Mark 8:27-33

In this reading, Peter gives voice to the realization that Jesus is the Messiah, something that perhaps it had taken a while for Jesus himself to realize in his humanity.  But now he predicts to the disciples exactly what will happen; he has foreknowledge that he will be killed and rise again after three days.

Peter, his close disciple, friend, and confidant, took him aside and tried to talk him out of it, or “rebuked him,” according to the text, trying to find ways to avoid this painful future.  This is the human way, the survival instinct, and the way we treat our friends and families.  But Jesus rebukes him back, saying, “Get behind me, Satan.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”  Jesus calling Peter “Satan” simply means the voice of temptation, the temptation to look for the easy way out., the human logic of how to escape this fate. 

Then as now, there is God logic and human logic, and often they diverge.  How do we tune in to God logic? Through being open, such as in centering prayer; by giving all our troubles and plans to God; by honoring the twists and turns and painful challenges in our paths.  Through open heart, we may learn what it means and where it leads. Sometimes in looking back, it is easier to see God’s plan.  And then “joy comes in the morning” (Psalm 30:5), and there is new life, as when Jesus rose from the dead. 

These truths endure for as long as there is the human race. Learning how to be human in relationship with God, this is a lifelong journey.