Behind me, Satan
The harsh words used by Jesus in his reproach to Peter show how far he was from Jesus’ ideals and plans. The scene is even more striking, if we remember that just a few moments before Peter had been praised for his profession of faith and had been promised a position of leadership in Jesus’ community.
The outspoken Peter, who never wasted time expressing his feelings and voicing out his thoughts, had proclaimed that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of the living God. Although Jesus accepted his statement, he told Peter that he could not make such an affirmation out of his own mind, but for a revelation from the Father.
However, there was a big misunderstanding on Peter’s side, because Jesus was not a Messiah according to his expectations. Peter with the Apostles, the disciples at large and all the people of Israel were expecting a triumphant Messiah, full of power and glory, who would destroy all the enemies with the stroke of his hand. With him, the people of Israel would rise in glory and power and rule the world in God’s name. They dreamt of an imperial figure of the Messiah, in the style of the roman emperor, only with far greater glory and power.
If we look attentively, Peter’s ideal was not different from the proposal made to Jesus by Satan in the desert, when he promised to make Jesus the king of kings of this world. And Jesus did with Peter what he had done with Satan: he gave him a sharp and swift refusal. “Get behind me, Satan” – he said. Jesus did not expel or exclude Peter, but he reminded him of who was in charge. If he wanted to be a disciple, Peter had to follow Jesus behind. Jesus is the way, and he is the one who sets the standard, not the other way around. Jesus knew that to carry out his mission with faithfulness, he had to pass through rejection and suffering. He had not come to rule or to oppress, but to serve and to save.
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