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 things of God, but the things of men."
Before I started to write this, before I had even opened my Bible, my
mind began recounting experiences I might be able to draw upon to illuminate the verse
given to me. Then I opened my Bible and read Mark 8:33. Suddenly, thoughts of inspiring
moments of faith were replaced by the ugly things, the times when my thoughts and actions
have been petty, the times when I’ve been consumed by outward appearances, my
personal success, my inadequacies, my pride. Jesus wasn’t just speaking to Peter. He
was addressing me!
As wrong as it is, I must admit that at times I have allowed myself to
be comfortable in the fact that I haven’t committed "major" sins. Becoming
privately boastful, I have even patted myself on the back for the good things I’ve
done. I dare think this way, as if God will just dismiss my imperfections, since, after
all, I’m not one of them.
Yet, neither was Peter.
Peter was a man of God, a disciple, a friend and supporter of Jesus.
Jesus wasn’t rebuking Peter for murderous, immoral inclinations and acts. He
rebuked him for worrying about what the world thinks, for rebuking Christ himself for
predicting that men would turn against him.* It could probably be argued that Peter was
sticking up for Christ, not wanting Christ to cut himself short or down in the public eye.
And still, Jesus likened Peter to the very enemy of God. Peter probably thought he was
acting honorably, defending Christ. Yet, Jesus’ reprimand leaves little room for
misinterpretation. His message is a humbling, graphic wake-up call to all of us, to focus
on God and place our trust in him.
