Jesus spoke the words above to Peter after explaining to the
disciples that he was destined for a very hard road ahead. He was going to be
rejected, ridiculed, beaten, and eventually killed at the hands of the religious
leaders. When Peter heard what Jesus was saying, he began to adamantly disagree
with him. This path that Christ was describing was certainly not something that
Peter wanted to see happen to his Lord. To Peter this probably sounded like a
horrible idea and something that should be avoided at all costs. Peter did not
understand the plan that was in motion…he did not see the bigger picture and
was unable to grasp the magnitude and significance of what Christ was about to
do for him and others. But Jesus was fully committed to the plan that God had
placed before him. It certainly did not sound pleasant to Jesus (see Hebrews 5),
but he was none the less committed to it…because it was the will of his Father
in heaven. It was God’s plan that he suffer and die…and because it was the will
of the Father, it must be done. Jesus seems to speak with a determined ferocity
when he says “Get behind me, Satan!”…as
if he’s saying “This is MY PATH and there is NO WAY you are going to deter me
from this path!” I think this kind of determination and ferocious commitment is
something that we can mirror in our own lives. When we are being tempted by the
devil to stray from the path that the Lord has set for us, we should have the
same “stonewalled” response that Jesus had, shoving the devil aside…having absolutely
zero tolerance for his nonsense and distractions. And if this sounds like a
daunting undertaking “for little old me”, remember that we don’t do it alone.
We have that “500lbs gorilla” standing in our corner, arms crossed,
uncompromising, undefeated, ready for battle! Jesus is with us in everything…may
we seek his strength, determination, and commitment when the devil comes
knocking in our lives! To God be the glory!
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