“Because you have so little faith, I tell you the truth, 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 17:20
Hi James and Ellen,
Would you like to someday climb to the top of a mountain? What do you think that it is like to be on top of a mountain? If you had the chance to do so someday and you wanted to climb a mountain, which mountain would you climb? When your grandpaa was with a four-week Adventures in Missions Ambassador high school ministry team last month in Guatemala, your grandpaa climbed Pacaya. Pacaya is an active volcano. It is about a three mile hike to the top of Pacaya from where your grandpaa started the climb up Pacaya with the Ambassador high school ministry team and the two gals who were helping your grandpaa lead this team. The hike from the starting point in the small town located on the side of Pacaya to near the top of Pacaya is almost all uphill. A guy with a horse followed your grandpaa for the first part of the hike – thinking or hoping that your grandpaa would get tired and decide to pay him the going cost to ride the horse to where it would have been impossible for the horse to go any further. Because your grandpaa can be very stubborn, he kept right on walking up Pacaya. The last part of the hike was really treacherous that took your grandpaa, the Ambassador ministry team of ten high school kids and the two gals who were helping your grandpaa lead the Ambassador ministry team to within about ten feet of at least a six foot wide lava flow. The last stretch of the hike was having to walk over sharp pieces of loose volcanic rock while zigzagging up the side of Pacaya. Once your grandpaa, the Ambassador ministry team of high school kids and the gals who were helping your grandpaa lead the Ambassador ministry team were within feet of where lava was existing from Pacaya – which was within a couple of hundred yards from where white plumes of steam or ash spewed periodically into the sky from the top of Pacaya, the Ambassador team kids began to roast colored marshmallows over hot, whitish cracks between slabs of cooling lava. Some of the lava slabs were still too hot to walk on so your grandpaa and the guys and gals who with him had to be very careful as they moved around a rather small area close to where lava was flowing out of Pacaya. Going down the steep stretch of loose volcanic rock was even more difficult than going up the stretch as it was very easy to slip and fall. One of the Ambassador ministry team gals ended up with some bad scratches on one of her thighs after falling on sharp volcanic rocks. When your grandpaa got back to the small town where he began the hike to the place where lava was flowing out of Pacaya – which took over four hours, your grandpaa had decided – even though he was glad that he had made the hike up Pacaya, that he would never make the hike again.
Matthew – in Matthew 17, wrote about a hike that Jesus made with three of His disciples – Peter, James and John, up a mountain. The mountain that Jesus climbed with Peter, James and John is presumed by Biblical scholars to be Mount Hermon. Mount Hermon is 9,230 feet above sea level while Pacaya is 8,373 feet above sea level. Jesus made the trek up the mountain to pray. Jesus probably took Peter, James and John with Him because they were the disciples that may have had a closer relationship to Him than the other nine disciples of the twelve disciples who Jesus chose to mentor. While Jesus was on top of the mountain, Jesus had His appearance transfigured or changed by God – as God the Father. Jesus’ face shone like the sun. Jesus’ clothes became as white as the light that was all around Him. While Jesus was standing on the mountain top in His transformed state, Jesus was joined by Moses and Elijah. When Peter saw Moses and Elijah standing beside Jesus – and talking to Jesus, Peter impulsively decided to build three shelters – one for Jesus, one for Moses and one for Elijah. Peter’s impetuous construction plans were interrupted by a bright cloud that enveloped everyone and a voice that emanated from the cloud that told Peter and the other two disciples that Jesus was His Son Who He loved and that they were to listen to Jesus. Peter, James and John experienced an unexpected and unmerited apparition – which your grandpaa is very sure that these three dudes would as part of their life stories tell whenever then could, when God – as God the Father, gave them a tangible glimpse of the hidden glory that is in Jesus as God – as God the Son, when God – as God the Father, gave them a visual affirmation of Jesus being His Son. Jesus had been – before he made this mountain climb with three of His disciples, instructing His twelve disciples while they were hanging out together in Caesarea Philippi reminding them of his impending suffering that would lead to His death– which was leading them to feel discouraged.
There is a belief that alleges that for a guy, gal or kid to believe in something, that he or she needs to see what is purported as fact. Your grandpaa knows that there is lava flowing out from a Guatemalan volcano because he was very close to the hot, orange lava flow. Peter, James and John suddenly saw Jesus being transfigured while they were with Him on a northern Palestinian boarder mountain which makes them eyeball witnesses of what they saw. Because you did not see what your grandpaa and what Peter, James and John saw, you need to have the faith that is found in verse 20, ““He replied, ‘“Because you have so little faith, I tell you the truth, 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.””’ If you believe in Jesus as being Your Lord and Savior, you will have mustard seed faith growing in you.
Matthew 17 (1009)