Why did Jesus say “Get behind Me, Satan” when He was rebuking Peter? I thought God is love (1 John 4:8), and love is patient and kind (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)!

But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind me Satan: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.

Mark 8:33, Matthew 16:23

Love is Kind

“Get behind me Satan!” was the kindest thing Jesus could have said to Peter! Peter was being deceived by the enemy and trying to get Jesus’ focus off of His mission and into preserving His physical body. Our body is not evil, but it is temporary. For Peter’s own good, he needed to be set straight swiftly. Jesus was pointing out that Peter’s desire was for temporary things not the things of God!

For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

1 Peter 1:24

Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption…

For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory.

O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory?

1 Corinthians 15:50,,53-55

As you can see in 1 Corinthians 15:50, our flesh and blood bodies are temporary necessities. That’s why the devil only has power over those people who submit to him. He doesn’t have a physical body of his own. Get behind me Satan!

Demon Posessions

Yes, people can be possessed, oppressed, or depressed by the devil or demons, but they have to be completely cooperative. If someone is asking for help, they are not fully cooperative, but they do need help. Christians should be in a place to help or be headed in that direction through discipleship training! Jesus’ name is above every name and that is more than enough power to do every good work and even greater works. So we can boldly say, “Get behind me Satan!”

How could Peter know Better?

Well, just a few verses prior, the Father which is in heaven was revealing some things to Peter. You cannot commune with Jesus daily and not get some revelation from the Father.

And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed [it] unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. – Mat 16:17 KJV

Peter had received revelation from the Father. But he still allowed Satan to possess his thoughts. He definitely wrote 1 Peter 5:8 from a place of first-hand knowledge, understanding, and wisdom.

Jesus Whipped

When Jesus tied cords together and made a whip, He was acting out of love and being gracious. Those religious hypocrites were taking advantage of people, but they were acting like they were serving them and serving God. Not once in the Bible have I read that Jesus’ whip hit a human being or even an animal. He knocked over tables. Money and animals went everywhere. No living creature was harmed, but a very important point was made.

And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ money, and overthrew the tables;

John 2:15

These people were in the religious organization of the time supposedly representing God. Instead of knowing God and representing His goodness, they were talking about Him and using His name to take advantage and treat others wickedly.

For they speak against You wickedly, and Your enemies take Your name in vain.

Psalm 139:20

Demonic

In Psalm 139, King David is boasting in the goodness, continual presence, and power of God. He speaks about those who speak against God wickedly and says that they take God’s name in vain. There are people in religious organizations today using their positions of authority to guilt, shame, and manipulate people into doing certain things and acting certain ways. These things are not from God above but are demonic.

God’s Goodness

God uses blessings, rewards, goodness to love His children and encourage us to do what’s best. He does this because He loves us and genuinely desires what’s best for us. God has also stripped the devil of all power and has given it back to us for the taking. All we “have to do” is renew our minds constantly to learn to discern between good and evil. Constant communion (intimate conversation) with Jesus just simply means taking your most valuable possession, time, to read, study, and meditate on what God is telling you through the Bible. Then during the rest of the time, choose to think about these things instead of worrying or participating in anything else the Bible warns against.

Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Philipians 4:8

When we begin meditating or thinking about “these things,” we can begin seeing ourselves and others the way God sees us and stop acting like hypocrites. Peter thought he knew better than God because he was still thinking about temporary things. The money changers were thinking about how to take advantage of others using their positions. When we are not focused on Jesus, we will tend to drift into the wrong kinds of thinking eventually leading to the wrong actions.

Emotions

Emotions are good; they are God-given. We just cannot allow them to rule our thoughts and actions. When I begin experiencing any negative emotions, I am training myself to immediately begin praying for God’s wisdom in this situation. If I am getting angry or agitated with someone, I ask God to forgive them, and I forgive them. As King David was saying in Psalm 139, God knows our thoughts. We can commune with Jesus constantly without saying an audible word. This is a powerful gift from God that many Christians are passively or even actively rejecting.

Pleasing to God or Man?

Jesus loved Peter and those religious hypocrites more than He cared about looking good in their sight. Jesus was not trying to be a man-pleaser, but He was being a good Father! He didn’t treat everyone or even most people that way. We have to be in constant communion with Jesus to be able to discern when we should rebuke someone the way Jesus did. We are the ones to face the consequences when we act in presumption which is more emotion-led instead of being Spirit-led.

Rebuking someone for something superficial like saying, “Oh my God” or “Jesus” or even making sure that sinners know that their sin is offensive to us and our God, is really the true definition of using the Lord’s name in vain. Being offended about anything really is the worst hypocrisy for a true born-again Christian! Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice to save the world not to condemn it (John 3:17). He chooses not to look on our evil and sin (1 Peter 3:12) and chose to remove our transgressions completely. We should be following God’s example and choose not to even look at it, more or less study it, talk about it, publicize it, dwell on it, and complain about it!!! Love covers ALL sins!

