The pastor at
my church was giving a sermon on the passage of Matthew 16:21-23 last Sunday.
In that passage, Jesus predicts his death and resurrection. His disciple,
Peter, rebukes him by saying that such an outcome shall not happen to Jesus.
Jesus, in turn, rebukes Peter by saying “Get behind me, Satan! You are a
stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely
human concerns.”
The message of
the sermon was about how God’s plans may differ from the plans that we think
God has. However, what caught my attention was the pastor’s claim based on the
passage that Satan’s plan was always to prevent the crucifixion of Jesus and
thereby avert the salvation of humanity that comes with the death of Jesus.
This differs from what some other speakers I have heard say about Satan’s plan being
always to kill Jesus.
One part of
the bible that I think lends argument to that view that Satan wanted Jesus
crucified is Luke 22:3, where Satan entered Judas Iscariot and made him confer
with the chief priest on how he may betray Jesus.
One attempt at
an explanation of this apparent incongruity that I have encountered is in this transcript
of a sermon by John Piper who says that Satan saw his efforts to divert Jesus
from the cross failing. Therefore he resolves that if he can’t stop it, he will
at least make it as ugly and painful and as heartbreaking as possible. Not just
death, but death by betrayal. I can’t say that I am too convinced by this
explanation. It seems too petty a reason to me for why Satan would make this
last-minute ditch at his attempt to avert Jesus’ death on the cross.
My impression
of the matter has always been that Satan wanted Jesus killed, but was outwitted
instead when Jesus’ crucifixion brought about the salvation of humanity and his subsequent resurrection
instead of his eternal death. One view that I proffer is that Jesus was not
really talking to Satan when he rebuked Peter. It was simply an allegory of how
Peter’s plan is such an impediment to Jesus’ own plan to be crucified, that it
is akin to something from the devil. I don’t think that Peter was necessarily
being possessed by the devil when he said those words. Jesus’ words were only
meant to be a stern rebuke to Peter. However, the real Satan does want Jesus
dead, but just didn’t know that Jesus was making use of that plan to obtain
salvation for humanity.
