Time to flee to the mountains?

Jesus Christ was born in a family in flight. The Holy Family had to escape with a new born baby who only survived by their fleeing from His arch enemies, presumably funded by the gifts of the Magi.

People of faith are facing times of increasing pressure. During a workplace meeting, today, for no apparent reason and in front of others, someone openly attacked my faith and the 'risen' Christ 'who did not rise'.  I don't like the secularised Christmas, myself. I don't much like its loss of spirituality, its 19th century customs and 20th century materialism. So I was at a loss, for a moment, failing to recognise that my kind colleague was making a public attack on Jesus Christ for 'causing Christmas' by 'falsely' rising from the dead. She was linking myself to believing in Him, in public.

Overreacting can be dangerous today. One might end up branded 'an intolerant bigot'. One must bless, not curse. The modern world definitely singles out Jesus Christ to attack Him with his followers, who are fair game. They are naive, weak, 'believers in fairy tales', in spite of the existence of the hard evidence of history and The New Testament. After all, what but His Resurrection transformed the cowardly disciples into apostolic lions?

What can one do? One can fight back, but it won't necessarily go well. Make a complaint?  No. The tables will be turned by the prevailing secular worldview. Does Christ need us to defend him? No. If things really 'hot up', the stock answer is to 'flee to the mountains' but is that what one should do, today? Fight - or flight? Disappearing seems the feeble thing to do, but Jesus said to his itinerant disciples:

Whenever they persecute you in one city, flee to the next. (Matthew 10:23)

One could cut all ties with work and society, downsize, become self employed, living on one's wits with frugality. How much does one need?  Does one have enough already?  

The desperate 'last resort' is to flee and then endure. St Paul was chased all over Asia, experienced attacks, imprisonment, beatings (Acts 14:5-6) (Acts 14:19-20) (Acts 17:13). He fled a lot of times but through flight, he lived to write Letters which are the basis of Western civilisation. If we need to overcome by enduring and by being 'there' at the end, when all else has come to nothing, then so be it.

In AD 68, the Romans decided to destroy many incredibly bothersome Jews and trample on their Holy of Holies by destroying their Temple and their God:

Then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. (Matthew 24:16)

Jesus knew it would happen and said in advance 'Flee to the mountains' i.e. do not stay and defend the Temple. Are we tempted to flee, today? Frankly, on and off, yes. If so, where would we go? Roman Christians seem to have fled the cities to live communally, in the countryside but that was not an enduring place once their country was invaded by Visigoths and Huns.

What is it that is so alluring about mountains? Where are the mountains, or their equivalent today? Why not flee to the forest of Arden? Or to an island? Christians have lived on tiny islands for centuries, clinging on to the margins of the world surviving the Dark Ages. One thinks of barren, windswept rocks in the wild Atlantic off the west of Ireland and of St Michael's Mount. 

The advantage of mountains is that they are a barrier, a wall. They provide streams of pure water and resources of food: nuts, berries and wildlife. It takes strongly motivated enemies to climb and explore them. They need a guide, someone who understands mountain weather - while you can be one step ahead through specialist knowlege. One can slip away up hidden paths and over passes. This is why the Waldensians escaped death and survived in the mountains for centuries, even staging a comeback from their mountain bases. Mountains are natural guerilla-country which is why the partisans in the Second World War often operated in, and from, mountains.

Whoever is on the housetop must not go down to get the things out that are in his house. (Matthew 24:17)

Does one need a pre-prepared survival plan? If not, is it time to think about having one? Don’t waste time packing luxuries which will slow you down. Pray that your flight will not be in autumn, or on a day of rest (Matthew 24:20). Mountains get very cold, in deep snow.  Take a solar panel? 

Don't flee on Christmas Day, because the hotels will be closed. There will be no place at the inn. Cover your tracks. Be led. Keep a low profile. Be prepared to flee, again.

Jesus Christ was born to flight through the wilderness but He died standing firm in the City: everything has its time and place.