If you’ve played team sports, chances are you picked up a nickname. Maybe more than one. No, not a shortened version of the name your parents gave you. Sorry, that doesn’t count.
I’m talking about one of those labels you get from your teammates, coaches, or maybe even the fans. Hopefully it’s something awesome like Magic, Crazy Legs, or Dr. J. Maybe even one with a sweet “the” before it, like the Babe, the Crime Dog, or the Big Hurt.
Then there are those nicknames that are, shall we say, less than flattering. How would like somebody slapping you with something like the Muscle Hamster, No Neck, or Stink? Yeah, me neither.
It’s Just What Dudes Do
Did you know some of Jesus’ disciples have awesome nicknames? When a bunch of guys hang out together for three and a half years, it’s just bound to happen. I mean, it’s just what dudes do.
Jesus calls brothers James and John the “Sons of Thunder” (Mk 3:17). How cool is THAT?!? The Lord also changes Simon’s name to Peter which basically means Rocky (Jn 1:42).
A Terrible Tag
And then there’s the time Christ calls that very same Pete “Satan” (Mk 8:32-33). Yeah, you read that right. The Son of God actually calls the leader of His disciples Lucifer. I’m not sure there’s a more terrible tag than that! If it’s up to me, I’d rather go by Stink.
The crazy thing is that just moments before, Rocky’s the first one of the guys to call Jesus the “Messiah” (Mk 8:29). That results in the Lord giving Peter a nifty “attaboy” (Mt 16:17).
Pushing Our Plans Down God’s Throat
But in a New York minute, Christ suddenly calls the former commercial fisherman Satan. What in the Wide World of Sports just went down? When we take a closer look at this passage, we’ll see that anytime we try to push our plans down God’s throat, it’s satanic.
Playing a Guessing Game
Let’s rewind a bit for context. The first major chunk of John Mark’s bio of Jesus is basically a guessing game (Mk 1:1-8:26). Folks are trying to figure out the true identity of the radical Rabbi/Carpenter from Nazareth.
Oh, there’s no lack of theories. Jesus’ own family thinks He’s off His religious rocker (3:21). Folks back in His hometown aren’t all that impressed (Mk 6:1-3).
The Buzz on the Street
The Jewish religious leaders blow a gasket when our Savior starts forgiving sin (Mk 2:6) and come to believe He’s on assignment straight from the pit of hell (Mk 3:22).
The buzz on the street seems to point to Him being John the Baptizer, Elijah, or one of the other prophetic hall of famers (Mk 6:14-15; 8:28).
Putting the Pieces Together
The Lord’s personal posse has a front row seat for one miracle after another and freak out at the possibility of who He might be. After He shuts down a late night storm on the lake, they openly ask each other who the heck is this Guy?!? (Mk 4:41).
Ultimately the Son of God reveals His true identity to the Twelve during a little mountain retreat. That’s when Pete puts the pieces of the puzzle together to say He’s the Christ (Mk 8:29). But Jesus blindsides them and says He’ll be betrayed, tortured, and brutally murdered (Mk 8:31).
A Deeper Dive
That’s where we pick up the story in Mark’s Gospel. After initially blowing their expectations of what the Messiah will do and be, Jesus takes a deeper dive into what His mission will look like.
We read how “He talked openly about this with His disciples” (v32). While Matthew’s version of this very same story is nearly identical (Mt 16:21-23), this little factoid is unique to Mark.
An Extended Discussion
A couple of important points from this simple phrase. The tense of the verb here is imperfect. For those of us who aren’t English majors, that just means we can easily translate this as “He was talking.” In other words, this is an extended discussion, not some single, offhand comment.
Jesus not only offers a lengthy messianic explanation, He pulls no punches. See the word “openly?” This is a really cool word in the original language: παρρησια/parresia. It’s the one and only time John Mark uses it in his Gospel.
A Joyful Confidence
The term describes an attitude of joyful transparency that stems from freedom and a lack of fear, often in the face of intimidating circumstances. It’s doing something courageously, confidently, boldly, or frankly.
When Pete preaches His very first sermon at Pentecost, he does it “confidently (Gr. παρρησια/parresia)” (Acts 2:29). Later that same apostle and his buddy John stare down the religious big wigs with “boldness (Gr. παρρησια/parresia)” (Acts 4:13).
The writer of Hebrews encourages the followers of Jesus to “come boldly (Gr. παρρησια/parresia) to the throne of our gracious God” because of all our Savior has done as our great High Priest (Heb 4:16).
Putting the Cookies on the Bottom Shelf
But there’s another important part of this word that helps us here. It also paints a picture of holding nothing back and doing so in a straightforward way. Plain. Clear. Accessible. Uncomplicated.
Jesus puts the cookies on the bottom shelf. This time there are no parables, metaphors, hints, clues, riddles, or veiled allusions. He leaves nothing to chance. The Message puts it this way. “He said this simply and clearly so they couldn’t miss it” (v32 The Message).
