Seeing Past Satan

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 said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” And calling the crowd to him with his disciples, he said to them, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would 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 can a man give in return for his soul? For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of him will the Son of Man also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.” (Mark 8:31-38 ESV). Today I want to focus on Jesus’ response to Peter. It furthers our thoughts on the gift of salvation that we receive through Christ. There are three times we know of that Jesus teaches His disciples the meaning of His death on the cross. Each time they are dismayed and shocked that He would even think of dying. They did not understand at all the necessity of His sacrifice. They still were under the deception of the law. Peter’s rebuke is a clear expression of this misunderstanding. Why? Mark suggests Peter is radically uncomfortable with Jesus' speaking of these ultimate things, of God and of death. He doesn't understand what place death could have in the kingdom promised by Jesus. He doesn't yet see Jesus for who he is. And for that, Jesus identifies Peter with Satan, the one he battled in the wilderness and the one we battle during our lives. Satan and demonology are always difficult for Christians to grasp. The saddest part of all this is that most people fail to recognize the reality of the devil at all. Some laugh at the concept picturing Satan as some red-suited being with horns, a tail, and carrying a pitchfork! While I still don't know exactly what Satan looks like, I do know of the reality of his existence. I have seen the evidence of his work in the world. I have read of his existence in the Scripture. Those two things alone are enough to open my eyes to the truth of Satan’s reality. That having been said, what difference does that knowledge make? It brings me to the truth Jesus shows the disciples in our reading this morning. Satan is that which prevents us from seeing Jesus for who he is. Jesus calls us to be His disciples. Discipleship simply means a life that springs from grace. Martin Luther has said, “a religion that gives nothing, costs nothing, and suffers nothing is worth nothing.” Satan’s greatest lie compels us to believe that following Christ costs nothing. The truth is that it will cost us everything!