Satanic Suggestion

On January 28, 1986, NASA was planning to launch the space shuttle Challenger from Kennedy Space Center—a mission that included a schoolteacher named Christa McAuliffe. The launch had already been delayed a few times. On the night before the new launch date, NASA held a long conference call with engineers from Morton-Thiokol, the contractor that built the Challenger's solid-rocket motors. Allan McDonald was one of the Thiokol engineers.

On the day of the launch it was unusually cold in Florida, which concerned McDonald because he feared that his company's o-ring seals in the Challenger's big joints wouldn't operate properly at that temperature. Since the boosters had never been tested below 53 degrees McDonald recommended the launch be postponed again.

But NASA officials overruled McDonald and requested that the "responsible Morton-Thiokol official" sign off on the decision to launch. McDonald refused to sign the request, but his boss did. The next morning McDonald—and millions of people around the globe—watched as a mere 73 seconds into the flight, the shuttle burst into flames.

After the accident, a review showed the cause of the explosion to be what McDonald had feared: the o-rings failed to hold their seal in the cold temperature. In other words, some people in the know had foreseen the exact cause of failure. So why, even with that warning, did NASA push on? Allen McDonald claims that NASA fell prey to the oldest and most basic sin—pride. McDonald said:

NASA [had become] too successful. They had gotten by for a quarter of a century and had never lost a single person going into space … And they had rescued the Apollo 13 halfway to the moon when part of the vehicle blew up. Seemed like it was an impossible task, but they did it. So how could this cold o-ring cause a problem when they had done so much over the past years to be successful? [All of this success] gives you a little bit of arrogance you shouldn't have … But they hadn't stumbled yet and they just pressed on.

Have you ever consider the extent to which pride permeates your life? Consider for a moment our complaints against God and His activities or inactivities. We see the depth of pride's permutation in our complaints. Complaints are nothing more than us saying "that God does not know what He is doing and that we know better." And there is no one here that is innocent of this charge.

Life's highest absurdity is the creature judging its creator. Who are we to question His love and care? As though we know what either of those words means. We may know their definition, yet we lack their demonstration.

We sing "How Great is Our God" while our hearts tell us those words would be true if He would only do as I ask. Pride is often subtle, and at other times, it is overt. Conversations with statements such as; "I believe in God I'm not sure about everything I read in Scripture." If you believe in God, and this belief comes from reading the Scripture, how can you question those parts of Scripture in which you disagree? How can you know what to agree with and disagree with unless you are God? You can believe in creation, the cross, and the resurrection, but you can't believe in Eternal Punishment, gender, and sexuality. When we subtract these truths from who God is, we create a god of our design.

For many of us, such questioning is not an issue. However, we all are guilty of different levels of suggesting that we know better than God. In our minds, we have an idea of how God should act. He promises to provide for us, yet we want him to provide for us in ways that make sense - to us. Promises assuring the fulfillment of our needs, yet we should decide what that need is. He promises to work everything out for our good and His glory, and we are OK with that as long as we get to determine the outcome.

None of us are innocent of such thoughts. We may think we hide them well, but we don't. Instead, we reveal them through our anxieties and fears. The root of our anxieties and fears is pride. Our pride says, "I know better." We want a God we can tame, not one we must trust. We want a god-like us.

We are not the first to have this problem. Our text teaches us that Jesus' disciples needed to learn that Jesus cannot be tamed; he must be trusted.

Peter's confession in the previous verses proves their conviction that Jesus is the Messiah. In today's text, Peter tries to convince Jesus of what it means to be the Messiah. They're not sure Jesus knows his role. So Peter steps in to help Jesus understand what it means to be the Messiah.

Let's take a moment a set our context. In Mark 6:1-8:30, we saw the Disciples struggle to understand Jesus fully. Their blindness was like that of the blind man Jesus healed using multiple touches. We see their need for multiple touches, and we see Jesus touching them multiple times. The effect of Jesus' ministry is seen in their confession of Him as Messiah in last week's sermon.

When Peter and the others confessed Jesus as Messiah, they said, you are our redeemer and deliver. The one who will establish an eternal kingdom that will reign forever. While their confession was true, it was not complete. While they fully believed their confession, they still did not fully understand what it meant.

Remember that expected? A messiah who would come and defeat their enemies, who would establish his Kingdom, who would rule and reign, and keep his people in perfect peace. Their understanding was not wrong; it was their timing.

After Peter's confession, Jesus begins to teach them what that means. First, in Mark 8:31, he tells them he must suffer, experience rejection, and die. Their response, rebuke. Which is where this message started? When we question God's activities or inactivities, we are, in essence, rebuking him. Peter, like us, thought he knew better than Jesus. So Peter is telling Jesus His plan isn't right. Jesus' response reminds us that it is foolish to think we are wiser than God.

Read with me

Mark 8:31–33 ESV

And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, and after three days rise again. And he said this plainly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

Now that His disciples have declared Him, for the first time, to be the Messiah, Jesus begins to teach them what this means. He not only wants them to know what this means, but he also wants them to know what to expect. Aren't you glad that God lets us know what to expect? The question is will we trust Him with what we hear.

Jesus teaches them that to be the Messiah means he must suffer, be rejected, die, and after three days rise again. Mark says that Jesus said this plainly.

None of us can think about Jesus without thinking about the cross, not so for His disciples. We can't conceive of a Jesus who doesn't suffer and die while they can't believe in one who will. They could not imagine a Messiah who would die; even though the Old Testament taught this reality, they believed in a Messiah who would destroy their enemies. Their belief was right; it just wasn't right now.

