Matthew 4:8: “Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory.” (ESV)

We likely filter out a basic oddity in Matthew 4:8. Which high mountain in Israel did Jesus view all the kingdoms of the world from? There is something basic to Matthew that should be basic to all. We’re well aware that even from outer space we can only see half of the planet, correct? The other side of earth is momentarily in darkness. Jesus isn’t on a mountain high enough to see all the kingdoms of the world. So, are we subconsciously ignoring Matthew. Yes and no.

Wait! Maybe there weren’t as many kingdoms in Jesus era and he could actually have seen them. Nope. Geographically, that won’t work from Israel either. Then how could this mountaintop experience be taken seriously? Filtering material is what we naturally do. Even if we’re reading present day texts, we filter out what we don’t comprehend, or don’t deem significant, and move on. We try to understand what we can understand, quickly.

The Bible isn’t even modern literature, though. The Bible is its own language. The Bible is in a category all by itself. Consequently, Matthew doesn’t consciously intend to clarify every phrase or sentence. What you and I subconsciously filter out might in fact be illumination.

The idea of a very high mountain in Matthew 4:8 is a resonating image from the Hebrew Scriptures. For Matthew, it appears the themes and content he employs doesn’t come with a commentary in the margins. Matthew expects readers to automatically make connections that you and I as foreigners, wouldn’t. Mountains are high places. The Bible tells us that God lives in a high place (Isaiah 57:15). Abraham was to sacrifice Isaac in a high place on one of the mountains of Moriah (Genesis 22:2).

Mountains are, of course, Biblically significant. They symbolize different things, one of them being power. The Sermon on the Mount recalls Moses and the powerful theophany of Mount Sinai, where Moses reveals the 10 commandments to Israel. Jesus is powerfully transfigured on a mountain (Matthew 17:1-8). Jesus feeds on a shore in Matthew 14 and also on a mountainside in Matthew 15:29. Commentators recognize Matthew drawing attention to seven mountain scenes paralleling Moses making seven trips up and down Mount Sinai. So, mountains aren’t trivial to Matthew’s Gospel or anywhere else in our Bibles. For Matthew, mountains are basic or fundamental settings for God and now for Jesus.

Everything is relatively “basic” for Matthew. Matthew doesn’t designate portions of his Gospel as basic to advanced as if there are elementary school level portions and advanced degree portions. Matthew’s content is cohesive even though our perception of that content fails to recognize how Matthew constructs his Gospel.

Anyone could spend a lifetime attempting to master Matthew’s Gospel. This shouldn’t discourage us from reading it, attempting to grasp it and eventually teach it. Instead, embracing verses like these should remind us that we’re actually paying attention to Matthew, who, really does understand us that non-Jewish cultures will get strange first impressions about his style.

Matthew ends his Gospel with Jesus on a mountain where Jesus claims that all authority in heaven and on earth have been given to him. The devil claiming that he possessed any of these kingdoms to give was an obvious lie. May we all take great comfort and assurance in the fact that God has come near to us in Jesus. This basic concept and this light, we must not filter out.

Can you count the words in this entire post?