice that beige stone three-story building, which is very meaningful to me. On December 31, 1999 — the Millennium New Year's Eve — I hosted a party on that rooftop, which then was a hotel. At the time, there was speculation about Jesus returning to His Ascension spot overlooking Jerusalem on Millennium Eve. For the record, I did not believe that since the Bible says He will return “like a thief in the night.”
But just in case, the Lord arranged a unique set of circumstances for me to overlook the Chapel of the Ascension and “party like it’s 1999.” (For Prince fans, I deleted the “1999” video link after my husband said it was sacrilegious, and he is always right.)
Let’s praise the Prince of Peace and the Mount of Olives, my favorite Mount on earth. There, Jesus Christ will return at His time, not on my party schedule. Amen! Be Ready!
Myra Kahn Adams is a conservative political and religious writer with numerous national credits. Her book, "Bible Study For Those Who Don't Read The Bible," reprints the first 56 volumes of this popular study. "Part 2,” with the same title, reprints Vols. 57-113. Order it here.
Myra is also the Executive Director of SignFromGod.org and the National Shroud of Turin Exhibit. Both are educational donor-supported ministries dedicated to building a permanent Shroud of Turin exhibit in Washington, D.C., and promoting the $1 Million Challenge to replicate the Shroud. Contact: <MyraAdams01@gmail.com>
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