He
commanded them that they should tell no one about him. 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, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke to them openly. Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But he, turning around, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you have in mind not the things of God, but the things of men.”
Mark 8:30-33
Mark 8 [29.] He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”
Mark 8 [30.] He commanded them that they should tell no one about him. 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, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He spoke to them openly. Peter took him, and began to rebuke him. But he, turning around, and seeing his disciples, rebuked Peter, and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you have in mind not the things of God, but the things of men.”
Mark 8 [34.] He called the multitude to himself with his disciples, and said to them, “Whoever wants to come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake and the sake of the Good News will save it. For what does it profit a man, to gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? For what will a man give in exchange for his life? For whoever will be ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him, when he comes in his Father’s glory, with the holy angels.”
Meaning:
Peter had just confessed, “You are the Christ” (Mark 8:29). Jesus did not deny it, but he immediately did two surprising things. He told the disciples to keep it quiet, and he began to explain that the Christ would suffer, be rejected, die, and rise again. Peter’s reaction, and Jesus’ sharp reply, show how far apart human expectations and God’s plan could be.
- He commanded them that they should tell no one about him
Throughout Mark, Jesus silences those who announce who he is. He would not let demons speak (Mark 1:34), and he told people he had healed to say nothing (Mark 1:44; Mark 5:43; Mark 7:36). In the first century many Jews hoped for a Messiah who would drive out the Romans and restore David’s kingdom by force. After the feeding of the five thousand, a crowd even wanted to seize Jesus and make him king (John 6:14-15). Announcing “Messiah” before the disciples understood what kind of Messiah he was would only feed those mistaken hopes.
- The Son of Man must suffer many things
Jesus preferred the title “Son of Man.” In Daniel’s vision one like a son of man comes with the clouds of the sky and receives everlasting dominion (Daniel 7:13-14). Jesus joins that glorious title to suffering. The word “must” expresses divine necessity: his suffering was not an accident but God’s plan foretold in Scripture. Isaiah described the Servant who “was despised” (Isaiah 53:3) and “pierced for our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5).
The elders, the chief priests, and the scribes were the three groups that made up the Sanhedrin, the ruling council in Jerusalem. The leaders of God’s own people would reject him, as the psalm foretold of the stone the builders rejected, a verse Jesus later applied to himself (Mark 12:10-11).
- And after three days rise again. He spoke to them openly.
From the first time Jesus spoke of his death, he also spoke of his resurrection. Hosea had already used the language of restoration on the third day: “After two days he will revive us. On the third day he will raise us up” (Hosea 6:2). The disciples, however, seem to have heard only the words about death.
“He spoke to them openly.” Until now Jesus had often taught in parables. On this subject he spoke plainly, so that no one could later say he had not warned them.
- Peter took him, and began to rebuke him
Peter took Jesus aside, as if the disciple needed to correct his Master. Matthew records his words: “Far be it from you, Lord! This will never be done to you” (Matthew 16:22-23). Peter’s protest came from love and loyalty, but also from a picture of the Messiah that had no room for a cross.
- Get behind me, Satan!
Jesus turned and looked at the other disciples before answering, so his rebuke was for all of them. His words echo what he said to the devil in the wilderness, when he was offered the kingdoms of the world without the cross (Matthew 4:10; Mark 1:12-13). Peter, without knowing it, was repeating the tempter’s offer. “Get behind me” also put Peter back in his proper place, behind Jesus as a follower, which is exactly the language of the next verse: “Whoever wants to come after me…” (Mark 8:34).
Peter had in mind “the things of men”: safety, success, and honour. God’s thoughts are different: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” says Yahweh (Isaiah 55:8-9).
The Significance of Mark 8:30-33
- The cross is at the centre
The message of a crucified Messiah seemed foolish to many, yet it is “the power of God” to those who are being saved (1 Corinthians 1:18-25). Jesus humbled himself, “becoming obedient to the point of death, yes, the death of the cross,” and God exalted him (Philippians 2:8-9).
- Good intentions can oppose God’s will
Peter meant well, yet his advice would have turned Jesus from his mission. We too can want to spare ourselves or others any suffering, even when God is working through it. We need to set our minds on the things of God.
- Correction is not rejection
Jesus rebuked Peter strongly but did not abandon him. Peter later wrote that the prophets had foretold “the sufferings of Christ, and the glories that would follow them” (1 Peter 1:11). The disciple who once rejected the cross came to proclaim it.
Cross-References:
Isaiah 53:3: "He was despised as one from whom men hide their face; and we didn’t respect him." The suffering Servant was rejected, just as Jesus foretold.
Hosea 6:2: "After two days he will revive us. On the third day he will raise us up, and we will live before him." Hosea’s promise of restoration on the third day points ahead to the resurrection.
Matthew 16:23: "But he turned, and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, for you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of men.”" Matthew adds that Peter had become a stumbling block.
Isaiah 55:8: "“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” says Yahweh." God’s ways are higher than human expectations.
Conclusion: After Peter’s confession, Jesus told the disciples to keep silent and began to teach them openly that the Son of Man must suffer, be rejected, be killed, and rise again after three days. Peter rebuked him, but Jesus rebuked Peter in front of the others: “Get behind me, Satan!” The Messiah would not take the path of worldly power but the way of the cross. Those who follow him are called to set their minds on the things of God and to walk that same road.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible