Key Verse: He spoke openly about this. Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning around and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! You are not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns.” (Mark 8:32-33 CSB)
Often times there is a huge difference in perspective between God and us. We look at things one way, but God see them very differently. We think we know what’s best and right, but God has a whole other take on it.
Peter learned this lesson the hard way. Just a few verses earlier, Peter had correctly answered the million-dollar question. When Jesus asked His disciples about His true identity, Peter responded by saying, “You are the Messiah.” It must have felt good to get this one right. However, even though Peter had answered this question correctly, he still lacked the fuller perspective on all that it meant for Jesus to be the Messiah.
Jesus turned to His disciples and began to teach them about what was going to happen next. According to Jesus, “it was necessary for the Son of Man to suffer and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, be killed and rise after three days” (v.31). What was in store for Jesus as God’s Anointed One was suffering, rejection, and ultimately death. This is what it meant to be the Messiah. This is what was necessary to fulfill God’s plan.
Peter had no time though for this plan. This was not his perspective on what would happen when the Messiah came. This is not where his mind was focused. So “Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him” (v.32). He expressed his strong disapproval to Jesus about what He had said. Peter reprimanded Jesus, denouncing His words.
It’s never a good plan to rebuke Jesus. So Jesus responded to Peter’s words by turning the rebuke back on him. “Get behind me, Satan!” Jesus said. Jesus treated Peter in this moment like he was the enemy. While it may seem harsh to us, for Jesus to listen to Peter’s words would have become a stumbling block for Jesus in fulfilling His Father’s will.
What was Peter’s problem in this moment? Ultimately, it was a matter of where his mind was focused. Jesus said to him, “You are not thinking about God’s concerns but human concerns” (v.33). You are looking at the situation from a limited human perspective. You think you know what’s best. You think you know the better plan. You have your own agenda. But you’re wrong. You are not seeing this from God’s standpoint.
This is one of the great challenges as we learn to follow Jesus. To follow Him in faith and to walk in obedience requires a whole different way of thinking, a complete change of mind. This is why the Apostle Paul wrote, “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2). To live according to God’s Spirit means to set our minds on the things of the Spirit rather than on the things of the flesh (Romans 8:5).
So how do we do that? How can we ensure that we are setting our minds on the things of God? Ultimately it is about a continual decision to renew our minds (Romans 12:2). As we prayerfully humble ourselves before God, saturate our minds with the Scripture, and lean into the Spirit’s leading in our lives, we adopt a posture where we can begin to see things from God’s perspective instead of our own. We begin to have the mind of Christ.
Where will you focus your mind today?
Prayer: Father God, I want to be more concerned with your ways than my own. Renew my mind today, Holy Spirit. Give me eyes to see more clearly from your perspective. Help me to set my mind on the things of God today. Amen.
Author: Jonathan Miller has served in pastoral roles for more than 13 years in churches in Barrie, Oakville and Burlington, Ontario. He currently serves as the Chief Operating Officer at Prison Fellowship Canada, a ministry that mobilizes and equips local churches to engage in the restorative work of prisoners, ex-prisoners, their families, and victims across Canada. Jon holds degrees from McMaster University and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. He and his wife Adrienne have been married since 2004, and live in Burlington, Ontario with their 4 children. Jon’s greatest passion is to know Jesus and to see lives transformed by Him and for Him.
