Get Thee Behind Me, Satan!
Tissot, James, 1836-1902. Get Thee Behind Me, Satan!, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56514 [retrieved September 4, 2023]. Original source: http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brooklyn_Museum_-_Get_Thee_Behind_Me_Satan_(R%C3%A9tire-toi_Satan)_-_James_Tissot.jpg.
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Hill of Crosses
Hill of Crosses, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=55873 [retrieved September 4, 2023]. Original source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/benbeiske/2436563279.
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Exploring the Text: Get behind me, Satan
Just a few verses earlier, Jesus was congratulating Peter for recognizing that he is the Son of God. Now he is confronting Peter all calling him Satan. Peter is one of those people who seems to go back and forth between extremes. One moment he is on point, he is getting everything right, and the next he is getting everything wrong. In a lot of ways we are like Peter. Sometimes we get everything right and sometimes we get everything wrong. We make mistakes, we screw up, and sometimes we get things right. Despite Peter's back and forth nature, Jesus never gave up on him. In the same way, Jesus never gives up on us. No matter how many times we go back and forth, we succeed and we fail, Jesus never gives up on us.
David Dalton
Just a few verses earlier, Jesus was congratulating Peter for recognizing that he is the Son of God. Now he is confronting Peter all calling him Satan. Peter is one of those people who seems to go back and forth between extremes. One moment he is on point, he is getting everything right, and the next he is getting everything wrong. In a lot of ways we are like Peter. Sometimes we get everything right and sometimes we get everything wrong. We make mistakes, we screw up, and sometimes we get things right. Despite Peter's back and forth nature, Jesus never gave up on him. In the same way, Jesus never gives up on us. No matter how many times we go back and forth, we succeed and we fail, Jesus never gives up on us.
David Dalton