Journal: Bulletin for Biblical Research
Volume: BBR 22:3 (NA 2012)
Article: The Great Commission As The Climax Of Matthew’s Mountain Scenes
Author: Trent Rogers

BBR 22:3 (2012) p. 383

The Great Commission As The Climax Of Matthew’s Mountain Scenes

Trent Rogers

Loyola University

Many have attempted an explanation of the mountain setting of the Great Commission, but existing proposals fail to account for both the situation of the Matthean community and the use of mountain scenes in the Gospel. This article reads Matthew’s Gospel in light of Jewish opposition to the community’s proclamation of Jesus, an opposition that likely reasserted the preeminence of Moses’ authority and teaching. The mountain of the Great Commission serves as the culmination of the convergence of the Son of God and Moses themes throughout the Gospel in which Matthew argues that Jesus, Son of God is the only one to whom the community owes worship and obedience.

Key Words: Matthew, Christology, Great Commission, Son of God, Moses, mountain, Sinai

Author’s note: Special thanks go to Professor Edmondo Lupieri and Jeremy Childs who, read and commented insightfully on an earlier version of this article.

Many scholars have proposed explanations for the mountain setting of the Great Commission, but current proposals fail to account for both the Sitz im Leben of the Matthean community and the trajectory of mountain scenes in the Gospel of Matthew. Specific issues of the Matthean community, pre- or post-70, intramural or extramural, and so on, will be set aside, because the argument of this article rests on the more general reconstruction of the Matthean community preaching the significance of Jesus as the Son of God with the Jewish opponents’ counter assertion focusing on the authority of Moses. Responding to this conflict of allegiance, Matthew redactionally highlights the significance of Moses and the mountain setting as a place where Jesus is shown to be the Son of God. This article will not interact with all of the themes present in the Great Commission; rather, it will focus on how Matthew uses the Great Commission as the culmination of a trajectory that runs throughout the Gospel to show that Jesus as the Son of God is the one to whom the community owes worship and obedience.

BBR 22:3 (2012) p. 384

Matthean scholarship is indebted to Terrence Donaldson’s work, Jesus on the Mountain: A Study in Matthean Theology.1 We accept Donaldson’s conclusions that the mountain has a theological and symbolic function in Matthew that confirms Jesus’ Sonship, but his downplaying of Sinai allusions demands reevaluation especially in light of the Christological comparisons to Moses. While not altogether rejecting Donaldson’s contribution, we wish to reevaluate the significance of mountains in Matthew on the ba...