I have no doubt that Jesus is the most quoted person in history. He may also be the most misquoted person in history but that is not the topic of today’s meandering. When you think of Jesus quotes, no doubt the fist to come to your mind is this:
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
– John 3:16 (ESV)
I could likely write a few pages on memorable Jesus quotes. If I were to make a bet, I would put my money that most of the things you remember Jesus saying are positive. Positive meaning that they are uplifting and encourage you to feel good about yourself. However, some of Jesus’ most powerful words are those that tear us down, break our pride, bring us to ruin that we might be built back stronger. This is the pruning of the good Father in John 15:
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
– John 15:1-2
Jesus spoke strong words that can seem harsh, but they served to purpose of transforming people into greater things. Sometimes a rebuke is more powerful and necessary than a weightless complement. Those who just want to speak positive things are useless for righteous change. No one will ever grow in their faith by being told that God is fully pleased with them and everything they are doing. Do not take me as giving you permission to be a jerk. No! You need to speak the truth in love.
Take Jesus’ words to Peter in Matthew 16:23. A few paragraphs before this Peter has made the great confession, that Jesus was “the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Gold star for Peter. But Peter’s moment of excellence quickly turned to failure.
Following Peter’s confession Jesus told his disciples he must die. Just so you know, the Messiah was supposed to be God’s conquering king. He was not supposed to die according to Jewish thought. Peter realized Jesus’ error in his teaching and rebuked him.
“Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”
– Matthew 16:22
Jesus’ immediate reply to Peter was stern:
“Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”
– Matthew 16:23
Wow! Jesus just called Peter Satan! Jesus just called him a mean name? At this time, Peter, his right-hand man, had become an issue for Jesus. Peter had become the voice of Satan that echoed his ploys in Matthew 4, tempting Jesus to make his own way and not live for the will of the Father. Peter’s mindset was not focused on God’s plan but on his own. He had his own vision of how Jesus was going to operate in this world and that vision was one that was uplifting to Peter.
Jesus being an earthy king meant comfort to Peter, it meant power. I know this because the disciples would later debate about who would be number two to Jesus in the kingdom. That was a position of POWER! Such power was against the kingdom Jesus came to establish. His was to be a kingdom where the sword was sheathed, and the soldier died to save his enemy. Jesus’ kingdom was not meant to be a kingdom of comfort but sacrifice.
A few days ago, these words of Jesus popped into my mind. “Get be hind me Satan,” rolled around in my brain over and over again. I realized that the harsh words for Peter were for me as well. At times, I am Satan. I am the one who is trying to live for God in his own way and thus standing against Jesus’ kingdom.
“Gene,” he would say, “Get behind me Satan!”
“Get be hind me Satan,” when you want to judge. “Get be hind me Satan,” when you want to seclude yourself because you are so resistant to establishing new relationship with people you do not know. “Get behind me,” when you think you can follow me as a hermit because that is easy for you!
“Get be hind me Satan” is a rebuke meant to prune us and call us to bend our mind more to the will of God. Sometimes, there is more of our will for God’s place in our lives than his. We try to make them one in the same, but they are not. Our will must bend to his.
So, let me ask you: Where would Jesus need to say to you, “Get behind me Satan?”
Walking In The Wilde 