Lent Day 18
by Chris Badeker
Mark 8:31-39
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.”
“Everything dies, baby, that’s a fact
maybe everything that dies
someday comes back"
"Atlantic City", Bruce Springsteen
In Mark 8, Jesus speaks plainly about the suffering which is to befall him. For Peter, however, this moment is a bridge too far. Peter's decision to intervene and Jesus' prompt rebuttal serves to illuminate the chasm that exists between Peter's expectations and Jesus' intentions.
It hasn't been that long since Jesus called to Simon (Peter), "Follow me. I will make you fishers of men!" Peter has seen Jesus' healings, His authority over spirits, and His command over nature. Even though it hasn't always been smooth sailing, Peter has dutifully followed his teacher through figurative and literal storms. Even more recently, Peter acknowledges Jesus as Christ. It must have been a rush to come to grips with the reality that your teacher is also the foretold Messiah. If Peter had followed tentatively at the outset, he now has cause to follow boldly.
Before this revelation can fully sink in, Jesus starts raining on the parade. What does Jesus mean when he says he must suffer? Rejected by the elders? Didn't he just confirm that He's literally the Messiah? Peter isn't having it. Jesus need not suffer many things, be rejected by the elders, and killed. What's more, Peter need not follow him there. Knowing now the path his teacher, his Christ, plans to lead him down, Peter switches into action mode and rebukes Jesus.
We aren't privy to exactly what Peter says in this rebuke. What we do know is that Jesus blasts back with perhaps his most infamous one-liner and then calls everyone together for a brief DTR. “If you're going to be my disciple, you'll deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me.” I expect that the reiteration of the command to follow is not lost on Peter. Then again, a lot was lost on Peter, so I suppose it's really anyone's guess.
Jesus dispels the notion that Peter's dissuasion attempt was motivated by altruism. Just as soon as He has admonished his disciples to follow Him, He adds that "whoever seeks to save their life will lose it". Put another way, you could hear it as, "Peter, your concern isn't for me, it's for yourself." Being fully human, Jesus understands our desire to self preserve. Jesus himself prayed in Gethsemane that God might take the cup of suffering from Him. Thankfully, being fully God, Jesus also understood that nothing can be resurrected that hasn't already been put to death.
In saying to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan", Jesus is simultaneously extremely shocking and incredibly astute. Peter is attempting to course correct Jesus onto a path filled with more miracles, more acclaim, and most importantly, no crucifixion. Why rise again if you need never fall? Peter would see Jesus be the king of earth, but not the king of heaven. Peter would see Jesus leap from the rocks to be caught by angels, turn the stone into bread, and leave the veil untorn.
As if He sees this entire path laid out before him, beckoned onward by Satan to indeed, rule here on earth, Jesus asks the group a question. “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” Jesus utterly rejects the leveraging of his position for acclaim. He pivots by fixing his gaze on the day He will "come in his Father's glory with the holy angels". This is a destination that the path of Peter could never lead him to.
The path of Jesus, and his disciples, is not one of self preservation, but self denial. Eventually Peter follows Jesus on this path; pray we do too. It's a paradoxical path where anything that wishes to live must first willingly lose its life. A path where what is given in bondage to Christ and the gospel is ultimately set free. It's a path that leads to a cross, a path that leads to death, and a path where everything that dies someday comes back.
Chris Badeker is one half of the musical duo Wild Harbors. He lives, works, and eats in Nashville, TN with his wife Jenna and two rabbits named Duncan and Sassafras. You can hear his music at www.wildharbors.com.