Today’s passage is actually part thee in an ongoing story-within-a-story that started at the Gates of Hades.
When Jesus called Peter a rock and said the gates of Hades would not prevail against those who confess Jesus as the Christ, his conversation with his disciples was set in the Caesarea Philippi, which was considered the ‘red light’ district of that area of the world. It was filled with temples and shrines dedicated to the worship of their half-goat, half-man god known as Pan (#panic #pandemonium).
Also, there was a cave known to the pagan occupants as the gate to the underworld, Hades. They believed fertility gods lived in this cave during the winter. To attract the gods’ return in the spring, they would engage in some pretty unsettling rituals.
Jesus is right there when he declared to his disciples that the ‘gates of Hades’ would not prevail. They would not be defeated by the power of evil on display.[1] Then Jesus clarified that he was placing Heaven-backed authority (“binding and loosing”) in their hands for the purposes of this battle. In a world challenged by the pandemonium and chaos of evil, the power of God will bring order and goodness.
Last week, we saw that Peter got distracted by his own authority and failed to properly ‘bind and loose’. Jesus warned, “You are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but on man’s.” How do people set their mind on God’s interest? By denying themselves, taking up their crosses, and following Jesus. It has to do with surrender, obedience, and focus. This is a huge part of what trust/faith is: believing not only that Jesus is the Way, but also that the way of Jesus is the Way. We have to follow Jesus in the fellowship of his suffering if we want to experience the life-giving power of his resurrection. And it’s going to take Resurrection power to overcome the pandemonium and chaos of the gates of Hades.
Next up is an event on the Mount of Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13; Mark 9:2-13; Luke 9:28-36). I’m finding it hard to turn that into a sermon on its own, so I want to note what happened in the service of telling that bigger story of which the Transfiguration is a part. There are two things happening: what’s happening on the Mount, and what’s happening at the base.
While Jesus is praying on the mountain, he begins to look like Moses did when he came down from Mt. Sinai: “shining like the sun/lightning, and his clothes became very bright, brilliantly white as light.” The awed disciples[2] observe a miraculous vision of Moses and Elijah (Jesus fulfills the Law and Prophets) talking with Jesus about his upcoming departure (exodos). A voice from heaven echoes the voice that spoke when John the Baptist baptized Jesus: “This is my one dear Son, in whom I take great delight. Listen to him.”
The disciples are terrified, but Jesus reassures them with basically the same thing he said to them when he walked to them on the water on the Sea of Galilee: “Do not be afraid.” Then, they head down the mountain as the disciples process what this departure/exodos is going to be.
This is a “new and better Moses” story: The disciples don’t understand just yet, but a New Covenant is brewing, and the people of God are about to experience an exodus from captivity to sin and an entry into new life in the Promised Land of the Kingdom.[3] This brings us to today’s passage.
Now on the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, they came to the disciples and saw a large crowd around them and experts in the law arguing with them. When the whole crowd saw Jesus, they were amazed and ran at once and greeted him. He asked them, “What are you arguing about with them?”
Then a man from the crowd came to him, knelt before him and cried out, “Teacher, I brought you my son. I beg you to look at him—he is my only child! He is possessed by a spirit that makes him mute. Whenever it seizes him, he suddenly screams, it throws him down into convulsions, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. It hardly ever leaves him alone, torturing him severely.
Enter pandemonium and chaos. We are still in the midst of that theme. The disciples had been given the power to bind this kind of evil. But…
I brought him to your disciples and begged them to cast it out, but they could not do so.” Jesus answered them, “You faithless and crooked generation! There is no sense of God and no focus to your lives![4] [5]How much longer shall I be with you to bear with you and sustain you?[6]
This is an interesting plot twist. The disciples were previously successful in casting out demons; they had just been given permission to ‘bind and loose,’ and now they couldn’t do it? Hmmm. Jesus’ descent from the glory on the mountain to find an unbelieving generation defeated by an impure spirit recalls Moses’ descent to find Israel copying Egypt’s worship with a calf made of gold (Exodus 32:17–24; Numbers 14:11). More on this later.
[Jesus said],“Bring your son here to me.” So they brought the boy to him. But as the boy was approaching and the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell on the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.
Jesus asked his father, “How long has this been happening to him?” And he said, “From childhood. It has often thrown him into fire or water to destroy him. Lord, have mercy on him, because he suffers terribly. If you are able to do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”
Then Jesus said to him, “‘If you are able?’ All things are possible for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the boy cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” Now when Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “Mute and deaf spirit, I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”
Side note: Jesus could have waited for a crowd to gather. Who doesn’t love a huge audience? Well, Jesus, for one. Jesus consistently avoided undue publicity; in this case, he protected the boy from becoming a sideshow to a huge audience.[7] I believe that the power of God still miraculously heals people. I get nervous when those who claim to offer these miracles seem to need to do it in a stadium. It doesn’t follow the pattern of Jesus. Miracles aren’t for show.
It shrieked, threw him into terrible convulsions, and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He is dead!” But Jesus gently took his hand and raised him to his feet, and he stood up. Then Jesus gave him back to his father. The boy was healed from that moment, and they were all astonished at the mighty power of God.
