Mark 8 - Get Behind Me Satan!


Jesus Predicts His Death

31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.32 He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
There are many important verses to talk about in Mark 8, but none more important than this one.  In one verse, Peter gets the million dollar question right in answering that Jesus is the "Messiah".  And then 4 verses later when Peter tries to dissuade Jesus from going to the cross Jesus says to him, "Get behind me Satan, you do not have in the things of God but man." 
I don't think Jesus is saying Peter is "Satan", but that Satan is using Peter as a tool. A few verses earlier God is using Peter as a messenger of the Good News, and now Peter is an obstructor of the true mission of the Messiah.  In Peter's defense he loved Jesus and was trying to protect him.  But, He still had in mind what men wanted Jesus to do not God's purpose for him.  
So how might we intepret this passage?  One might say you don't have to be demon possessed to be used by Satan. The word for Satan means adversary, obstructor, or accuser.  Satan opposes everything God wants for the world and especially his followers. The term Satan is used 18 times in the Old Testament, mainly in Job.  In the New Testament the same word in Greek is used 36 times, 18 of which are in the gospels. 
So Satan is real and not just an imaginary principle.  Satan has been around since the beginning of time when angels were made to worship their creator.  He resisted and became a dark angel opposed to anyone or anything that might worship God.  But it is important to remember that though Satan is real, we don't need to be afraid of him.  Why?  Because, "Greater is he who is in us than he that is in the world." 1 John 4:4
So how can we avoid Peter's mistake?  Peter's mistake was that he had in mind the concerns of man versus the concerns of God.  I don't think having in mind the concerns of man is always obvious.  It may be a subtle shift in our thinking. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2, 
"10 Anyone you forgive, I also forgive. And what I have forgiven—if there was anything to forgive—I have forgiven in the sight of Christ for your sake, 11 in order that Satan might not outwit us. For we are not unaware of his schemes."  
One of Satan's schemes might be to create in us a heart of unforgiveness or judgment.  And in way this is related to Peter's fault.  He tried to get in the way of the cross.  And when we don't forgive someone or judge them excessively we get in the way of the cross.  So God has given us the knowledge that Jesus is the Messiah, lets make sure to keep our eyes on the cross so we can keep our eyes on the concerns of God and not man! 



  

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