Why did Jesus call His disciples “Satan”?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

In the New Testament, there is one specific and prominent instance where our Lord Jesus Christ used the name "Satan" when addressing one of His disciples. This occurred when He spoke to St. Peter (Matthew 16:23 and Mark 8:33): "Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men."

From the Coptic Orthodox theological perspective, it is crucial to understand that Christ was not calling St. Peter's person or essence a demon. Rather, He was rebuking the source and nature of the suggestion St. Peter had just made.

1. The Context: The Rejection of the Cross

Immediately before this, St. Peter had confessed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. However, when Jesus began to explain that He must suffer, be killed, and rise again, St. Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, "Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!"

By trying to dissuade Christ from the Cross, St. Peter was—unwittingly—doing the work of the devil. The primary goal of Satan was to prevent the Redemption of mankind through the death and Resurrection of Christ.

2. "Satan" as "Adversary"

The word Satanas literally means "adversary" or "opposer." By opposing the path of the Cross, St. Peter was acting as an adversary to God’s plan for our salvation. Christ's rebuke was a sharp identification of the spirit behind Peter's words. It served to show that anything that stands in the way of God’s will—even if it comes from a place of human affection or "pity"—is diabolical in its origin.

3. "Get Behind Me"

In the Coptic tradition, the command "Get behind Me" is often interpreted instructionally:

• A disciple’s place is behind the Master, following Him.
• By trying to advise Christ or change His path, St. Peter had attempted to step in front of the Master to lead Him.
• Christ was restoring the proper order: St. Peter must follow Christ to the Cross, not lead Christ away from it.

4. The Human Mind vs. the Divine Mind

Christ explicitly stated the reason for the rebuke: "You are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men." This highlights the danger of human logic when it ignores the necessity of sacrifice and the mystery of the Economy of Salvation.

Just as we see in the Sayings of the Desert Fathers, where monks were warned to be wary of their own wills and thoughts (like Abba Silvanus' disciple Mark, who dropped everything to obey the voice of his elder), St. Peter had to learn that his own human understanding of "safety" or "success" was an obstacle to the divine mission.

In summary, Christ used this strong language to:

1. Expose the enemy: To show that the suggestion to avoid the Cross was a temptation from the devil.
2. Protect the mission: To reaffirm that the Cross was the only way for the salvation of the world.
3. Teach the Apostles: To warn them that even the most "worthy" (as Peter was the first in the list of disciples) can fall into the trap of worldly thinking if they do not remain humble and focused on God's will.