Chomolungma. Sagarmatha. Peak XV. One of the Seven Summits. The highest mountain in the world. There are many names for Everest. Climbers have been drawn to this 29,055-foot “goddess of the sky” (its Nepali name) for more than a century. Ever since the 1850s, when the Great Trigonometrical Survey of India established the first published height of the mountain (named for Sir George Everest, the surveyor general of India from 1830 through 1843), something has called the hearts of humankind to scale its summit. Little did anyone know that it would take 100 more years, numerous expeditions, and the lives of 15 men before Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay would capture the peak on May 28, 1953.1
Everest is a dangerous mountain to climb, not because of its technical challenges, but because of its high altitude. A significant percentage of climbers have died attempting to reach the top. More than 200 corpses have been scattered around its peak, preserved in the cold, dry climate, including the body of George Mallory. He was the popular British schoolteacher who allegedly responded to a reporter on why he was attempting Everest, “Because it’s there.” In 1924 he left with his climbing partner, Andrew Irvine, never to return. His body was found in 1999.
Avalanches cause half of all deaths. But underlying all losses is the lack of oxygen at this high altitude. Supplemental oxygen is often used at altitudes where breathable air is one third that of sea level. Without it brain cell damage is rapid, and energy levels plummet. The body hungrily uses up its reserves to stay alive, especially above the “death zone” (above Camp Four at 26,000 feet). Climbers become sluggish, their thinking gets foggy, and many have died by making “little mistakes” that have cost them their lives (such as stepping off a 3,000-foot cliff while not being “clipped in” to a safety line).
We are on a climbing expedition to our heavenly home. This faith-trek is marked by risks. And the higher we go, the more dangerous it can get. There are slips that are life-threatening. We can learn from the daring climbers of Everest. One critical guideline comes from the book of Philippians.
The letter to the church of Philippi was not written by a weekend climber sitting at his computer in a plush office drinking tea. It was penned by a man in a dirty, dark, cold dungeon. He was beaten several times and even stoned and left for dead. Paul had grit and wasn’t afraid to climb tough mountains. Despite his hardships, Philippians is the most upbeat letter the apostle ever wrote. His favorite word in the book is “joy.”
“Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind” (Phil. 2:1, 2).
The word for “encouragement” (verse 1) in the original language is paraklesis. It means to come alongside and support—a wonderful help if you are hiking up a steep mountain.
In earlier days anyone could try to climb Mount Everest. Today you have to shell out large fees and hire professional guides to take you up. People pay well to reach the summit. The process is well laid out with miles of guide rope ahead of time so you can “clip in.” Even then, your guide is nearby to come alongside and support you. The consolation we experience from Christ is the encouragement we offer one another.
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves” (verse 3). The Message paraphrase says: “Don’t push your way to the front; don’t sweet-talk your way to the top. Put yourself aside, and help others get ahead.”2 The way you are raised up to heavenly places is to bow low.
The word for “in humility consider” is tapeinophrosune, which is two Greek words. The first (tapeino) is the word for humility or lowliness. Luke 3:5 uses this verb to describe bringing mountains low and flattening them out as if to make a highway. The second part of the word (phrosune) means “to think.” Paul is encouraging the Philippians to live with a humble opinion of themselves.
Great mountain climbers can tell of standing on top because they learned to respect the mountain. Many people have neared the summit of Everest only to turn back. Whether it was because of low oxygen, bad weather, or sheer exhaustion, they knew that if they pushed certain limits, the mountain would win. Some believe George Mallory was the first to top Everest (a hotly debated topic), but lost his life because he didn’t heed his limits.
Philippians 2:4 continues: “. . . not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of others.” When people climb Mount Everest, it is almost always a group effort. Sherpa teams are well known for bringing large loads on their backs up the mountain and setting up base camps at several locations so that smaller groups can work their way up the mountain. The real heroes of Everest are the Nepalese carriers, many of whom have given their lives to provide support for others to reach the summit.
