"Get Thee Behind Me, Satan!"

When Jesus uttered the above phrase, recorded in Matthew 16:23, it no doubt came as a shock to those who heard it. It yet comes as a shock to those who read it today; for He said it to Peter. Some deny that Jesus was speaking to Peter, claiming that the Lord was literally speaking to the devil (Unger 2060). However, Scripture plainly says, "But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan" (emph. LM). Had Jesus wanted to rebuke Satan, He would have addressed Satan. Yes, Jesus Himself had previously rebuked the devil in almost identical words: "Get thee hence, Satan" (Matt. 4:10), which makes this rebuke against Peter all the more stinging and shocking.

Peter was a very prominent apostle. Some, particularly the Roman Catholics, have vastly overstated the pre-eminence given to Peter. However, there is no denying that Peter held a significant place in the ministry of Jesus and in the early church. Jesus' selection of him as an apostle placed him in an exclusive group; furthermore, Peter was in Jesus' inner circle selected out of the apostles (cf. Mark 5:37; 13:4; Matt. 17:1; 26:36-37). Peter is named first in every Biblical list of the apostles (cf. Matt. 10:2-4; Mark 3:16-19; Luke 6:14-16). Peter would become the "E.F. Hutton" of the early church, as others would stop speaking to hear what he had to say (cf. Acts 15:7, 14). Peter showed initiative to speak and act where other apostles hesitated (cf. Matt. 14:28-29; 19:27; 26:33-35; John 13:37). Peter had demonstrated this initiative in the immediate context in which Jesus referred to him as "Satan." Jesus had asked His disciples concerning His identity, and Peter demonstrated faith and insight along with initiative by responding, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matt. 16:16). Jesus was evidently pleased with Peter's answer and pronounced a blessing on him for it (verses 17-19). All of this further stresses the shock of Jesus' identification of Peter with Satan.

The word Satan itself means "adversary." And for all Peter's commendable attributes and actions, he had done something to set himself up as an adversary of Jesus, just as Satan himself. So what did Peter do to deserve being called Satan? After Peter's great confession of Jesus as "the Christ [Messiah], the Son of the living God," Jesus began to teach His apostles about the great sufferings He would have to endure before establishing His Messianic kingdom (verse 21). Instead of assenting to the perfect Divine will, "Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee, Lord: this shall not be unto thee" (verse 22). Peter insisted that Jesus could find an easier way to establish His kingdom. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry, Satan had tried to tempt Jesus into procuring His kingdom an easier way:

Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve (Matt. 4:8-10).

For Peter's similar (although not as ill-intended) temptation, Jesus called him "a stumbling-block unto me" (ASV), said that he "savour[ed] not the things that be of God, but those that be of men," and, above all, called him, "Satan" (Matt. 16:23). Peter's desire to look for an easy way out and his failure to look to the Divine will lead to a most undesirable association for Peter (cf. Rev. 2:9; 3:9).

There are those who insist that Christians and the church should forsake the Lord's way and instead choose the easy way. Some may be malicious adversaries of the church, while others, like Peter, may honestly believe they have Christ's or Christians' best interests at heart. Regardless, as Bruce aptly observed, "None are more formidable instruments of temptation than well-meaning friends, who care more for our comfort than for our character" (1:226).

So what should our response be when someone tries to give us an easy way that is not God's way? Our response should be the same as that of our Lord and Master: "Get thee behind me, Satan!"

When someone tries to give us an easier plan of salvation. Jesus spoke of the necessity of faith (John 8:24), repentance (Luke 13:3), confession (Matt. 10:32-33), and baptism (Mark 16:16) in order to receive salvation. He also spoke of the necessity of faithful Christian living in order to maintain salvation (Mark 8:35; Rev. 2:10; cf. 1 Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 6:9). Yet some want to tell us that one can receive salvation at the point of "faith only," irrespective of whether one repents, confesses, or is baptized. And some (often the same people) want to tell us that once one has received salvation, he can never lose his salvation. To such we should say, "Get thee behind me, Satan!"

When someone tries to give us an easier pattern of worship. Jesus said it was imperative that worship be "in truth" (John 4:24), meaning that it follow God's word (cf. 17:17; Psalm 119:151). He further stated that human doctrines would render any worship "vain" (Matt. 15:9). Yet some seek to justify innovations in worship through a "new hermeneutic" (way of interpreting the Bible), "expedience," and "culture change." Get thee behind me, Satan!

When someone tries to give us an easier means of church growth. Jesus gave the apostles the Great Commission, a charge passed down to the church He would build: "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). But some say, "The Gospel has become outdated—give the people entertainment." Some say, "Rather than heeding the Great Commission, we need to pay attention to what church growth experts say and to what megachurch denominations do." Others just say, "Leave the lost alone." Get thee behind me, Satan!

When someone tries to give us an easier standard of fellowship. The Lord limits Christians' spiritual fellowship to those who are in fellowship with Him, those who abide in His doctrine (1 John 1:3, 6; 2 John 9). We are to "have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them" (Eph. 5:11; 2 John 10-11). Churches and Christians are commanded to withdraw from brethren who persist in sin (Matt. 15:18; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; 2 Thess. 3:6). Nothing could be further removed from today's "choose your own way" mindset. So now there are those who propose reducing the Lord's fellowship restrictions to a few select doctrines: "Oh, he may not teach truth on the organization of the church, but at least he teaches the truth on baptism"; "Oh, they may not teach the truth on baptism, but at least they believe in Jesus." And some are saying that practicing church discipline and withdrawal of fellowship is altogether unnecessary today. Get thee behind me, Satan!

Although we might word it differently, such a bold statement for God's way needs to be made. It needs to be made regardless of whether there are easier ways, and regardless of who presents those supposedly easier ways. Such a bold statement may need to be made to those with whom we are most intimate; such a bold statement may need to be made to those who are in prominent places. Such a statement may come as a shock just as it did to Peter, but it still must be made. The Lord's way is not always the easiest way, but it is always the right way.

Works Cited

Bruce, Alexander Balmain. "The Synoptic Gospels," in The Expositor's Greek Testament. Ed. W. Robertson Nicoll. New York: Dodd, Mead, and Co., 1902.

Unger, Merrill F. "Peter." eds. Merrill F. Unger and R.K. Harrison. Chicago: Moody Bible Institute, 1988.

[This article appeared in the November 23, 2014 publication of the Berea Church of Christ, which meets in Rives, Tennessee.]