God on a mountain

Jesus left the Sea of Galilee behind him as he went up the mountain (Matt. 15:29). The story tells us that large crowds came to him and brought with them the lame, the crippled, the blind, the mute and many others.

I paused to imagine these crowds (4,000 men plus women and children) all clambering up the mountain to be with him. He spent a whole day healing them. They then slept through the night, woke in the morning and Jesus continued amazing the crowd as they witnessed the mutes speaking, the crippled restored, the lame walking, the blind seeing, and they glorified the God of Israel (v31). They slept a second night and continued into a third day.

I guess by the time he had finished there was not one sick person among the thousands who gathered on this mountain with Jesus. God on a mountain among thousands of people, healing every one of them! Celebrating people were rushing around who couldn’t walk before, talking who had never spoken, seeing who had never seen. While the world was getting on with its daily routine, God was on a mountain with thousands of rejoicing people.

At the end of the third day, with crowds who hadn’t even considered eating, Jesus felt compassion, took a few loaves and fishes, drew in his disciples and fed every one of them. What phenomenal days they were. Three days on a mountain with Jesus. God coming down amongst His people.

Recently I watched Mel Gibson’s movie The Passion again, and for me the most wonderful moment in the movie is when Mary rushes to Jesus who is struggling under the weight of the cross. She is filled with compassion. He looks at her and triumphantly says, ‘I am making all things new.’ Watching the movie alone, I shouted and wept.

Jesus, thoroughly focused, paying the full price, was going to restore Eden and bring in a new creation.

I guess the thousands on the top of the mountain with God had a foretaste of the glorious eternal kingdom that Jesus has inaugurated. We are part of that kingdom. Let’s keep on enjoying Him and working with Him to make all things new for the glory of God.

Isaiah 25:6-9

On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine – the best of meats and the finest of wines. On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death for ever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth. The Lord has spoken. In that day they will say, ‘Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.’