Then after Jesus went into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we cast it out?” Jesus told them, “It was because of your little faith/trust. I tell you the truth, if you have faith/trust the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to here’ and it will move; nothing will be impossible for you. But this kind can come out only by prayer.”
I think the disciples are still learning about the complexities of ‘binding and loosing,’ which involves being active in the world in a way that demonstrates the power and presence of God. How does this power ‘work’? They were familiar with magicians who tried to find the right combination or rituals and talismans to invoke the power to achieve the desired goals. The right technique would force the power to do the bidding of the sorcerer, right? (See Simon in Acts 8.)[8] So, yet another teachable moment for Jesus.
WHAT IS THE MOUNTAIN?
Jesus says “this” mountain. He’s not talking about mountains in general. He says the same thing one other time, in Matthew 21:21-22.[9] It’s not a promise of Spirit-empowered telekinesis where we can move things with our minds if we have enough faith. Jesus is focusing on something right in front of them that is mountainous in the moment. There is a TON of commentary trying to figure this out. I have an opinion, which is the best I can offer. Meanwhile, here are the competitors.
1. Jesus is perhaps gesturing to a mountain and making a point that has something to do with a geographical location. Mt. Hermon, the Temple Mount, and the Herodium are the most popular candidates.
· Mt. Hermon was a sight of a lot of pagan worship where the ‘gates of Hades’ are unleashed and where the very popular Book of Enoch said the Watchers of Genesis 6 descended from Heaven and defiled humanity. It would have represented a ‘gate of Hades,’ another physical location with spiritual warfare.
· The Temple Mount, because that’s where Jesus had just left in Matthew 21 after calling out its destructive religiosity, and to reference it here might be calling out temples operating under the Old Covenant, and they are going to have to give way .[10]
· The Herodium, because it was a mountain that Herod literally had moved by thousands of laborers so he could build a palace/fortress there.[11] Jesus would be making a practical point.
2. But mountains also represent things in the Bible.
· The Jews used to say that eminent teachers were “a rooter up of mountains,”[12] as if spiritual mysteries that look insurmountable can, in fact, be ‘moved’ by wisdom and truth.
· The term ‘mountain’ was a metaphor for a large tribe, nation or empire. In Habakkuk 3:6refers to nations as “the everlasting mountains were scattered.”[13] Revelation 8 identifies “something like a great mountain burning with fire was thrown into the sea,”reminds us of Babylon in Jeremiah 51:25,42, which declares: “…destroying mountain, who destroys the whole earth…I will make you a burnt out mountain…” So, perhaps that ‘mountain’ represents a national/cultural worldview.
· Removal of mountains was proverbial for overcoming great difficulties (see Isa 40:4; 49:11; 54:10; Mt 21:21-22; 1Co 13:2). People of God could accomplish great works for the kingdom with sincere faith and prayer.[14]
So, what was “this” mountain in the passage we read today? Once again, the best I can give is an opinion. Perhaps all the readings have some merit. I’m just seeing this one move front and center.
· If it’s geographical, I’m leaning toward the Herodium, a mountain that had been moved if for no other reason than the fact that it was moved, and how it was moved is important for the point Jesus is about to make. More on that later.
· If it’s a particular problem, it appears to relate to the casting out of evil spirits.
· If it’s a nation/culture…I don’t think it is in this passage :)
· I’m partial to the idea that he is talking about the ‘mover of mountains,’ the one who understands the teachings and person of Jesus in such a way that they know Jesus and can apply the wisdom and truth of heaven to spiritual challenges.
WHY COULDN’T THEY MOVE IT?
Here’s why I prefer the ‘mover of mountains’ reading. Jesus pointed out that they lacked faith/trust, and then singled out things that have to do with “cross-bearing”: self-discipline, focus and humility (lack of ‘prayer and fasting’). Or, as the NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible puts it,
“Their relationship with Jesus has been compromised by their failure to embrace the newly revealed cross-bearing path of true discipleship.”
This showed up over and over in the commentaries I read.
“Those only whose own spiritual life and faith are made strong by self-denial and by communion with God in prayer are able to cast forth this kind of evil spirit.” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges)
It seems that Christ not only suggests that faith was greatly wanting in his disciples… but they had been wanting in prayer to God, to assist them in the exercise of their miraculous gifts… while Christ [was] on the mount, they had been feasting and indulging themselves with the people, and so were in a very undue disposition of mind, for such extraordinary service. (Gill’s Exposition of the Bible)
I get the impression that the disciples who failed to cast out the evil spirit were seeking to do this kind of ministry with their own authority, like magicians who rely on their own power and draw attention to themselves. They didn’t know Jesus well enough to trust Him to use His power. If Gill’s Exposition is correct, Jesus and his three disciples descended the mountain to a scene reminiscent of what happened when Moses descended the mountain and found idol worship happening – in this case, the idol of Self.
