“Get thee behind me Satan”
That probably wasn’t the caption you expected to read when you saw the picture of me and my sweet boys. Strangely enough, over the past few months, those 5 words (found in Matthew 16:23) have been ringing in my ears when I think of them.
Keep reading and I’ll explain.
In Matthew 16, Jesus asks His disciples, “Who do you say that I am?”
Peter responds, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus commends Peter, “Blessed are you, Simon…and I tell you that you are Peter (the rock), and on this rock I will build my church…”
Yay Peter!!! What a guy! ….or not.
THREE VERSES LATER
Jesus begins to explain to His disciples that he “must go to Jerusalem, SUFFER many things…and that he must be KILLED and on the third day be RAISED TO LIFE.”
Peter could not handle hearing this! (I think he must have missed the ‘raised to life’ part)
Peter blurts out “NEVER LORD! THIS SHALL NEVER HAPPEN TO YOU.’”
That’s when Jesus responds with those 5 famous words, “GET THEE BEHIND ME SATAN! You are a stumbling block to me; you don’t have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”
Wow!! No disrespect to Jesus, but don’t those words seem a little harsh? After all, Peter had given up his career as a fisherman to follow Jesus and He was just commended for recognizing Jesus was the Son of God. Peter was only trying to protect Him. Why did Jesus say such harsh words to Peter?
Because Peter was thinking about the temporary, not the eternal.
And so it is with parenting…
This past week at church Pastor Amie Dockery taught on this very passage (talk about confirmation to what had been ringing in my ears!)
Peter knew Jesus was the Messiah. That wasn’t Peter’s issue. It was the process of pain and suffering that Jesus had to endure in order to fulfill God’s plan- THAT was Peter’s issue.
As a parent, THAT’S often my issue too. I hate to see my children struggle.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE my kids soooo much. There aren’t enough o’s, caps or repetitive words to properly express just how much I love them! But as my children are getting older and entering that young adult stage, that LOVE has to look different. I can no longer build a protective fence around them. I have to let go and trust God to be their protector and their guide. I have to keep my eyes on the eternal, on “the things of God, not the things of men.”
Pastor Amie said it this way, “Kids are a gift from God, but they don’t belong to you. They belong to Him. If you coddle their flesh at the expense of their spiritual assignment. You will be held accountable for that.” (Can someone say, drop the mic 🎤 🔥)
My prayer for myself (and for you) is that we will see by the Spirit the GREATNESS that God has put inside of our children. We will call it out of them. We will pray earnestly for them. We will not be a stumbling block. And we will truly LET GO and let our God be their God.
~binu
