Worldly vs. Saintly Reasoning
He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
Mark 8:27-33
How is this, that Peter, gifted with a revelation from the Father, has so soon fallen, and become unstable? For that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God, he had learnt by revelation, but the mystery of His cross and resurrection had not yet been revealed to him. Jesus, however, showing that He must come to His Passion, rebuked Peter; wherefore there follows, “And when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, etc.”
For the Lord, wishing to show that His Passion was to take place on account of the salvation of men, and that Satan alone was unwilling that Christ should suffer and mankind be saved, called Peter ‘Satan,’ because he thinking the thoughts of Satan, and from unwillingness that Christ should suffer, became Jesus’ adversary; for the word ‘Satan’ means ‘the adversary.’
But it was not to the devil when he was tempting Him that Jesus said, “Get you behind me,” but to Peter. That is, follow Me, and do not resist the divine plan of My voluntary Passion. There follows, For you are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.
參考 References:
Catena Aurea (St. Thomas Aquinas)
Homily 54 on Matthew (St. John Chrysostom)
Explanations on the New Testament (St. Theophylact of Ochrid)
Pseudo-Chrysostom



