Jesus Rebukes His Closest Friend

Moments after Peter confessed him as the Messiah, Jesus told the disciples plainly that he would suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise. Peter pulled him aside and began to rebuke him. Jesus turned, looked at the others, and said to Peter, get behind me, Satan.

It is jarring to hear Jesus speak this way to a friend, and to the friend who had just gotten the biggest question right. But the episode shows something about Jesus that is easy to miss. He loved Peter enough to be sharp with him. The alternative was to let a lie about the Messiah settle in the mind of the man who would lead the church, and Jesus would not do it. He had faced the offer of a kingdom without a cross once already, in the wilderness, and he recognized the voice when it came through Peter's mouth.

Notice, too, where Jesus sends him. Not away. Behind. The rebuke was a repositioning. Peter had stepped in front of Jesus to steer him, and Jesus put him back in the place where a disciple walks, following rather than leading. That is a mercy, even though it did not feel like one.

Ask yourself a few things. Has anyone loved you enough to correct you sharply, and did you receive it? Where have you stepped in front of Jesus to steer him toward the outcome you prefer? And what would it mean this week to get behind him again?