PETER'S NOT SO GOOD MOMENT WITH JESUS
MARK 8:31-33
MARK 8:31-33 NKJ
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, "Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."
Ok, so it's Monday, and you would think I would start the week on a positive note. Instead, we get to look at Peter being rebuked by Jesus.
But it's important to note that Jesus was not all sunshine and butterflies with His disciples. He corrected them, and in this case, His correction of Peter was stout. Peter had just revealed a truth about Jesus that not everyone was aware of. He saw that Jesus was the Christ, the anointed One. The Messiah. Jesus commended Peter regarding this revelation from heaven. Matthew tells us that this was the time Jesus spoke about the future of the church. This was a powerful truth.
And then Peter jacks it up. Jesus began to show His disciples that some difficult things were coming. Rejection, crucifixion, then resurrection. And Peter steps in. He takes Jesus away from the rest and begins to reason with Him. Actually, Peter rebuked Jesus, which is never a good idea. But Jesus did not let it slide. Get behind me Satan is pretty strong, direct, and corrective. Then Jesus shows us why this rebuke. Peter was not interested in what mattered to God but what mattered to men.
If we look at Peter's situation, we can better understand His motive. Peter went from being an obscure fisherman to the inner circle of the most popular figure to show up in Israel in hundreds of years. To Peter and the disciples, Jesus was the next King of Israel. The Messiah they had waited for, for centuries. And guess who was one of Jesus' main men? Peter. If something bad happened to Jesus, like being rejected and killed, it was game over for Peter and the guys. So, Peter tries to correct Jesus. But Jesus's motives were pure. Peter’s, not so much. Jesus corrected Peter, but He had not rejected Peter. Peter was still in the inner circle and still part of what Jesus was doing. Not a great moment with Jesus but not the defining moment either.
APPLICATION:
Our objective, especially with what we do for the Lord, is to glorify and honor Him, not us. We have to constantly check our hearts so we can be mindful of the things that God desires, not our own personal glory. It's a constant process, but we want Jesus commending us, not correcting us in this area.
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to put Your interests before my own. And please show me the areas where I am not mindful of your things.