Matt. xvi. 21 — 23. From, that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, hoiv that he must go imto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders, and chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day. Then Peter took him, and began to rebuke him, saying, Be it far from thee. Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turyied, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan : thou art an offence unto me : for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that he of men.
IN nothing is divine wisdom more necessary than in judging what regard is to be had to times and circmnstances : for, if we will not exert ourselves till every difficulty is removed, we shall scarcely ever act at all : and, on the other hand, if we precipitately attempt to effect at once all that may appear desirable, we shall often defeat our best intentions. Our blessed Lord intended to reveal himself fully to his Disciples ; but he would not do it at first, because they were not able to bear it : and when he had acknowledged him- self to them to be the Messiah, he forbade them to divulge it ; because he saw, that the knowledge of it would lead the people to proclaim him king, and thereby stir up all the power of the Romans to destroy him. Nor were the Apostles themselves sufficiently instructed yet awhile to represent that truth to others. They still thought of nothing but a temporal Messiah: and therefore, when our Lord began to predict his own sufferings and death, Peter would not hear of any such
1375.] Peter's tenderness reproved. 453
things; but presumptuously told his Master, that such events neither could, nor should, take place.
I. The rebuke which this brought upon him, will be a profitable subject for our consideration —
His offence was certainly heinous —
[Our Lord had now spoken plainly and openly of his approaching death and resurrection. He had done so on pur- pose to counteract the erroneous expectations of his Disciples, and at the same time to prepare their minds for the approaching events. We grant that such predictions must have staggered them exceedingly, considering what their views and expecta- tions were : but did it become Peter to contradict him, and to declare that such events should never come to pass ? He had but that instant before confessed Jesus to be the Christ, the Son of the living God. Why then did he not believe his assertions ? Why did he presume to set up his own wisdom against that of his Divine Master ? We give him credit indeed for expressing himself with tenderness and affection^: but it became him to learn, not to teach; to submit, and not to dictate.]
In the reproof the peculiar enormity of it was pointed out —
[Two things in particular our Lord specified as deserving the severest reprehension. One was, that he was casting a stumbling-block in his Masters wag. Jesus Christ had come from the bosom of his Father to redeem mankind by his own precious blood. But Peter, through false tenderness, would have had him spare himself, and prefer his own personal ease to the salvation of a ruined world : he would have persuaded Jesus to set aside all the counsels of the Father, to violate his own covenant engagements, to rescind all his own gracious purposes, and to leave mankind to perish in their sins, rather than submit to those sufferings which were necessary for the accomplishment of the great scheme of redemption. What could Satan himself wish for more than this ? Hence our Lord was filled with indignation against him, and addressed him in the very terms in which he had once addressed the tempter in the wilderness : " Get thee behind me, Satan :" ' however much I respect thee in general, I regard thee in this matter, not as a friend, but as an adversarg^: not as an Apostle, but as Satan himself, speaking in and by thee : the tendency of thy speech is to put a stumbling-block in my way : "thou art an offence unto me*^."'