God’s heroes lay down their lives for others. “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers” (1 John 3:16). Peter calls us to this life of humility. “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that He may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:6).
If you are going to reach higher ground, you must bow low.
Paul shows how Jesus’ humility is our pattern for climbing to the heavenly kingdom.
“In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!” (Phil. 2:5-8).
Jesus leads the way up by stepping down. He came down to earth to lift us up to heaven. Compared to His position as God, He truly made Himself nothing. And His path of humility led Him on a climb up Mount Calvary, “even death on a cross.” To a Gentile reading this letter to the Philippians, the idea of following a crucified god would be preposterous!
What happened when Christ made the ultimate step down in service to humanity?
“Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (verses 9-11).
Christ, who came from heaven’s glory as king of the universe, stepped down to the lowest place on earth. Charged as a criminal and crucified for the sins of the world—sins He did not commit but willingly took upon Himself—this Christ, who came to the bottom of the lowest valley, was raised to the highest place in the universe.
Isaiah captures this paradox of heights and depths. Look carefully at the “high” and “low” words in this passage.
“For this is what the high and exalted One says—he who lives forever, whose name is holy: I live in a high and holy place, but also with the one who is contrite and lowly in spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to revive the heart of the contrite” (Isa. 57:15).
It is a principle of Scripture—a law of heaven—that “those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be ex
alted” (Luke 14:11). If you are going to reach higher ground, you must bow low.
Over the years the people who have climbed Mount Everest have changed from an elite few skilled climbers to a commercialized enterprise that permits novices to take a shot at the summit. This has brought greater risks.
You don’t just slip on a parka and start hiking up the mountain. It is a dangerous passage through huge crevices and ice falls that have killed many climbers. Not only does the thin air wreak havoc on your mind and body, but the temperature plummets to 40 below zero. Hurricane winds have blown people off the trail and over cliffs, never to be seen again. It’s an unforgiving environment. Everest is not for the fainthearted.
The window for scaling the world’s highest mountain in good weather is a slice of time in early May. With the growing number of people wanting to conquer Everest, many experts had predicted that a day of disaster would come. It came on May 10, 1996.
A critical element when attempting Everest is timing. Most teams rise and leave at midnight or 2:00 a.m. But many of the groups in 1996 left later in the morning. A rule of thumb when climbing Everest is that by 2:00 p.m., if you haven’t reached the top, you turn around—even if you are only 30 minutes from making it. Late afternoon and evening weather can turn deadly. That’s what happened on May 10. Guides allowed climbers to push past 2:00 p.m. Some made the summit at 3:00 p.m., and even as late as 4:00 p.m.
About 3:00 p.m. the weather turned bad and eventually became a blizzard. Guide ropes were obliterated. Trails vanished. Darkness made it impossible to see. One group got lost and huddled down for the night, not realizing they were a few feet away from a steep cliff. Attempts were made by a few to go back up and help struggling friends, but sheer exhaustion made it almost impossible.
Two of the greatest climbers of that time died on the mountain they loved and feared—Rob Hall and Scott Fischer. It was the most devastating season on Everest ever. Thirty-three tried for the top that day. Eight of them never came back.
What caused the deadliest season in Everest’s history? Books written about the 1996 disaster debate the details. But in essence the climbers did not respect the mountain. Guides and clients who were so close felt it was worth the risk to push beyond the 2:00 p.m. turnaround time. Humbly admitting defeat would have saved lives.
Climbing mountains is dangerous business, especially the highest peaks in the world in Tibet and Nepal. Good climbers know that if you would reach the top, you must humbly respect the mountain.
The Christian’s path to heaven is no different. If you would reach the heavenly summits, you must have humility. You cannot rely on your own breath. You need the oxygen of the Holy Spirit. Without a Guide, your unsure steps will lead you to death. But someday, if you persevere in faith, you will stand at the top. And from what I hear, the view from the summit is amazing!
