When I realized what I was reading,
I almost couldn't believe it. What I saw seemed as if it was profoundly
disrespectful. As a matter of fact, it seemed to be borderline heartless, cold,
and downright distasteful. This normally wouldn't have shaken me so much, had
what I was witnessing been performed by anyone else. This act, however, was
executed by Jesus. I stopped and asked the question: Isn't He supposed to be
our example? How could He do this?
The
act I am referring to is the famous rebuke of Peter. The story begins as Jesus
asks His disciples a simple question. Who do men say that I am? The disciples
throw out various comments they have heard. Peter however, he is different. He
has a revelation. He boldly declares that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the
Living God. Jesus is so taken, He comments that this could not have been
revealed to him by any man or process of cognition. This revelation was given
to Peter by God the Father. Jesus then exhorted His disciples to tell no one.
So
far so good, right? However, Peter had a tendency to put his foot in his mouth.
Jesus went on to explain some very difficult concepts to His disciples. He
explained to them that He would have to go up to Jerusalem. Once there, He
would suffer many things of the elders and priests. He would be falsely
accused, He would be mocked, He would be mistreated, and He would be shamed.
Ultimately, He would have to die and then be raised on the third day. This
proved to be too much for Peter. Like many great friends out there, he went out
of his way to do something he perceived to be in the best interest of his
friend. He rebuked and attempted to convince Jesus that there must be an
alternative course of action.
Now
we arrive at the part of the story that I simply could not believe. While I had
read and heard this account on multiple occasions, the book of Mark offers a
phrasing that brings out a shocking element of the story. Peter gets up and
takes hold of Jesus, rebuking Him (Matthew 16:22). As Peter attempts to talk
Jesus out of what he perceives to be a bad decision, Jesus doesn't just rebuke
him. Jesus actually begins by facing him and then turns his back to Peter.
Before Jesus speaks he fully turns his
back on one of His most passionate followers. Talk about making a powerful
point! In this position, facing the other disciples with Peter now standing
behind Him, He rebukes Peter with the famous words, "Get thee behind me
Satan!"
"But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he
rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for thou savourest not the
things that be of God, but the things that be of men." (Mark 8:33)
This takes the situation to
another level. It would be one thing if Jesus quietly rebuked Peter to conceal
his error and bring private correction. Frankly, even if He wasn't quiet about
it, had He at least said it to Peter's face, as I had always presumed, it
wouldn't have been so extreme. The idea that Jesus first turned His back to the
disciple, and then rebuked Him to everyone else, now that just seemed cold.
That is, until I realized what the Lord was illustrating.
In this case Peter represents
any number of people, things, or responsibilities that have a degree of
importance in our lives. There is no doubt that Peter was important to Jesus.
However, sometimes these things, and even the most well meaning people in our
lives become tools in the hand of the enemy. The fact that Jesus rebuked Satan
and not Peter clearly indicates that Peter's actions were inspired by the
devil, even though He didn't perceive it that way. The words that came out of
Peter's mouth were a temptation to Jesus. The Bible is clear that Jesus was
tempted in all points and we are, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15).
What Jesus illustrated with his
actions becomes a powerful lesson in how to overcome temptation. We first turn
our back to it, then we begin to rebuke it. Let me explain. Let's say someone
is trying to quit smoking. Does it make more sense to throw away all of the
cigarettes in the house first and then pray for God's grace to overcome the
temptation? Or does it make more sense to keep a pack of cigarettes in every
room of the house, meaning the person is rebuking the habit every time they
reach for the next cigarette?
Sometimes temptation can be so
strong in our lives that we have to first turn our backs to it so that our
prayers and rebukes are not hindered. Jesus loved Peter so much that he turned
His face from him before rebuking the devil! This was no easier for Jesus than
it was for Peter. What we need to understand is that attacks often come through
those that are closest to us. The devil is extremely intelligent, and seeds
deception wherever possible. He will use the most well meaning people at times
to seed advice and counsel into our lives that is entirely at odds with the
leading of God. He will use what sounds like good advice to point us in the
opposite direction of God's purpose for our lives. It is a difficult lesson.
There are times when following
the Lord will require us to turn our backs on the advice and counsel of those
closest to us. We may even need to rebuke it. Jesus illustrated this with
Peter. The most important thing to Jesus was fulfilling the purpose given to
Him by His Father in heaven. God wants you to fulfill your purpose as well. Thus
we need to learn to turn our backs on temptation when necessary.
