The Mountain Masterpiece

“You have not come to a mountain…that is burning with fire; to darkness, gloom and storm. But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God.” Hebrews 12:18,2

I love art. I’m lousy at it (that’s not humility—that’s honesty), but I love it. Displayed in my home are various paintings and prints I’ve collected throughout the years. The works on my walls were not chosen because they are masterpieces or because they match the scheme of the room but because of their meaning. Each picture is special—some because of the artist, some because of the subject. When I see the images, I smile as I think about some one, some place, or some time. Each frame captures a moment I want to remember and never forget.

The writer of Hebrews must have been an art lover too, for in the midst of exhortations and instructions about how we should live a Godly life, he pauses to paint a picture of why we should live a Godly life. For effect, he employs contrast—contrast both stark and soothing. Two mountains. One in the past. One in the present. Two moods. One judgment. One joy. Two motions. Backing away in fear. Running forward in faith. And the one constant on both canvasses—a just God who laid down His law and then laid down His life.

Darkness, smoke, and storm shrouded the scene at Mt. Sinai. From a hovering cloud, God’s holy voice boomed a divine warning: “Don’t cross the line or you won’t live!” “We can’t bear the sound,” the people begged Moses, who himself trembled in fear at the terrifying sight(Heb. 12:21). A litany of commandments then followed—requirements of a righteous God who could not allow His sinful children to come close. Though His demands for sacrifice dripped with grace, that mountain was off-limits and inaccessible.

“But you have come to Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, the city of the living God. You have come to thousands upon thousands of angels in joyful assembly, to the church of the firstborn, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God, the judge of all men, to the spirits of righteous men made perfect, to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel”(Heb. 12:22-24).

One hill held the threat of death. The other holds the promise of life. And a cross on top of Calvary built a bridge between the two.

Be captivated by the picture, and come on up the mountain.