Jesus Corrects Peter Without ANY Rejection: “Get Behind Me, Satan!”
The previous 2 emails and posts on the Blog that I wrote in October 2012 were about Jesus correcting His disciples when they failed or sinned. However we found out that He never rejects them. Let me finish this mini-theme in 2 or 3 emails and then we will move onto another aspect of Jesus’ Character.
The previous Blog post was about Jesus correcting the disciples for preventing the little children (and parents with babies) from coming to Jesus and interacting with Him. Jesus get’s hot. He is passionate that ANY can come to him at ANY time! That is why He came to planet earth. He corrects His disciples but does NOT reject them personally (I don’t want to hang out with you guys) nor positionally (You guys can’t lead the church any more, I’m getting someone else). Jesus continues to invest in and grow His disciples! The other post was about James and John wanting to kill the entire Samaritan Village (Luke 9:51) because they refused to give Jesus a place to stay the night. “Shall we call fire down on them,” they ask. Jesus corrects James and John and instruct them that He came to save people not destroy them! But Jesus does NOT dismiss James and John and look for other disciples. He corrects them for their good growth and increased fruit bearing (love, joy, peace, patience, etc… Galatians 5:22).
In this post, let’s consider the time in history where Jesus tells the disciples that He will be betrayed by the Jewish leaders and priests, killed and rise from the dead with a physical body on the 3rd day. Peter reacts and confronts Jesus saying, “No Lord, this will never happen to you!” We don’t know if Peter is worried about Jesus or if Peter’s own personal agenda for Jesus is being threatened. Given the disciples’ 3-time intense arguments about which one of them is the greatest (Mk 9, Mk 10, Lk 22), it is VERY possible Peter has plans for Jesus regarding his (Peter’s) own greatness. Perhaps this is why Jesus, in the next breath, gives the message about “loose your own life to find your life?” Regardless, Jesus’ declaring that He will die may be causing great stress to Peter. Peter, unknowingly, attacks Jesus’ choice to sacrifice Himself for the human race. Jesus disciplines Peter instantly with the words, “Get behind me Satan, you have in mind the things of men, not of God.” Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to be called “Satan” by anyone, but especially not Jesus! Yikes! But we realize Peter is not Satan. Jesus is delivering a very very strong correction for His chief follower. However, we also realize that Jesus did NOT reject Peter at this moment or even later! He did not reject Peter relationally either. When we are deeply convinced that Jesus will not reject us, we can take even His strongest discipline and grow under it rather than wilt.
Note: The wrong view of God that is filled with accusation and rejection for failure or sin will drive you into Law (Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil). You are always trying to earn His approval because of the way you imagine Him. The right view of God that is filled with seeing His patience and instruction for failure and sin empowers you to believe that we are truly saved (and sanctified) by Grace (Tree of Life). You can rest knowing you are accepted through Jesus’ work on the cross.!Yes, there is conviction of sin and repentance. But you know He isn’t rejecting you during that process! Your image of God is nothing less than critical!
Take Away:
God Is Just Like Jesus: Since Jesus disciplines Peter but without rejection, this reveals that God disciplines His children, but without any rejection! This security with God, revealed by Jesus, gives us the confidence to grow from His correction rather that loose heart! It is the enemy whole is filled with accusation and rejection. Jesus reveals that God works with us patiently bringing us to repentance and wholeness! This makes us delight in Him!
1st Commandment Prayer: Jesus I was always afraid you were rejecting me when I failed or sinned. The more I see that you never rejected Peter or the disciples when they sinned gives me confidence to come close to you! I want to know how “to run to you instead of run away from You” when I fail! You know, I think you might be “more good” than I though you were! Help me delight in you!
Today’s Bible Passage: Matt 16:21-27 (NIV)
From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!” Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father’s glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what they have done.
