Study Guide: Go Up the Mountain (Luke 6:12-19)

Summary

Jesus ascends the mountain which parallels Moses's ascension on the mountain. To the Jews, the mountain was the place of divine revelation. The next morning, Jesus calls His disciples up the mountain, selects twelve to be His apostles, and comes down to teach. Through and through, this passage parallels the Old Testament account of Moses receiving the Law on Mount Sinai, but with a crucial difference: Jesus comes not as a distant lawgiver but as the accessible God of grace. Through His mountain experience, Jesus hints that He is the fulfillment of the Deuteronomy 18 prophecy — the Prophet like Moses and the New Covenant mediator — who brings grace and truth rather than law and judgment.

Key Points

1. The Mountain as Divine Revelation — Mountains in ancient Jewish understanding were places where heaven and earth met, where God revealed Himself. Jesus deliberately chooses the mountain to communicate that something significant is happening and Someone important is at hand.

2. Jesus Prays All Night — Unlike other prayer times, this all-night prayer session on the mountain is distinguished and set apart. The implication is that what Jesus teaches the next day comes directly from God through prayer, making the Sermon on the Mount a covenantal declaration from God Himself.

3. The Twelve Apostles as New Covenant Foundation — Just as Moses received the Law for the twelve tribes of Israel, Jesus appoints twelve apostles to be the foundation of the New Covenant church. These ordinary, flawed men are chosen by grace, not merit, to become ambassadors of the Kingdom of God.

4. Jesus as the New Moses — The parallel between Jesus and Moses is intentional and theological. Jesus fulfills the prophecy of Deuteronomy 18:15-19 about a Prophet like Moses who would have God's words in His mouth and speak with God's authority.

5. Grace Replaces Law — The stark contrast between the Old and New Covenants is evident in how people respond. At Mount Sinai, the people were terrified and kept at a distance. With Jesus on the mountain, people are drawn close, healed, and made whole. Grace makes God accessible; law keeps Him distant.

6. The Disciples as Primary Audience — Jesus directs His teaching to His disciples while allowing the crowds to overhear. This establishes the principle that God's Word should be targeted to God's people, though it can still reach and convert those outside.

Key Verses

- Luke 6:12 — "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." (NKJV)

- Luke 6:13 — "And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himself; and from them He chose twelve whom He also named apostles" (NKJV)

- Deuteronomy 18:15-19 — The prophecy of the coming Prophet like Moses, whose words God would put in His mouth, establishing Jesus' identity as the fulfillment of this promise.

- John 1:17 — "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (NKJV)

- Luke 6:17-19 — The scene of Jesus coming down from the mountain with His disciples to teach and heal the multitude, demonstrating the accessibility and power of the New Covenant.

- Hebrews 12:22-24 — The author connects believers to the mountain experience, showing that all disciples are called up the mountain to be with Jesus in the New Covenant.

- 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 — God chooses the foolish, weak, and despised things of the world, reflecting how Jesus chose ordinary disciples to change history.

Points for Further Study

1. The Significance of Mountains in Scripture — Study other mountain experiences in the Bible (Abraham on Mount Moriah, Moses on Mount Sinai, Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, the Ascension on the Mount of Olives) to understand the theological pattern of divine revelation and covenant.

2. The Twelve Apostles: Individual Studies — Research each of the twelve apostles individually to understand their backgrounds, their roles in the early church, and their legacies. Note how most were ordinary people with no recorded writings, yet Christ used them to change history.

3. The Sermon on the Mount in Context — Study Matthew 5-7 and Luke 6:20-49 to understand how the Sermon on the Mount functions as a covenantal declaration of the Kingdom of God, not merely ethical teaching.

4. Old Covenant vs. New Covenant Contrasts — Explore the theological differences between the Law given through Moses and grace given through Jesus, including how accessibility to God changed from the Old to New Testament.

5. The Role of Prayer in Jesus' Ministry — Examine other instances where Jesus withdrew to pray (Luke 5:16, Luke 9:28-29, Luke 22:39-46) to understand how prayer shaped His decisions and revelations.

6. The Prophecy of Deuteronomy 18 — Study this messianic prophecy in detail and trace how Jesus fulfills it, including how the early church understood Jesus as the ultimate Prophet.

7. Discipleship and Calling — Reflect on what it means to be "called up the mountain" as a disciple of Jesus and how this shapes our understanding of Christian calling and purpose.

Questions for Discussion

1. What is the significance of Jesus going up the mountain alone to pray all night before calling His disciples? How does this connect to Moses' experience on Mount Sinai, and what does it tell us about where Jesus' authority comes from?

2. Why did Jesus choose exactly twelve apostles? What does this number communicate about His intentions for the church, and how does it relate to the twelve tribes of Israel?

3. How does the teaching present the contrast between the Old Covenant (Law through Moses) and the New Covenant (Grace through Jesus)?

4. The passage emphasizes that Jesus chose ordinary, flawed men as His apostles. How should this encourage us in our own sense of calling and purpose?

5. In what ways does Jesus deliberately parallel His actions to Moses' actions? Why do you think Matthew and Luke were so intentional about drawing these parallels?

6. How does the scene of people being drawn to Jesus on the mountain (rather than being terrified like at Mount Sinai) illustrate the difference between law and grace?

7. Jesus directs His teaching to His disciples while allowing the crowds to overhear. What principle does this establish for how the church should approach teaching God's Word?

8. What does it mean that you have been "called up the mountain"?

9. How do the lives of the apostles (especially those about whom we know very little) challenge our modern understanding of success and legacy? What does it mean that Christ knows our work even if history doesn't?

10. This teaching emphasized that "it's not just what Jesus did; it's how He did it." Can you think of other examples from the Gospels where the method or context of Jesus' actions reveals something important about who He is?