Transformation from Mt. Sinai to Mt. Zion

 Transformation from Mt. Sinai to Mt. Zion

- From Law to Grace-

3.2.25. Hodgdon UMC

 

<The Transformation in the Deep Dark Cloud>

There was once a young, brilliant man who had just received his master’s degree in law. But one question haunted him: “How can we be saved?”

He had been asking this since childhood. Born into a faithful Christian family, he was pushed by his father to become a lawyer. Meanwhile, his mother instilled in him a deep fear of superstitions. These influences made him deeply reflect on salvation. While studying philosophy and law, he realized that salvation required God’s complete intervention.

One day, after finishing his degree, he walked 90 kilometers home. Along the way, he was caught in a violent thunderstorm. He believed God had unleashed the heavens to take his life. Terrified, he sought shelter under a large granite rock and cried out, “Help me, Saint Anne, and I will become a monk.” Two weeks later, he joined the Monastery.

This young man was Martin Luther, who led the Reformation. In that deep, dark cloud filled with lightning, he felt the overwhelming greatness of God and his own smallness. This moment of divine intervention led him away from being a lawyer and into the life of a theologian.

Many people have experienced radical transformation after encountering a deep dark cloud of trial or divine revelation like him:

• Paul met Christ in a blinding light on the road to Damascus and was transformed from a persecutor into an evangelist.
• St. Francis of Assisi, after being taken as a prisoner of war, heard God’s call to serve the poor and sick instead of being a knight.
• John Wesley, on his journey to America, was caught in a terrible storm. Seeing the Moravians’ unwavering faith, he realized his own spiritual emptiness and later experienced his heartwarming conversion.
• Pastor Victor, a law student and soldier in East Timor, fell seriously ill and nearly died. He made a vow: “God, if You save me, I will become a pastor.” After recovering, he left law behind and became a minister.

 

<The Deep Cloud in the Mountains>

What is the question that has been on your heart for years? Have you faced trials where God seemed to intervene? In the Bible, three figures climbed a mountain, seeking God's presence: Moses, Elijah, and Jesus. Each encountered a cloud of divine intervention that changed everything. 

1. Moses – The Law Given on Mount Sinai

Moses longed to free his people from slavery. This struggle led him to Mount Horeb (Sinai), where he encountered God in a burning bush (Exodus 3:1-6). Later, God called him to lead Israel out of Egypt. It’s Moses’s personal calling. After the Exodus, the Israelites reached Mount Sinai, where God appeared in a thick cloud (Exodus 19:9). This was calling for community. The people purified themselves for three days. Thunder, lightning, and a loud trumpet blast filled the air. The mountain shook violently, and smoke covered it as God descended in fire (Exodus 19:16-18). Moses went up the top of the mountain into the thick darkness to receive the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:21). This experience left the Israelites trembling. They received the Law, which guided them until Christ came. Their journey from Sinai to the Promised Land symbolized the transition from slavery to pilgrimage. Moses and the people of Israel had a question: “How can we be saved?” God invited them into the deep dense cloud on the Mountain. He gave them a calling to leave their Mt. Sinai and to go to their promised land.

 

2. Elijah – The Prophet Meets God in a Whisper

After Elijah’s great victory over the false prophets at Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:20-40), he fled in fear from Queen Jezebel. Depressed and burned out, he prayed for death under a broom tree (1 Kings 19:4). but God sent an angel to feed him, and he journeyed 40 days and nights to Mount Horeb (Sinai). There, he experienced God’s presence in a different way:

• A mighty wind tore through the mountains, but God was not in the wind.
• A great earthquake shook the land—but God was not in the earthquake.
• A fire blazed across the mountain—but God was not in the fire.
• Finally, there was a gentle whisper—and Elijah knew God was there.

Elijah’s question—“What am I living for?”—was answered. He left the mountain renewed, with a new mission from God.

