Get Behind Me, Satan: A Rebuke of Trump-Era Christianity

Jesus once asked a question that remains dangerous for Christians to answer too quickly: “Who do you say I am?” (Mark 8:29). It is dangerous precisely because it is possible to answer it correctly and still be profoundly wrong. Mark 8 exposes that danger and has become increasingly relevant in our Trump-era Christianity. 

Seeing but Not Seeing

In Mark 8, Jesus heals a blind man in two stages. At first, the man can see—but only partially. “I see people; they look like trees walking around.” (v. 24). In other words, the man could partially see, but was still functionally blind. Of course, Jesus would then heal the man completely. Interestingly, this is the only healing in the Gospels that is not immediate, and it is intentional. Mark places this strange miracle directly next to the profound interaction that Jesus has with his disciples about his identity. And in that interaction, He is confronting two different types of blindness.

First Type

He first asks them, “Who do others say I am?”, which prompts a slew of responses. Their answers, in many ways, reveals the significance of Jesus, as the disciples name some of the heroes of the Jewish faith, like the great prophets of old. However, remember the context. Though many recognize the significance of Jesus, if he is categorizable with others–– whether they be honored prophets, religious leaders, moral exemplars, and the like–– this proves one is blind to the real identity of Jesus. Seeing Jesus as simply a great teacher, wise philosopher, or moral example is like the blind man seeing trees. These might be glimpses of Jesus, but they prove continued blindness.

Second Type

That said, there is another type of blindness––a more dangerous blindness––that Mark now addresses. It is a blindness too often pervasive amongst us. 

The story continues as Jesus turns to Peter and shifts the whole tone of the conversation. He asks, “But what about you? Who do you say I am?” To that question, Peter rightly responds, “You are the Messiah,” and as Matthew adds, “Son of the Living God” (Matthew 16:16). Jesus is more than a teacher or philosopher. He is the long-awaited Messiah, Son of the Living God. 

To which Jesus replies, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven” (v. 17). In other words, Peter got the answer correct! 

But the following section of the narrative shows the extent to which getting the answer correct is no guarantee of actually seeing. Although Peter got the answer correct, he redefined what he expected of this Messiah. 

When Jesus begins to explain that the Messiah must suffer, be rejected, and be killed, Peter rebukes him (Mark 8:31-32). Why? Because Peter already had a Messiah in mind. Sure, a Messiah that would come to be the ultimate prophet, priest, and king who would atone for our sins and bring reconciliation for God’s people was great. But, for Peter, the Messiah would also come with power, dominance, national restoration, and victory over their enemies. This assumption about the Messiah is a pervasive one throughout the Gospel narratives. A Messiah who would make Israel great again. 

As a result, Jesus has to constantly remind his followers that as Messiah, he came not to break his enemies, but be broken by them; not to take up a sword, but to offer up his own body; not to bring renewed cultural power and purity, but to create a new people from every tribe, nation, and tongue. 

Putting all that together, Peter got the answer to the question “Who do you say I am?” correct, yet ended up being devastatingly wrong in what that meant. And how did Jesus respond? He strikingly rebuked Peter, saying, “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns” (v. 33). Though Peter got the answer correct, Jesus said he was nonetheless still a tool of Satan. Peter was repeating Satan’s earlier temptation: a crown without a cross, a kingdom without suffering. Peter, even with his correct answer to the question,"Who do you say I am?", proved himself still blind. 

Trump-Era Christianity and Blindness

This type of blindness, more than any other time in my lifetime, is rampant today. There is a pervasive perversion of power right now, used by those in power who, like Peter, get the answer to the question correct, yet use Christ as a tool of political and cultural power and wed him to nationalistic pursuits.  

I have never heard more people in power claim Christ as the Messiah, Son of the Living God, who then so flippantly lie, justify unjustifiable violence, use dehumanizing rhetoric, and support or even celebrate corruption, or at least see all of this as an unfortunate means to an end. And what is that end? Power, control, cultural and ethnic purity, and the belief that all dissenting voices are to be crushed, silenced, or excluded. This all while claiming Jesus to be the Messiah, Son of the Living God. 

Frankly, regardless of how committed some might think they are, like Peter, Jesus’ response would be the same: “Get behind me, Satan! You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” Jesus will not be our tool for political and cultural power. 

As a side note, yes, using Jesus as a tool for political and cultural power is not just a conservative problem. A progressive use of Jesus also reveals a pervasive blindness, especially when he is used as a tool to support self-actualization and self-sufficiency, and who never confronts our personal sin or demands our obedience and submission. Jesus can become a mascot for affirmation without repentance or justice without holiness. Frankly, this type of blindness is more akin to the first type––a categorization of Jesus as a teacher, philosopher, and exemplar and not as a Messiah who has come to save and redeem us from our sin. 

But what makes the present conservative moment uniquely concerning is not merely the misuse of Jesus but the scale and consequence of that misuse. Jesus is being fused with coercive power, nationalist identity, and the justification of lies, cruelty, and even violence. Progressive blindness tends to soften Jesus. The conservative blindness weaponizes him. And this weaponization is not just a moral issue; it is a Christological crisis. 

This is not a secular rejection of Christianity. This is Peter’s mistake all over again. And at this point, more than a decade into the chaos wrought by MAGA Christianity, it is not ignorance—it is willful blindness. Jesus has been used as a tool for political and cultural power by those in power. He has been conscripted into nationalist projects. His name has been invoked while his way is rejected.

And, again, to this, Jesus’ response has not changed: “Get behind me, Satan. You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

Ultimately, though some might charge me with doing the same––an assertion I would vehemently reject––Jesus has been weaponized by those in power. But in that weaponization, I wholeheartedly believe He refuses to baptize cruelty, domination, or ethnic and cultural purity projects. He refuses to sanctify fear-driven politics. He refuses to bless leaders who grasp for power while trampling truth and neighbor-love.

When Christians align themselves with power at any cost and call it faithfulness, they are not being bold—they are being blind. What masquerades as faithfulness can often be fear—fear of loss, fear of displacement, fear of losing cultural dominance. And the deepest irony of this moment is that many Christians who support all that is taking place in our nation believe they are defending Christianity. But like Peter, though they can answer the question correctly, they still have not seen Jesus rightly.

If Jesus is truly the Messiah, as The Truth, He will refuse claims of truth rooted in political expediency. If Jesus is truly the Messiah, as the Judge of True Justice, He will refuse the pursuits of justice rooted in cultural grievances. If Jesus is truly the Messiah, as the King with All Power, He will reject the use of power rooted in fear or dominance. 

By His Spirit, Jesus is turning to us, asking, “Who do you say I am?” 

Father, give us eyes to see Jesus as the Messiah, Son of the Living God, and forgive us for the pervasiveness of the blindness we all, in various ways, still allow to remain.