Get behind me Satan! Its one of the strangest phrases in all of Scripture. Jesus has just finished describing in detail to his disciples the unimaginable suffering he must endure in order to complete his mission. Peter, his best friend, does what any of us might do in that situation... he blurts out, God forbid that happen! And because he expresses his horror at the prospect of watching his friend go through all this, and his hope that it not come to pass, he is rebuked. But why? Why didnt Jesus just say, Aw, thanks Peter. Yeah, I mean, its going to be pretty awful, but I appreciate your support. In the Hebrew Scriptures, Satan is not a proper name like Joshua or Rachel, but a title. The Satan, most literally means, the accuser, the adversary, or the tester, not terribly dissimilar from describing someone today as the prosecutor,the opponent, or the drill instructor. According to one prominent mode of thought, the Satans role was to test humans; to tempt them into betraying their covenant with God, and so to expose their lack of faith. We see this not only in the Book of Job, but throughout the Tanakh, sometimes taking the form of a particular, human adversary who presents an obstacle or test for the people Israel. So why would Jesus refer to Peter that way? Well, because in that particular moment, Peters entreaty represented precisely this sort of temptation for Jesus, that is... to forsake his trust in Gods plan and so to stray from the mission he knew himself sent to do. By inviting Jesus to consider an easier way out, a way that did NOT involve this heinous degree of suffering, Peter was inhabiting the role of a tempter. Have you ever had some enormous, important task that you felt called to carry out? Perhaps it was prepping for the MCATs or LSATs. Maybe it was something unexpected, like an unplanned pregnancy, the loss of a job, or the sudden illness of a loved one, and you felt compelled to step up in some way that would require a great deal of difficulty on your part. Now imagine that you realized that there was some easier way out; some way that would save you the suffering, but that you knew deep down would ultimately mean not fulfilling the task to which you are called. Imagine youre locked in your apartment on a Friday night, poring over test questions for an LSAT prep course early Saturday morning, and your best friend texts you, telling you that all your friends are at the bar asking why youre not out. You respond that youve got to focus on this LSAT prep, because you really want to get into law school, and its crunch time. Your friend snaps a picture of a smiling set of faces, all hoisting drinks, and includes the message, One night wont kill you! Were all here! At some point, you might very well respond the way Jesus does today... Get behind me, tempter! Its hard enough to have to force myself to endure this unpleasantness without you reminding me that I could be doing something far more enjoyable! The rebuke is not one of anger, but an anxiety-ridden attempt to stay focused on the task at hand when the message from the rest of the world is, Find the path of least resistance. The life of a Christian is necessarily one of self-denial, and, yes, at times, suffering. But ultimately, it is one of indescribable fulfillment, for we trust that, if we conform our will to that of Gods, we will witness the previously inconceivable... the Resurrection on the other side of the tomb, the permanent triumph of love and peace over the temporary victory of violence and death.
Posted on: Sun, 31 Aug 2014 19:59:19 +0000
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