January 22, 2026
You are the Christ - Part 4
Mark 8:32b-33
01/22/2026
32b And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
33 But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked
Peter and said, ``Get behind me, Satan! For you
are not setting your mind on the things of God,
but on the things of man.'' (ESV)
On January 18, the Church celebrated the Confession of Saint
Peter. We prayed:
Heavenly Father, You revealed to the apostle Peter the
blessed truth that Your Son Jesus is the Christ.
Strengthen us by the proclamation of this truth that we
too may joyfully confess that there is salvation in no
one else.
Did Peter, does the Church, truly understand what it means
that the Christ is found in the cross and resurrection? The
disciples, even after the resurrection, expected the political
Messiah.[1] In the same way, there are misunderstandings in the
Christian Church, which means we need to go back to the Word of
God to truly know of salvation by grace through faith for the
sake of Christ.
And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But
turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter and
said, ``Get behind me, Satan! For you are not setting
your mind on the things of God, but on the things of
man.''
Jesus did not mince words. False doctrine is satanic. The
devil, the world, and our own sinful desires suggest that the
Christ is not the One who died for our redemption from sin and
death, but an example that we can successfully follow. His
perfect obedience to the law is something we can obtain, which
says that we can, by our own strength, be saved.
Yes, this is taught in some congregations. But our help is
in the name of the Lord, not our own abilities. We daily sin, we
daily turn our backs on God, yet He, for the sake of Christ Jesus
grants us forgiveness. Saint Paul lamented this sad truth, and
Saint Peter, in denying Christ on the night He was betrayed,
lived this truth.
May our Lord grant that we seek the forgiveness of our sins
in Christ Jesus alone. Amen.
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1. See: Acts 1:6-7