Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.” Matthew 16:23-24 NIV
I’ve put my foot in my mouth a time or two, but this had to be one of those, “Wanna get away?” moments for Peter! I can only imagine the sting of those words, as Jesus turned, looked Peter straight in the eye and said, “Get behind me, Satan!” So why did Jesus react so strongly to one of his closest friends? Because Jesus saw the bigger picture. Though Peter meant no harm, at that moment, he was a tool in the hands of the enemy, a stumbling block, intended to trip Jesus up and make him fall.
Jesus recognized what you and I need to recognize; we have an enemy who wants to destroy us and who will stop at nothing to make us fall! Not every conversation you have today will be innocent. Not every person you encounter will be by coincidence. Some may be part of an intentional scheme to bring about your destruction. Will you have the spiritual insight to know the difference? Will you have the courage to respond as Jesus did, or will you entertain conversations you shouldn’t, just to avoid hurting someone’s feelings?
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:10-12 ESV
So what can we learn from Jesus’ response to Peter? We cannot afford to entertain or tolerate that which is meant to harm us. Jesus, though he loved Peter, did not answer softly, nor should we. We need to see the enemy’s schemes for what they are, and when we do, we need to respond as quickly and as strongly as Jesus did.
Are there relationships you need to stop pursuing? Conversations you need to stop having? Friends you need to stop hanging out with? Phone numbers you need to block from your contacts? Chat rooms you need to stop visiting?
The righteous choose their friends carefully, but the way of the wicked leads them astray. Proverbs 12:26 NIV
Lest you think Jesus words to Peter were an anomaly, that a God of love would never want you to react so strongly to someone in your life, balance those thoughts with the words Jesus spoke to his disciples when he sent them out into the world.
“Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” Matthew 10:34-39 ESV
May Satan never outwit us, for we are not unaware of his schemes! (2 Corinthians 2:11)