In Matt 16, when Peter rebuked Jesus about the things he was telling them would happen to him, Jesus said something that has always bothered me. 

Matthew 16:23

But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Peter only had Jesus’ welfare in mind, why would he call him Satan? 

Was Peter possessed?

We get a clue from the second half of the verse. “you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Hmmm? If something is originating out of human thinking instead of the intentions of God, is that satanic?

Let’s take a look at how the Young’s Literal Translation words this verse.

Matthew 16:23

and he having turned, said to Peter, `Get thee behind me, adversary! thou art a stumbling-block to me, for thou dost not mind the things of God, but the things of men.’

The Greek word for satan literally means adversary. It is not necessarily, or for that matter ever, a name or title of an individual.

Think of this, Iran has called America the “Great Satan” and Israel the “Little Satan”. Do they mean that we all have horns and pointy tails and run around with pitchforks? No, the word means the same to them as it has for millennia, an adversary. We are the great satan because we are much bigger and more powerful than Israel and to them, we are their biggest adversary.

For Peter to tempt Jesus with a thought to avoid what he knew was coming and necessary meant that he had become an adversary, someone who was contrary to his agenda. He was not inferring that Peter was possessed but that he was putting on obstacle and an opportunity to fail in front of him. Peter was not considering the plan of God but his own desires. That is what made him an adversary to Jesus.  

Any time we put our own agenda ahead of God’s we are falling into the same trap as Peter. We are not possessed but we are hindering what God wants to do. Even if it doesn’t make sense to our natural mind we have to remember that His thoughts are higher than our thoughts and his ways higher than our way.

There doesn’t always have to be a supernatural boogie man behind everything. Sometimes it is just our own limited understanding of what God is doing. 

Blessings,

Jeff