Jesus' answer suggests that they had taken for granted the power given them or had come to believe that it was inherent in themselves. So they no longer depended prayerfully on God for it, and their failure showed their lack of prayer. (Expositor’s Bible Commentary)
It seems they were counting on a Spirit-filled ministry without the commitment to Spirit-led discipleship.[15] They were not grounded in a proper relationship to God – one of a surrendered faith/trust demonstrated by the rhythms of surrender and a posture of faith/trust. They weren’t trusting the King to rule and move in His Kingdom.
The gates of Hades – in this case, the evil spirits of pandemonium and chaos - weren’t going to leave their victims alone because the disciples were amazing. They would be defeated by the power of God. It wasn’t the rituals and incantations or even mouthing the words of prayer (Proverbs 28:9) or offering of a sacrifice (Amos 5:21-22) or any ‘work’; the One to whom the prayer was offered is the only one who can intervene with the power necessary to move that mountain, and they would have known this had they known Jesus better.
This is part three of the three-part story (see slide).
WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THESE EVENTS
If we desire that our lives be a healing presence in the world, we must take up our cross to follow Jesus. I don’t want to re-preach last week’s sermon, but the highlights are
· surrender to the authority of God (giving up self-rule)
· obedience to the ways of God (Holy Spirit-enabled self-discipline and focus)
· relationship with God (prayer, reading of Scripture, honest fellowship with God’s people).
We pray for God to change the world, to change our nation, to bring revival to Traverse City. You know where that starts? In me. In you. It’s not some vague spiritual fog that’s going to blanket the city. It’s not us flexing our ‘binding and loosing’ muscles in a grand display. It’s one person at time giving themselves whole-heartedly to the person and mission of Jesus, who then takes that transformation to their family, friends, workplace, sports teams, gym, social clubs…
When this happens, God, not us, moves spiritual mountains. I’ve been thinking of the different possible readings and the different conclusions you can reach from them.
· If Jesus was referring to the Herodium, there was a lesson for how God moves mountains: one shovel full at a time. It’s how you eat an elephant (one spoonful at a time). If this is where Jesus was going, it’s a reminder that faithful perseverance in the service and plan of Jesus can indeed accomplish remarkable things.
· If Jesus was referring to spiritual manifestations of the gates of Hades, faithful, surrendered service and reliance on the power of God to demolish spiritual strongholds: principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world; spiritual wickedness in high places (Ephesians 6:12).
· If Jesus was referring to spiritual problems that are our mountains, the answer still remains the same: living in faithful, surrendered service that is committed to knowing Jesus so that from our lives flows “on earth as it is in heaven.”
Do you see the pattern? A confession of faith followed by taking up a cross and following a Savior we have committed to knowing and trusting. The result is that we trust the power and presence of the Mountain Mover to do that which we could never do on our own.
This is the means by which we can be present in the world with the power of the resurrected Jesus at work in us and through us to be the salt and light he intends for His church to be.
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[1] Bible Study Tools.com
[2] Recalls Israel’s response to Moses’ appearance Exodus 34:29
[3] Asbury Bible Commentary
[4] The Message’s version captures some important nuance that I am using here.
[5] This is likely an allusion to Deuteronomy 32:20. Still riffing on Moses parallels.
[6] Echoing Moses in Numbers 14:27 - ““How long must I bear with this evil congregation that murmurs against me? I have heard the complaints of the Israelites that they murmured against me.”
[7] NIV Biblical Theology Study Bible
[8] Zondervan Illustrated Bible Background Commentary of the New Testament
[9] A guy who is partial to the ‘mountain’ in Matthew 21 being the Herodium notes this: “By keeping our geography lens on, as we stand on the eastern slope of the Mount of Olives looking out into the wilderness towards the Herodium, continuing our gaze [to] the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is highly saline and therefore unable to support aquatic life. In the Mishnah, the rabbis give instruction that any unholy object – whether they be items inscribed with pagan figures, or any item that is associated with idol worship is to be destroyed by being thrown into the Dead Sea. [This included] items associated with Roman Emperors and Roman rule. So by throwing pagan objects into the sea, and specifically the Dead Sea, the land would be purified and cleansed.” https://www.calebsjournal.com/why-drown-a-mountain/
[10] When this statement was made, the Lord and His disciples were coming towards Jerusalem from the village of Bethany. As they came over the Mount of Olives, they had a spectacular view of the beautiful Temple that was built on a mountain ridge across the Kidron Valley from the Mount of Olives. When the Lord said "this mountain," He was likely referring to the mountain on which the Temple was built. Telford [says] the Temple "was known to the Jewish people as 'the mountain of the house' or 'this mountain… "This mountain," with all its religious activity… viciously opposed to Christ and His teachings… Therefore the removal of this obstacle would be like a mountain taken up and thrown into the sea. And so the unbelieving nation of Israel was rooted up and thrown into the surrounding "sea" of Gentile nations. (https://www.growingchristians.org/devotions/fig-trees-and-mountains)
[11] Also, to enlarge the Temple Mount, he flattened a hilltop. Josephus writes that Herod’s masterpiece was the Temple of Jerusalem.
[12] Cambridge Bible For Schools and Colleges
[13] Believer’s Bible Commentary
[14] Thanks, Expositor’s Bible Commentary, for this helpful list that I paraphrased.
[15] I like this turn of a phrase from the Believer’s Bible Commentary.