The Mountain

One of the most fascinating things my teacher pointed out was that the Great Commission and the Ascension of Jesus were not the same event. Being the culminating event of more than one gospel, I had always assumed that Jesus had given the Great Commission in the same speech where he ascended. But this is clearly not so in the Text — and I couldn’t believe I had missed it before that moment!

It is plain to see from the opening of the book of Acts that Jesus ascends from the Mount of Olives, just outside of Jerusalem. This is found within the records (both Luke and Acts; as we discussed earlier, Mark is circumspect, at the very least) of the ascension and is not disputed, historicity aside. What I never realized is the record of where the commissioning took place. Look at the record within Matthew 28:

The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”

And a little later in the chapter we read this:

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.

Beside the fact that it seems Jesus has to show up to repeat the angel’s instructions, I find this to be a brilliant rabbinical move. While I’ve never been able to find any hints as to which mountain Jesus is referring to, the disciples seem to understand.Whether it was Mt. Arbel, some other “peak” in the region of the triangle, or some other mountain in the larger region of the Galilee (Lower and Upper “Galil”) is debatable, but Jesus does not instruct the women to tell the disciples about a mountain, nor are we given any indication that they did. 

I like to suggest that they went to Mt. Hermon, where I personally believe the Transfiguration happened (I know — traditional sites put it on Mt. Tabor, I have my reasons in the Text). I think this because of the phrase that appears in both sets of instructions, from Jesus and the angel: “There you will see him.” It seems to me that one of the most crucial moments of Jesus’s ministry was the Transfiguration where Jesus was seen in his glory. Of course, this is neither here nor there (no pun intended).

If I am correct about Mt. Hermon, the reason I think this is so brilliant is because it accomplishes two things:

1) The disciples, who are in Jerusalem (at least at some point after the resurrection), have to travel all the way to the northernmost point of Jesus’s ministry. Located just north of Caesarea Philippi, Mt. Hermon is one of three sources of the Jordan River. It would force the disciples to walk right past (almost literally) every moment of Jesus’s ministry. They would have the opportunity to walk by and unpack all of Jesus’s teachings. Once they get to “the mountain” and receive the commission, they would then have to walk BACK by all of those spots again and continue discussing all of the teachings of Jesus. What a brilliant field trip from the rabbi! But since we mentioned Caesarea Philippi…

2) This was a huge, defining moment in Jesus’s ministry. This is where Jesus said, “I will build my church.” Wouldn’t it make sense, as he wraps up his time on earth before his ascension, that he would utter the Great Commission in the same location where he said he would do his work? And wouldn’t it make sense to utter his command to make disciples of “all nations” at the same place where he marched his disciples to teach them that the Kingdom of God was coming to ALL people — even to the very “Gates of Hell”?

But then there is the command Jesus actually gives to his disciples…