Get Behind Me, Satan!

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Messiah.

From that time on, Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.” He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”

Matthew 16:13-23

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The Scandal of the Cross

In Peter’s heart, a crucified Messiah was unthinkable—a contradiction of the triumphant king he envisioned. He had boldly proclaimed, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” a truth revealed by the heavenly Father. Yet, the meaning of Messiahship remained clouded by human hopes. Peter dreamed of a heroic, unconquerable Son of David—a warrior to crush Israel’s foes. But “Satan,” the deceiver, recoiled at Christ’s death, blind to the resurrection that would shatter death’s grip forever.

Traditional Chinese Translation

《撒但，退我後邊去吧！》
沒有十字架的基督
來自地獄可怖的魔口。