Matthew 4:8

‘Again, the devil takes him to an extremely high mountain, and shows him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them.'

Matthew then describes last the temptation that centred on what he has described in the previous Chapter s, the kingship of Jesus. In vision, or in His mind's eye, Satan takes Jesus onto ‘a very high mountain' from which all the kingdoms of the world can be seen. Even granted that this meant all the kingdoms of the known world, or of the Roman world, this was not physically possible. But in the mind's eye anything is possible. And there, stretched before Him, Jesus visualised all the nations of the world. And before His vision was brought also the fullness of their glory. He knew that the promises of God for Him included dominion over the whole world and its glory (Daniel 7:14). And here it all was now in front of Him awaiting, His pleasure.

Matthew may intend us to contrast this high mountain with that in Matthew 17:1. On this high mountain Jesus was offered the kingdoms and the glory of the world. On the high mountain in Matthew 17:1 He would manifest the glory of God that was truly His. There He would manifest His true Kingly Rule to those who were to establish it on earth.

There was something of a parallel here with Moses on Mount Nebo when God showed him the country of Canaan (Deuteronomy 34:1), but if so it is in order to hint to Jesus that He could succeed where Moses had failed. It is possibly significant that Moses had been there because of his own failure to trust God and walk in humble obedience. And now, humanly speaking, Jesus on this high mountain could make the same mistake.