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Matthew 16:21-23
We learn in Matthew 16:21 that at this time, Jesus began instructing His disciples that He must be mistreated and then crucified in Jerusalem, but that He would also be raised from the dead on the third day. But as Jesus has just appointed Peter to lead the church after all this takes place, Peter pulls Jesus aside and rebukes Him for saying such things, as in the mind of Peter, these things could never be allowed to happen to the incarnate Lord and Savior of the world.
Jesus then, in Matthew 16:23 rebukes Peter as if it is Satan himself speaking through Peter in his attempt to prevent Jesus from doing the very thing in which He was sent by His heavenly Father to accomplish. Jesus commands in Matthew 16:23 (NKJV), “…Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
This is an example of how we try to guide God/Jesus in the ways in which we, in our lack of understanding of His will for our lives, want things to be.
This is an example of how, even though we believe in God and our Savior Jesus, have tendencies to attempt to control God to conform to our will instead of His will.
The Apostle Peter was a disciple personally chosen by Jesus during His physical life and ministry. He was then appointed by Jesus to be the leader of the church after Jesus would accomplish His mission for the salvation of humanity. He walked with Jesus every day and learned from Him on a personal level as Jesus, on occasion, would choose Peter, James, and John to accompany Him to be witness to things above that of the other disciples. Yet he, Peter, would still yet rebuke Jesus for something that he did not fully realize and understand. He was quick to rebuke Jesus when things did not go the way in which he believed they should.
This attitude is reflective of each of us too, as our lack of realization and understanding for what God is doing in our lives, overrides our basic need to follow His will for our lives. It is a result of Satan striving through the sinful nature that continues to lash out at us as he is always looking for ways to make us fall from the grace that God has blessed us with through our salvation in Jesus our Savior. Satan has declared war on God for our souls, we are caught up in the middle of this war; but Jesus has promised to save us if we will put our trust in Him. The question always remains as Jesus asks His disciples in Matthew 16:15, “But who do you say that I am?”
Dear LORD,
Even in our faith in You and our salvation in Your One and only Son Jesus, we do not fully realize and understand Your great plan for our lives, and on many occasions, Your plan for our lives is different than what we may think. Please help us that when we come to these crossroads in our lives that we would cling to the cross and follow the road in which You have paved for us – in Christ! In Jesus name I pray, amen.