But when Jesus turned and looked 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. Mark 833. This is a tough verse. When Jesus told his disciples that he would suffer and be crucified, Peter took him off to the side and said, this will happen over my dead body. This is not unlike something that you or I might say. When someone threatens one of our loved ones, the papa bear or Mama bear comes out in us. Peters reaction is perfectly human and makes perfect sense to us. But Jesus response was not at all what we would have expected. This is not the gentle Jesus, meek and mild, the quiet, calm shepherd of our souls that we see. Instead, his words seem harsh, an overreaction to what Peter said. I am not quite as concerned that Jesus called Peter Satan cringe worthy, though that is as I am that he told Peter, you dont have in mind the things of God, but the things of men. The last thing in the world of which we believers want to be accused is seeing the world through the eyes of human beings instead of through the eyes of God. But we all have a tendency to do exactly that. We see things from the perspective of a human being, not from gods perspective. I know that seems fair. After all, we are human beings. But we need to remember that God wants to transform us from mere human beings into the very image of Christ. Much of what Jesus taught about our thoughts and behavior flies in the face of human reason. Turn the other cheek, forgive over and over again. Do not retaliate. Don't get even with people who mistreat you, love your enemies. All of that defies human reason. None of it seems logical, which is the point. Once we become christians and commit our lives and wills to Christ, we are no longer to be logical. We are to be theological. What is logical is characterized by human reasoning. But what is theological is characterized by God's reasoning. To be logical is to think and act like human beings. To be theological is to think and act like God. Peter may have been perfectly logical in his reaction to what Jesus said, but he should have been theological. So should all of us. For those who are committed to the Lord, it is not what men say that matters, but what God says. We must learn to see things as God sees them, not as human beings see them.

This has been your thought for the day with Steve Burkham, pastor of Community Christian Church in Stockton, California. If you have questions or comments for Pastor Steve, please send them to dailythoughtspodcastmail.com have a great day, and we hope you'll join us tomorrow as Pastor Steve opens God's word to bring us another thought for the day.