As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:12

Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.

Proverbs 10:12

He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth very friends.

Proverbs 17:9

Call Good, Good and Evil, Evil!

At the same time, we must be bold in proclaiming what the Bible calls evil to be evil and what God says is good, good. When someone is bound up in sin, they aren’t mean and selfish because they want to be. Yes, they are choosing that bondage. Their ignorance, pain, and hurt are what cause them to be cruel and selfish. Jesus told the woman caught in the very act of adultery to go and sin no more because sin kills. It hurts to be in a situation where you are being accused of something shameful and humiliating, to say the least. It is much worse when you are actually guilty. Jesus didn’t want this woman to find herself in any situation like this again because He didn’t want to see her suffer.

That’s why God wants His children to do good and teaches us the difference between good and evil. He wants us to partake of the abundant life He has lavishly supplied to His children through Jesus (John 10:10). Our Father wants to spend every moment with us, loving us, teaching us, and guiding us. Only when we turn our back on Him do we refuse that communion and life-giving instruction.

Warning

I would love to say that as long as someone is living and breathing, there is a chance for them to be born-again. I am thankful that I can say that anyone who has any desire whatsoever to learn more about God has a chance. The Bible does speak of someone who rejects Him so much for so long that the Father has no choice but to let them go to a reprobate mind.

And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;

Romans 1:28

This does not say that God made them have a reprobate mind or gave it to them. He gave them over to it. In other words, He couldn’t legally hold on to them anymore because it was against their own will. These people knew God just like the Bible says the devil believes in God and trembles.

Renew Your Mind to Present Your Body

(There is a long list of qualities or actions that lead to a reprobate mind beginning with Romans 1:29 if you would like to see for yourself in what direction you are headed, according to Scripture. I have seen these qualities in many people in the world and in the church including the sister I see in the mirror! I am renewing my mind constantly and my actions are naturally lining up!) Renew your mind and say, “Get behind me Satan!”

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Romans 12:1-2

They Became Vain

Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

Romans 1:21

Again, God is not darkening their hearts here! Look at their actions. Even though they knew God and His mercy and goodness, they did not glorify Him as God or give thanks! I wonder if they were glorifying the god of this world by saying, “God is in control.” The god of this world is the one orchestrating millions of babies being killed through abortions! The god of this world is the one pushing all of this evil that we are seeing in the United States and calling it “good.” Jesus says, “Get behind Me Satan!”

Father Forgive Them

Many of the people who are blindly following along have no clue what they are even doing. Instead of telling them of the goodness of God which leads to repentance, many Christians are pointing their fingers and looking down their noses at them in hate and disgust. These people are being deceived by the same god and are headed in the same direction on a self-righteous path to destruction! If this describes you, just look in the mirror and say, “Get behind me Satan!” Then choose Jesus; choose life!

Choose Life

I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both you and your seed may live:

That you may love the LORD your God, and that you may obey his voice, and that you may cleave unto him: for he is your life, and the length of your days: that you may dwell in the land which the LORD sware unto your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

Deuteronomy 30:19-20

God is saying here: “This is multiple choice. You only have two options. A) Life B) Death. Oh, and by the way, choose life!!!” If you are not actively choosing life, you are by default choosing death!

Get Behind Me Satan!

I am taking this opportunity to tell anyone who is caught up in temporary worldly things, “Get behind me Satan!” I love you too much not to warn you that if you are not spending time reading, studying, and meditating on the Word of God, Jesus, the Bible, and then of course doing it, you are in danger of serving the wrong god.

Note

Many Christians are trying to do the word without actually hearing the Word straight from God. They are basing their head knowledge on what they have heard others say about God. They are trying to live life more abundant based on someone else’s faith and revelation from God. Your faith comes by your hearing the Word of God! It does NOT come by reading mine or anyone else’s interpretation of His Word, but by your communion with Jesus through studying His Word yourself.

You need not any man to teach you!

But the anointing which you have received of him abides in you, and you need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teaches you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it has taught you, you shall abide in Him.

1 John 2:27

Iron Sharpens Iron

If we don’t need teachers, preachers, evangelists, etc. then what are you doing writing this blog and why are these gifts and offices listed in the Bible? We do need all of these, but we should all be teaching and preaching the importance of intimate communication with Jesus as the ultimate Source of all wisdom and knowledge. We should be teaching, preaching, and evangelizing to produce disciples not leaving them as saved and stuck converts who need us!

Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.

Proberbs 27:17

Ignorance is NOT Innocense! Get Behind Me Satan!

Please choose life and take advantage of the resources I have provided on this website. The links on this website only go to my other posts or links to other ministries that I completely trust and often visit. Broad is the path that leads to destruction, and it is full of ignorant people with good intentions. God’s Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, and the light on our path may be the only light someone else can see!

Seek God and you will find Him! The more you get to know Him, the more YouWillWantTo!