Proper Perspective

Then He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, be killed, and rise after three days. He was openly talking about this. So Peter took him aside and began to rebuke Him.

But turning around and looking at His disciples, He rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind Me, Satan, because you're not thinking about God's concerns, but man's!" Mark 8:31-33

Now it was time to take the disciples to the next level. They finally got it that Jesus was the Messiah but they had the wrong perspective about what that Messiah would do.

Isn't it interesting that Jesus coupled the works of the flesh with Satan when He said, "get behind Me Satan, you are not on the side of God, but man's."

This gives credit to the idea that Satan loves us walking in our flesh and not our spirit.

The disciples had done miracles walking in their flesh, they had not yet received the spirit. Interesting!

I could imagine my children and grandchildren reacting in the flesh if I went to them and said, "God is leading me to go to Ukraine to live." At present we have seen internal fighting and the latest is a domestic aircraft being shot down over Ukraine killing hundreds.

My family would react in the flesh and think I had a screw loose and work against that decision. They would not think of God's plans, their emotions would lock in on their needs and desires.

This is exactly what the disciples were doing. It was not: 'Your will, Your way,' it was 'our will, our way.'

Chris Tomlin sings a beautiful song that depicts what the disciples must come to: 'Lay Me Down.'