But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Mark 8:33 NASB1995
But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Matthew 16:23
There is a difference between God’s interests and man’s interests. This is a thing that we all know, but do not think about it too much; or too deeply. This remark to Peter from Jesus came after Jesus telling the Disciples quite plainly what was going to happen to Him. It is recorded in Matthew and Mark, with exactly the same words. One interesting thing is that this remark to Peter came Shortly after Peter had declared that Jesus was The Christ The Messiah. Jesus had in return commended Peter, as shown in Matthew’s Gospel.
‘And Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 16:17
I want to study what Jesus said about man’s interests against God’s interests. Yes this was a response to a specific incident, but what does it mean in a broader sense. I think that we can get in the flesh and have our minds on man’s interests rather than Gods, in many areas of our lives. For instance, pride will say but what are those people going to think of me for this thing? selfish interests. So let us take a look at this. The bigger picture of what happened is:-
And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. And He was stating the matter plainly. And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. But turning around and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter and *said, “Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” And He summoned the crowd with His disciples, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul? For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.”Mark 8:31-38
So it seems that in this instance, Jesus rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me satan.” Hmmm Talking to Peter, “Get behind me satan.” Now obviously Perter was not satan, but the thoughts that came out in words were not of God’s interests. Peter rebuke Jesus, can you imagine! The words of Peter may well have seemed well meaning, but they were complete opposite to the plan of God for the sacrifice of Jesus. Those words from Peter were from a world point of view, like this. “You cant die, you are the Christ; the Messiah come to save us from the Romans.” “Get behind me satan.”
Satan is described as the ruler of this world, the prince and power of the air. I think that we all get thoughts and ideas occasionally that are not of God’s interests. Thought that come out of the world that we grew up in, educated into, Man’s interests. Look at this verse from Ephesians.
in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Ephesians 2:2 NASB1995
Without Christ in our life we are walking according to the course of this world. How can we relate this to Peter, who had Jesus right there. He was with Jesus I would guess every day. Peter was a disciple of Jesus, being taught, trained in the truth. He was not yet a redeemed human. He was not a born again Christian. He did not understand most of what Jesus said rejected some of the things just as he did in this episode. Simon Peter later to become the leader of the disciples, even denied knowing Jesus.
Peter was still walking according to the course of this world even as he walked with Jesus. What is the course of this world then? It is the influence of satan in every area of our lives before we come to Jesus. He is still the ruler of this world, even though he was defeated by Jesus on our behalf. Jesus defeated him but did not cast him away. That is saved for a future date. Satan will be cast into the lake of fire with all his demons, for ever. Until then he is still working in the sons of disobedience.
Peter, still walking according to the course of this world had opened himself up to the influence of the world way of thinking about things. Satan influences the worlds way of thinking. He will until he gets locked up. That is what Jesus means when He said, “Get behind me satan.” Jesus was talking to the words and thoughts that were coming from Peter, not Peter himself.
Man’s interests are according to the course of this world. Man’s interests are influenced by the spirit and power of the air, the ruler of this world. I had some interesting thoughts. Things that I had vaguely heard of before. It is about the mark of the beast. In revelation when it talks about the mark of the beast, it says that it the number of man, 666. Maybe from this we can see why Jesus said man’s interests.
“Get behind Me, Satan; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.” Mark 8:33, Matt 16:23
Mark of the beast is a number, it is the number of a man 666. This goes all the way back to the Garden of Eden, when Adam handed authority over this world to Satan. The hand over, the legal exchange of authority was so complete, it included control over man’s way of thinking. As well as tainting all of our spirits with the sin. When we look at satan’s rights as ruler of this world, yes I said rights, we can see that man’s interests are controlled for the most by the influence of satan.
Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty-six. Revelation 13:18 NASB1995
Satan has rights, that is the authority that Adam signed over to him. Jesus took that authority away from satan and gave it back to us is through His death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of God. He still has some control and authority over those who choose not to accept Jesus as Lord. Jesus had not completed this work at the time when He had to say to Peter, “Get behind me satan.”
Jesus had been preparing the disciples, letting them know what was going to happen to Him. It seems that as much as they knew the law and the prophets, they did not have an understanding of the truth. This has a lot to do with what they had been taught by firstly their parent, who were being taught by the religious leaders. And also what they had been taught themselves by the religious leaders. About the Messiah restoring the kingdom, not connecting the prophesies about His death.
Peter was operating from them point of view that he knew. A religious prospective, under the influence of satan; a worldly, man’s view. Peter your interests are of satans influence, because he has had so long to influence the way that the whole of mankind thinks. Man’s interests, and not God’s interests.
God’s blessings
Charlie
