And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord!This shall never happen to you.” But he turned and said to Peter,“Get behind me, Satan! You area hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” (Matthew 16:22-23)
Peter didn’t understand Jesus. Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God would be killed? (Matthew 16:20) Peter urgently needed to intervene to save Jesus (from Himself). He meant well, but as a follower it wasn’t his place to tell Jesus what to do. Understandably, Jesus rebuked Peter. In Mark 8:33 we read that Jesus said these words in front of the other disciples. Imagine how painful it must have been for Peter to be told off in front of his best friends.
Note that Jesus did not imply that Peter himself was Satan; Peter voiced what Satan would desire, and what the people thought Jesus should do. Jesus had come to do the will of His Father in heaven and that was the only way He could deliver souls from the power of sin and death. At that moment Peter was thinking of his own longings and expectations, but Jesus wouldn’t do what people expected of Him. Jesus came to fulfil the will of His Father in heaven and He would remain obedient. In time, Peter would come to understand.
Have you come to terms with the relationship between your desires and Jesus’ will for your life? How so? How do you respond when you observe that Satan wants to obstruct Jesus’ will in your life?
Image by Lumo Project Films – www.lumoproject.com.