On Sunday, we will take a short break from our series in Matthew’s gospel. Through the summer, we’re covering the mountains of the Bible. There are dozens of mountains mentioned in hundreds of passages. Mountains reveal God’s power and affirm His faithfulness. Mountains show how we should respond to God with awe, reverence, and wonder.
Two weeks ago, we covered the transfiguration of Jesus in Matthew 17. Jesus takes Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain, and for just a moment, they get a glimpse of His glory. For the disciples, it’s a classic mountaintop-to-valley story arc—from the highs of a firsthand
experience of God’s glory to struggling with their faith.
They come down from the mountain, and a crowd is waiting at the bottom. A father brings his demon-possessed son to the disciples for healing. Jesus had given them authority over demons (Matthew 10), but the disciples could not do anything. So, the father brings the boy to Jesus, who casts out the demon. The disciples ask Jesus, “What can’t we do that?!”
This scene occurred at the foot of a mountain. Jesus looked up and addressed the crowd.
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as
small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it
would move. Nothing would be impossible.” – Matthew 17:20 (NLT)
The amount of faith is not the issue here. The power of God is available to those with even the smallest faith. This Sunday, we will learn more about Mount Sinai, also known as Mount Horeb. The mountain has two names for the same place. Why is this mountain significant? It’s where Moses met God at the burning bush, where the Ten Commandments were received, where God revealed His covenant to the Israelites, and where Elijah heard God’s whisper after experiencing a whirlwind, earthquake, and fire.
Moses’ encounter with the burning bush In Exodus 3 will be our focus. What does Moses’ encounter with the burning bush mean for us today? Get a head start on Sunday and read the chapter. Onward!