Mark 8:33

THE GREAT REBUKE

‘Get thee behind Me, Satan.’

Mark 8:33

We see St. Peter who had just witnessed so noble a confession, presuming to rebuke his Master because He spoke of suffering and dying. We see him drawing down on himself the sharpest rebuke which ever fell from our Lord’s lips.

We have here a humbling proof that the best of saints is a poor fallible creature.

I. Here was ignorance.—St. Peter did not understand the necessity of our Lord’s death, and would have actually prevented His sacrifice on the Cross.

II. Here was self-conceit.—St. Peter thought he knew what was right and fitting for His Master better than his Master Himself, and actually undertook to show the Messiah a more excellent way.

III. Here was zeal without knowledge.—St. Peter did it all with the best intentions! He meant well. His motives were pure. But zeal and earnestness are no excuse for error. A man may mean well and yet fall into tremendous mistakes.

Let us learn humility from the facts here recorded. We see that it is but a little step from making a good confession to being a ‘Satan’ in Christ’s way. Let us pray daily: ‘Hold Thou me up; keep me, teach me, let me not err.’

Illustrations

(1) ‘ “Hinder me not,” still to the last,

The faithful heart will say;

“I must be striving, pressing on,

And work while it is day.” ’

(2) ‘The words of St. Peter were a snare and suggestion of Satan, tempting the devoted Saviour to avoid the sufferings and death by which it was God’s will that we should be healed. Satan it is, our adversary the devil, who continually to us also holds out the inconvenience and irksomeness of obedience. He it is who, on the other hand, suggests the pleasure of sin, its ease, its pretended safety.’