The Old Testament pointed to a Messiah coming as king to establish an everlasting kingdom, but that's not all it says. It also says Messiah must suffer and die. Does that sound like a contradiction? It does, and it did to the disciples.

God didn't have two different plans. This apparent contradiction is a cohesive plan of salvation. Suffering doesn't cancel out the Kingdom; it creates the Kingdom. So Jesus establishes the Kingdom through suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection. Notice the verb in verse 31 - must. These four events suffering, rejection, death, and resurrection, must happen for the Kingdom to come.

Jesus is not rejected by those whom we would expect; the Gentiles or the most outwardly wicked. Instead, his rejection comes from those that should have received him. They despised Him because He did not fit their expectation of a Messiah. The disciples don't get it either. How can he be Messiah and not be accepted by the religious leaders of the day?

We who are familiar with the story can't understand their blindness. Hindsight gives us an advantage. We know why he must suffer. Only through suffering can we have the forgiveness of sins. We are all born sinners, enemies of God, separated from him, unable to reconcile ourselves to him. We need a mediator, an advocate, a substitute. Sin demands payment, and praise God he had a plan devised before time began.

Hindsight gives us an advantage. We can see how the Lion is also the Lamb. We hear these words, and it is Good News. It is the reason we gather. It is the reason we sing. It is the reason we have hope and joy. Yet, for these men, it was difficult for them to comprehend that Messiah will sit on the throne of David forever and yet he will suffer and die.

Jesus' words require confrontation, and so Peter takes Jesus aside and rebukes him. Crazy right? Peter rebukes Jesus because what he is saying makes no sense. The word for rebuke is used in Mark 1 to describe Jesus' actions concerning demons. It's a strong, assertive word.

Mark's Gospel tells us that Peter rebukes Jesus while Matthew's Gospel tells us the content of the rebuke

Matthew 16:22

Matthew 16:22 ESV

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, “Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you.”

Notice the difference; I must; this shall never happen. We are all prone to thinking we know better than God. Peter only has room for a Messiah who is a Lion, not one who is a Lamb as well. Peter believes he knows more than Jesus. Instead of humbly submitting to the teachings of Christ, he becomes proud. Instead of recognizing his position as a servant, he puts himself in a place of authority. Instead of seeking to understand, he seeks to control.

Before we throw this man under the bus, we should remember our own doubts and questions. We have all acted like Peter positioning ourselves, at least in our hearts, against God because we don't understand what he is doing. Most of us are too spiritual to say those words out loud. Yet, our actions betray us. We are filled with fear and worry. We constantly complain all because we think we know better. Our actions say that God is foolish and we are wise. It is a replay of Peter's rebuke of Jesus.

Aren't you glad Peter could not win his argument? Our Father is working out all things for your salvation. His plan will not always make sense, yet it can always be trusted.

Jesus returns the rebuke. However, Jesus does not rebuke privately, as Peter did, but publicly. Why? They were all thinking about what Peter was saying.

When Jesus says, "get behind me, Satan." He is not inferring that the devil possesses Peter. Instead, he is simply using strong language to point out a severe offense. In essence, Jesus is saying; you are asking me to do what only the devil himself would ask. Do you remember Satan's actions toward Jesus in the wilderness? Satan does not want Jesus crucified! He wants him to sin, to abandon the plan of salvation!

How does Peter go from confessing Christ to being rebuked by Christ for his satanic suggestion? Jesus tells us in

Mark 8:33 ESV

But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.”

The disciples were looking horizontally, not vertically. This mindset is our Achilles heel; we are so earthly-minded that we are no heavenly good. No wonder we trust our wisdom and not that from above. No wonder we think we know better than the one who made us. No wonder we choose the road of least resistance over the one less traveled.

Life is simple in that there are but two ways to see life; the way God does or the way you do. RC Sproul called this The Great Divide between godliness and godlessness. The godly person is deeply concerned about the things of God, but the godless person does not because they are preoccupied with the world around them.

I hope you desire to be among the Godly. If we were all honest this morning, we would confess that we are often like the godless. We set our eyes on the things we see and trust the things we can control.

If this is true, we must push back. We need to ask ourselves hard questions. What's ruling our hearts? What do we desire that we feel like we can't let go of? What are we craving that we think we must have? Who or what is receiving our worship?

These are the questions that help us to decipher whether or not we're setting our minds on the things of God.

We see in the text that Peter had firmly held beliefs. He rightly believed that Jesus was the Messiah but with an incomplete understanding. This incomplete understanding led him to stand for untrue things. It's a reminder of the need to continue understanding what God says so that the things we stand for are right and true.

The Christian life is a journey. Peter's confession of Christ was not the end but the beginning of his faith. Today's text makes it clear that Peter still has a long way to go in his journey.

Notice once again Jesus' patience with his disciples. He doesn't remove them; he rebukes them. He is not damming them; he is disciplining them. He is not lashing out at them; he is loving them.

Hebrews 12:5–11 ESV

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? “My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.” It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? If you are left without discipline, in which all have participated, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Besides this, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we respected them. Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as it seemed best to them, but he disciplines us for our good, that we may share his holiness. For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it.

Where would Peter be if Jesus had withheld it? Discipline is the confirmation of sonship. It does not stunt our growth but stimulates it.

Are you currently experiencing the discipline of God? Then I pray you would respond to it well. Don't double down on your pride and blow up your chest to God. Instead, humbly submit to what he is teaching you.

Following Christ is a life of limited knowledge and unlimited trust. If we are to trust God, especially when He does not make sense, we must set our minds on the things above. Let us resist our tendency to rebuke and learn to rest in our Faithful Father working for our good and His glory.