Mark 8:31-33 (NKJV) Jesus Predicts His Death and Resurrection
(Matt. 16:21–23; Luke 9:21, 22)
31 And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. 32 He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him. 33 But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”
V31 “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.” Jesus taught many things to the people for their learning of the true application of Mosaic law and authenticating His messiahship. Jesus taught more things to His disciples for their ministry that they would be commissioned to do. Jesus now teaches a reality, in fulfillment of Scripture (Luke 22:37), concerning His atoning death. Jesus would be formally rejected (Luke 22:66-71 and Luke 23:1-5). Then, He would be killed on a tree (crucified; compare Deuteronomy 21:23) and would have a resurrection 3 days after His death. Thus, Jesus was cursed too for propitiation for our sins.
The Greek word for propitiation is (G2435) ἱλαστήριον hilastḗrion and means (Thayer) “a means of appeasing.”
(Vine NT) clarifies it: “This use of the word is foreign to the Greek Bible, with respect to God whether in the Sept. or in the NT. It is never used of any act whereby man brings God into a favorable attitude or gracious disposition. It is God who is “propitiated” by the vindication of His holy and righteous character, whereby through the provision He has made in the vicarious and expiatory sacrifice of Christ, He has so dealt with sin that He can show mercy to the believing sinner in the removal of his guilt and the remission of his sins.
“Through the “propitiatory” sacrifice of Christ, he who believes upon Him is by God’s own act delivered from justly deserved wrath, and comes under the covenant of grace. Never is God said to be reconciled, a fact itself indicative that the enmity exists on man’s part alone, and that it is man who needs to be reconciled to God, and not God to man. God is always the same and, since He is Himself immutable, His relative attitude does change towards those who change. He can act differently towards those who come to Him by faith, and solely on the ground of the “propitiatory” sacrifice of Christ, not because He has changed, but because He ever acts according to His unchanging righteousness.
“The expiatory work of the Cross is therefore the means whereby the barrier which sin interposes between God and man is broken down. By the giving up of His sinless life sacrificially, Christ annuls the power of sin to separate between God and the believer.”
Either I suffer separation from God and suffer because of my sins forever or a substitute will. Jesus Christ is that voluntary and qualified Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7).
V32 “He spoke this word openly. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.” Why did Peter start rebuking Jesus? Peter, like most Jews, did not completely understand that Jesus’ first coming was for a reconciling atonement as the Passover Lamb (2 Corinthians 5:19 and 1 John 2:2), while His second is to deliver Israel from the antiChrist, sure destruction from that beast, and set up His everlasting kingdom.
V33 “But when He had turned around and looked at His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind Me, Satan! For you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.” Jesus turned around to make sure all the disciples were listening, so they wouldn’t repeat the same mistake. This truly is a strong rebuke calling Peter, satan. The Greek word for satan is (G4567) Σατανᾶς Satanás, which means adversary and accuser.
Comments:
(Wuest Word Studies): “It was an agonizing cry, for Jesus recognized a repetition of the temptation of Satan when the latter said to Him, after He had shown Him the great Roman empire, “These things, all of them, I will give to you, if having fallen down, you will worship me” (Mat 4:9). This is the order of the words in the Greek text. Notice the bargaining power of the Devil. It was a temptation to go around the Cross and receive the rulership of the world empire from the hands of Satan, the price, the worship of Him. Here was Satan again, using the foremost of the disciples, to tempt our Lord to go around the Cross.”
(Robertson’s Word Pictures): “Jesus rebukes Peter in the full presence of the whole group. Peter no doubt felt that it was his duty as a leader of the Twelve to remonstrate with the Master for this pessimistic utterance (Swete). It is even possible that the others shared Peter’s views and were watching the effect of his daring rebuke of Jesus. It was more than mere officiousness on the part of Peter. He had not risen above the level of ordinary men and deserves the name of Satan whose role he was now acting. It was withering, but it was needed. The temptation of the devil on the mountain was here offered by Peter. It was Satan over again.”
We learn:
- We need Jesus to reveal His purposes and mission.
- Jesus rebukes for education and edification, not humiliating.
- Peter had some serious misunderstandings that needed to be corrected.
Questions:
- How has the Scriptures rebuked and corrected us?
- Have we and/or do we have some serious misunderstandings about Jesus and the Bible?