“Friend or Foe?”
Mark 8:33

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Pastor Kevin Vogts
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost—September 12, 2021

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

War itself is a tragic thing, but perhaps the greatest tragedy is the phenomenon of so-called “friendly fire,” when soldiers are accidently killed by fire from their own comrades’ weapons.  During the first Gulf War, General Norman Schwarzkopf was asked about this friendly fire problem at a press conference, and he explained that the term friendly fire is misleading.  In warfare, he said, there really is no such thing as friendly fire, because once a bullet leaves a gun the bullet doesn’t know the difference between friend or foe, and if a bullet hits you it isn’t any less destructive because it came from a friend’s weapon rather than a foe’s weapon.  In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus is being hit by what we might call spiritual friendly fire.

“But what about you?”  he asked the disciples.  “Who do you say I am?”  Peter answered, “You are the Christ.”  But even though the disciples do acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ, the promised Messiah, they still have some misguided notions as to what kind of Messiah He is.  The disciples have adopted the popular opinion of the day, which says that the Messiah will be a great warrior, who will wage earthly battle against the Romans, driving them out of their country and establishing His kingdom on earth.

Jesus tries to correct His disciples’ misguided notions by telling them plainly that He will not be that kind of Messiah:  “He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that He must be killed and after three days rise again.”

A great warrior, yes, but not a warrior waging earthly battle against the Romans.  Rather, He is a warrior waging spiritual battle against sin, death and the devil.  A spiritual battle which comes to a climax when He dies on the cross as a sacrifice to take away the sins of the world.  A spiritual battle He wages on your behalf, winning for you full forgiveness.  A spiritual battle in which He is shown to be the victor on Easter morn, rising from the dead so that all who trust in Him will also rise to eternal life.

Jesus is already engaged in this spiritual battle in which in our text:  “He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him.”  Satan does not want Jesus to go the way of the cross, for through the cross Satan will be defeated.  So Satan employs one of Jesus’ dearest disciples and closest friends in an attempt to turn Him from the way of the cross.

No doubt Peter thinks he is setting Jesus straight, telling Jesus that He has it all wrong.  The Messiah will triumph over the Romans and establish His kingdom on earth, not be rejected and suffer many things and be killed.  “But when Jesus turned and look at His disciples, He rebuked Peter.  ‘Get behind Me, Satan!’  He said.  ‘You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.’”

Jesus is being hit by what we might call spiritual friendly fire.  But just as in warfare, there really is no such thing as friendly fire.  For, it is no less destructive if it comes from friend rather than foe.  In Hebrew the word “satan” literally means, “adversary,” what Martin Luther calls “the old evil Foe.”  Jesus addresses Peter as “Satan” because in tempting Jesus to turn from the way of the cross, Peter becomes the tool of Satan and the adversary of Jesus.

Are you sometimes hit by spiritual friendly fire?  Just as Satan uses Peter in an attempt to turn Jesus from the way of the cross, Satan will at times also use those nearest and dearest to you in an attempt to turn you from the way of Jesus.  As Scripture says, “They think it strange that you do not join with them in wild and wicked living.”

Instead of following the way of Jesus, you are tempted by spiritual friendly fire to deny Jesus and follow the way of the world.  The wisdom of the world says, “everyone else does it, why not you too?”  But as St. James says, “Such ‘wisdom’ does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil.”

“You’re crazy,” says your so-called friend, “not cheat on your taxes.  Everyone else does it, why not you too?”  “Get behind me, Satan!  You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

“Hey,” says your so-called friend, “take a drink, have a smoke, pop a pill.  Everyone else does it, why not you too?”  “Get behind me, Satan!  You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

“Don’t be such a prude,” says your so-called friend.  “What’s the harm of a little dirty joke or a few curse words?  What’s the big deal about taking the Lord’s name in vain?  Everyone else does it, why not you too?”  “Get behind me, Satan!  You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

“It’s not that big of a deal anymore to cheat on your spouse or have sex outside marriage,” says your so-called friend.  “Everyone else does it, why not you too?”  “Get behind me, Satan!  You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

You see, although there is no defense against friendly fire in earthly warfare, but you do have a defense against friendly fire in spiritual warfare.  As Joseph says when he is tempted by Potiphar’s wife, “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”  Or as Jesus says to Peter when tempted to turn from the way of the cross:  “Get behind me, Satan!  You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

“If anyone would come after Me,” Jesus says, “he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for Me and the gospel will save it.”  “Christ suffered for you,” Peter says, “leaving you an example, that you should follow in His steps.”  When you are tempted to turn from the way of Jesus, even when that temptation is from friendly fire, deny yourself and the things of men; have in mind the things of God; take up your cross and follow Him.