Why did Jesus say to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan”?
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Why did Jesus say to Peter, “Get behind me Satan”? Why did Jesus refer to Peter as Satan?
Source Article: https://www.gotquestions.org/get-behind-me-Satan.html
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- Why did Jesus say to Peter, Get behind me, Satan? We're going to answer that question.
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- You can also discover more on GotQuestions .org. The command, Get behind me, Satan, spoken to Peter by Jesus, is recorded in Matthew and Mark.
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- Get behind me, Satan, seems harsh and out of character for Jesus, especially when addressing Peter, one of his most devout disciples.
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- Why did Jesus say this? What was it Peter did to deserve such a rebuke? Without knowing it,
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- Peter was speaking for Satan. Jesus had just revealed to his disciples, for the first time, the plan.
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- He was going to go to Jerusalem to suffer, die, and be raised to life. Contrary to their expectations of him,
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- Jesus explained that he had not come to establish an earthly messianic kingdom at that time.
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- The disciples were not prepared for this new revelation of the Messiah's purpose. Though Peter understood his words, he simply could not reconcile his view of the conquering
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- Messiah with the suffering and death Jesus spoke of. So Peter began to rebuke him for having such a fatalistic mindset.
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- Unwittingly, Peter was speaking for Satan. Like Jesus' adversary, Peter was not setting his mind on the things of God, his ways, his plans, and his purposes.
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- Instead, his mind was set on the things of man, the things of the world, and its earthly values.
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- Jesus was saying that the way of the cross was God's will, the plan of redemption for all mankind.
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- Peter's reaction was most likely shared by the other disciples, although, as always, it was
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- Peter who spoke first. Peter was inadvertently being used of Satan in thinking he was protecting
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- Jesus. Satan had purposely tempted Jesus in the wilderness to divert him from the cross, fulfilling the grand design of the
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- Father and the Son. Innocently, Peter was doing the same thing. He had not yet grasped
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- Jesus' true messianic purpose. Although Peter had just moments before declared
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- Jesus as the Christ, he turned from God's perspective and viewed the situation from man's perspective, which brought about the stern rebuke.
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- Get behind me, Satan. Jesus went on to explain, You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.
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- At the time, Jesus' stern reprimand did not make sense to Peter. However, Jesus' indictment presents a profound message for us.
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- We can easily see that Peter had the wrong perspective, but we must also see how easily we can become an unwitting spokesperson for Satan.
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- This is especially true when we focus on our careers, possessions, security, and the things of the world rather than upon sacrifice, service, and proclaiming
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- God's message. When Peter's focus shifted to his own desires and plans, Jesus rebuked him in order to get him back on track.
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- May our focus always be on God and His plans, that we may never experience a similar rebuke from our
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- Lord. That answers the question, Why did Jesus say to Peter, Get behind me, Satan? On our website,
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