Unpacking Big Ideas
What a great reminder to all of His followers to keep our language simple and understandable when telling others about Jesus. I’m NOT saying we should dumb down the Gospel. Not in the least! But we need to be able to unpack these eternally important ideas in a way folks can understand.
Let’s do it openly. We need to be plain, clear, accessible, and uncomplicated. Throwing around five dollar theological terms like Penal Substitutionary Atonement without explanation will only result in your listener looking at you like my dog looks at television.
Meanwhile back in Mark’s story, wouldn’t you love to see the looks on the disciples’ faces when He spells out what’s going to happen? But despite Jesus going into great detail about it all, it’s blatantly obvious that the guys still didn’t get it.
Grabbing the God by the Sleeve
We know that because of what happens next. “Peter took Him aside” (v32). The author uses a Greek word (Gr. προσλαμβανω/proslambano) that paints a picture of physically taking hold of someone or something. In this case, that someone is the Savior.
Apparently, Pete grabs the sleeve of Jesus’ robe and yanks the Son of Man to himself for an emergency sidebar. Maybe Rocky doesn’t want to embarrass the Lord in front of the others. Maybe he’s trying to get Christ to understand the impact of what He’s saying on the rest of the team.
Stern Words for the Word
Whatever the motivation, Peter actually scolds his Savior. He “began to reprimand Him for saying such things” (v32). He has a few stern words for the Word. Drop this all death talk right here, right now.
What exactly does the disciple say when he gets in the grill of the Son of God? Flip over to Matthew’s Gospel again. “Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said, “This will never happen to you!” (Mt 16:22).
That’s Crazy Talk!!
The point of Peter’s pep talk is simple. He and the boys can’t see any reason why the Messiah needs to die. Betrayal? Get outta here!! Suffering? That’s crazy talk!! Murder? Are You out of Your mind?!?
Think about it. Rocky pulls the Lord aside tells Him what the Anointed One is supposed to do and what He’s not! I’m pretty sure if there’s anybody who doesn’t need messianic mentoring, it’s Jesus.
Turning Discipleship Upside Down
The problem is that Pete has turned discipleship upside down. The student doesn’t teach the teacher…ESPECIALLY when the Teacher is the sinless Son of God!! This makes about as much sense as the clay pot telling the potter that he’s doing all wrong (Is 29:16; 45:9).
We all need to back off before we throw Simon Peter under the bus. We all second guess our sovereign God on a regular basis. Why does He allow this? Why doesn’t He stop that? When we do, we’d better buckle up. He may blow our doors off like He does Job (Job 38-41).
While I’m not saying “Bruce Almighty” has all of its doctrinal ducks in a row, but that flick certainly shows how ridiculous it would be if we had divine decision-making power. That’s because we can’t see what God sees and know what God knows. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
Sneaking a Peek
While the Lord and His lead disciple are having their little one-on-one, Christ sneaks a peek at the rest of His team. “Jesus turned around and looked at His disciples” (v33). It’s yet another nugget you’ll only find in Mark.
How would the author know about the Son of God’s glance? Because of his source. You see, the disciples of the very first disciples all believed John Mark’s Gospel is actually Peter’s personal memoir. Early pastors like Papias, Irenaeus, Justin Martyr, Clement, Tertullian, and Origen all said as much. We’re talking serious heavy hitters here.
Repping the Rest of the Team
So we find this tidbit only in Mark’s story of Jesus because the person who told him about was standing right there! Pete knows because he remembers it firsthand.
Why does the Lord look over His shoulder in the middle Rocky’s reprimand? Probably because Peter’s not just speaking for himself. Many times in the Gospels, he reps the rest of the team when talking to Christ (Mt 18:21; 19:21; Mk 10:28; 11:21; Lk 8:45; 12:41; Jn 13:6-9).
Pump Your Brakes, Pete
Jesus swivels His head back and looks His disciple square in the eye. This has gone far enough. Mark tells us how Christ “then reprimanded Peter” (v33). Slow your roll, Rock. Pump your brakes, Pete.
The word the NLT translates as “reprimanded (Gr. επιτιμαω/epitimao)” makes its third appearance in past four verses. A little earlier, Jesus “warned (Gr. επιτιμαω/epitimao)” His team to keep the news that He’s the Christ on the down low (Mk 8:30).
A Flag on the Play
Pete has just “reprimanded (Gr. επιτιμαω/epitimao)” the Lord for all His ridiculous talk of messianic suffering, betrayal, and murder (v32). And before the disciple can finish, Christ throws the flag.
This Greek word can certainly mean to warn, strongly admonish, or even threaten. But it also describes how you can size a certain situation and assess a penalty. In other words, Jesus blows the whistle on Pete. There’s a flag on the play. This one’s coming back.
That Escalated Quickly!