 

 

 

3. Jesus – The Transfiguration on the Mountain

Eight days after Jesus predicted His death, He took Peter, James, and John up a mountain to pray. As He prayed, His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became dazzling white (Luke 9:28-29).

Then, Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Him about His “departure”—literally, His exodus (Luke 9:31). Just as Moses led Israel out of Egypt, Jesus would lead humanity out of sin and death.

The disciples were half-asleep, much like they would be in Gethsemane before Jesus’ arrest. When they awoke, they saw His glory. Peter, overwhelmed, blurted out: “Let’s build three shelters!” (Luke 9:33). But he misunderstood—Jesus was about to leave, not to stay. Then, a cloud overshadowed them, just as it did on Sinai. The disciples were terrified as they entered it. A voice from heaven spoke:

“This is My Son, My Chosen One. Listen to Him!” (Luke 9:35)

When they looked up, only Jesus remained. The Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) pointed to Him—but only Jesus remained.

 

<From Mount Sinai (Law) to Mount Zion (Grace)>

Later, the disciples came to understand the meaning of this event and the words of Jesus. Hebrews 12:18-24 explains:

“We have not come to a mountain of fear (Sinai), but to Mount Zion, where Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, has brought us near to God.”

Mount Zion represents:

• God’s eternal kingdom (Psalm 2:6, Isaiah 2:2-3).
• A place of closeness to God through Jesus, unlike Sinai, where the people trembled in fear (Hebrews 12:22-24).
• The fulfillment of salvation, as the Law came from Sinai, but redemption comes from Zion (Psalm 14:7, Romans 11:26).

Mount Sinai symbolizes the Old Covenant, based on the Law and judgment, while Mount Zion represents the New Covenant, established through Jesus by grace and redemption.

Before Christ, we stood under the Law at Sinai. But through His death, we have become pilgrims on a journey toward Zion, walking in grace.

<Lent: A Journey Toward Zion>

• Moses spent 40 days on Sinai receiving the Ten Commandments,
• Elijah walked 40 days and nights to Mount Horeb (Sinai) in search of God, and
• Jesus fasted for 40 days in the wilderness to prepare for His ministry,

We, too, embark on a 40-day spiritual pilgrimage beginning on Ash Wednesday, March 5—a journey toward Zion.

What questions are pressing on your heart?

Are there deep concerns you have carried for a long time?

May this Lenten season be a time of reflection and renewal as we walk in grace toward God’s presence.

 

<Seeking God’s Voice in the Cloud>

My greatest question has been, “Why has God called me here?” “Why has He planted this church in this place?” I keep praying over these questions.

One day, as I prayed alone in the church, I felt as if a dense cloud of God’s presence filled the sanctuary, surrounding me with a heavy, holy stillness. Tears flowed freely by God's grace.

The world feels increasingly divided—polarized between nations, politics, and even within the Church. Os Guinness warns of three great traps for believers: privatization, politicization, and pillarization. He says God's Kingdom comes through people who follow their calling in their places. They are the people fully surrendering to Christ, engaging with those different from them, and constantly seeking transformation in His name.

As we walk this 40-day pilgrimage of Lent, I pray that God will invite us into His deep, dense cloud of presence. May we hear His voice, receive His calling, and be transformed. Os Guinness said that the greatest antidote to spiritual complacency is calling. 

May we be awake and listen His voice. May we be renewed and transformed by our callings in the deep dense cloud. May we walk from the Law at Mount Sinai but walk in the grace of Mount Zion to follow our calling. Amen.

 

 

 

The Transfiguration

²⁸ Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. ³⁰ Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. ³¹ They appeared in glory and were speaking about his exodus, which he was about to fulfill in Jerusalem. ³² Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep, but as they awoke they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. ³³ Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us set up three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah,” not realizing what he was saying. ³⁴ While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. ³⁵ Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen;^[b] listen to him!” ³⁶ When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

This is the Word of God for the people of God

Thanks be to God