It’s with laundry on the field that the Lord gives His disciple his new nickname. “Get away from Me, Satan!” (v33). One moment Peter tells Jesus “You are the Messiah” (Mk 8:29). Seconds later, our Savior calls him Satan. Well, THAT escalated quickly!
Some people think the documents in what we now call the Bible are heavily edited to make the disciples look good. If I’m Rocky, this story doesn’t make the final edition. This certainly seems to blow that accusation right out of the water.
Jesus Is the Hero
A couple of points to consider. John Mark’s Gospel may be Peter’s story, but it is Peter’s STORY OF JESUS!!! This isn’t the apostle’s autobiography. Pete’s not the point. Just like the rest of story of Scripture from beginning to end, Christ is THE HERO!!
The other point is that Jesus’ closest followers are consistently seen as knuckleheads who just don’t get it. Don’t make the mistake of elevating them to superstar saint status. They’re broken, sinful, garden variety, average people just like you and me.
The Duel in the Desert
But why would the Son of God seemingly turn on His right hand guy? So glad you asked. We’ll see a connection when we flip over to Matthew’s version of Jesus’ duel in the desert with the devil (Mt 4:1-11).
The tempter wraps up his big pitch by promising our Savior that he’ll give Him every single kingdom of the world. All Jesus has to do is worship him. None of that messy cross business. Talk about the Easy Button!
Hijacking the Heavenly Rescue Mission
How does the Lord respond? “Get out of here, Satan!” (Mt 4:10). There’s no way Christ is going to allow Lucifer to hijack His heavenly search and rescue mission of you and me. And it’s almost the very same words He says to Peter.
You see, Jesus came to do a job. To live the perfect life that we failed to live. Die the death for our disobedience we should have died. To rise to the glorious new life we don’t deserve.
A guy named Paul puts it like this. “For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ” (2Cor 5:21).
The Ultimate Reserved Seat
Just like showdown with Satan, Pete’s apparent well-meaning advice for the Lord would sidetrack what He’s come to do. If Jesus listens to Rocky’s rebuke, there’s no cross, no “It is finished!”, no empty tomb.
The connection between the Son of Man’s words for the devil and the disciple is this. Anytime we put our plans ahead of God’s, it’s satanic. Period.
Anything less than choosing God’s will puts us on the throne of heaven. And He’s not sharing it. You see, the Almighty’s got the ultimate reserved seat. Don’t make Him ask you to move.
A Problem of Perspective
Christ tells His disciple that this is all a problem of perspective. “You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s” (v33). Jesus wants him to know that Pete can’t see what’s going on from where he stands. If he could only see His messianic mission from the eternal angle.
We see the difference in perspective all throughout Scripture. “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts…And My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Is 55:8-9).
Getting on God’s Wavelength
Pete’s friend Paul says the key to getting on God’s wavelength is sharing our Savior’s perspective. “You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had” (Phil 2:5).
If not, our objectives are a total waste of time each and every time they conflict with what God wants. “You can make plans, but the LORD’s purpose will prevail” (Prov 19:21). As the old saying goes, if you want to make God laugh just tell Him your plans.
Pulling No Punches
Before we get our undies in a bundle about Peter, we can relax. We know how his story turns out. Eventually Pete WILL see it God’s way! Rocky pulls no punches in his very first sermon just a few months later.
“God knew what would happen, and His prearranged plan was carried out when Jesus was betrayed. With the help of lawless Gentiles, you nailed Him to a cross and killed Him. But God released Him from the horrors of death and raised Him back to life, for death could not keep Him in its grip” (Acts 2:23-24).
Rocky II
A few days later, Pete does it again. Call it Rocky II. He stares down the Jewish leadership known as the Sanhedrin when they try to put a lid on this whole Jesus-Is-the-Messiah deal.
“For it is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—the God of all our ancestors—who has brought glory to His Servant Jesus by doing this. This is the same Jesus whom you handed over and rejected before Pilate, despite Pilate’s decision to release Him. You rejected this holy, righteous One and instead demanded the release of a murderer. You killed the Author of life, but God raised Him from the dead. And we are witnesses of this fact!” (Acts 3:13-15).
God Flips the Script
Here’s what Pete’s point in both messages. Jewish power brokers team and scheme with the most brutal dynasty on the planet in order to kill the Christ. You know what happened? God flips the script on them and uses it accomplish His plan!
But here in the villages of Caesarea Philippi, Peter can’t see any of that. He simply sees the One who’s just announced that He’s the long awaited Hero from heaven say He has a date with death.
Attempting to Call an Audible
He steps and attempts to call an audible on Jesus’ game plan of grace. And as a result, the Son of God calls Simon Satan. Ouch. Talk about a bummer of a nickname. Something tells he prefers Rocky.
But that’s what happens anytime we try to push our plans down the Lord’s throat. If it’s not God’s plan, it’s satanic.
©2018
Jay Jennings
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