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31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.” 33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.” 34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.” ~ Luke 22:31-34
In our text, the Lord Jesus was with His disciples in the upper room, and it was Thursday evening. They were gathered there to eat the Passover meal and to experience the very first Lord’s Supper. There was to be no Passover after that until the coming of the millennial kingdom, the one thousand year reign of Christ on earth after the Tribulation.
In v.31-32 we read, "31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."
Only hours after being told that he would be a ruler in Christ's kingdom, Peter is told that he would go from the heights of joyful anticipation and confidence to the pits of failure and bitter weeping in one night.
The Greek word used for "asked" in v.31 means "demanded.” It is a compound word communicating in the strongest way Satan demanding to "sift" Peter who is the obvious leader of the group of disciples. And so, it is not surprising that Satan would want to go after Peter. And, Peter had no idea that his leadership skills were about to increase through the intensity of yet another trial.
God permits Satan to sift us so that through the stretching of our faith, our intimacy with God is refined. When we go through the deeps waters, we are forced to more strongly wrestle with the right questions which lead us to rely more ardently upon God. When we get to these places, we are granted a clearer vision of who the Lord Jesus really is, and we find ourselves being drawn closer in intimacy to Him.
Sifting wheat is a way to discern whether it is real or not. Satan strongly demanded to violently shake not only Peter but all of the disciples to reveal their inauthenticity. But, God had other ideas. Through the intense shaking to come the disciples learned who was the secret behind their authenticity. In fact, the shaking will provide the fulfillment of Zechariah 13:7 which reads, "I will strike down the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered."
According to v.32, we learn the Lord Jesus intercedes for His disciples who were weak and failure prone. They were full of self thus they were full of self-doubt which produced in them a lack of spiritual confidence and power. This was the perfect time for the enemy to go after them, but the Lord Jesus intercedes.
Satan relentlessly appeals to God to turn against us, but his theology is so lacking. He doesn't get the fact that when we have been justified through faith in the Lord Jesus, nothing can separate us from God and He will never abandon His own.
In v.33 we read, "But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." Confident Peter was convinced that he could do anything for the Lord Jesus. In fact, this is what led him to grab his sword and proceed to cut off the ear Malchus in the garden.
In v.34 we read, "Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me." And here is the only time in the Gospels the Lord Jesus calls him Peter. This trial of Peter and his recovery was yet another way that God would demonstrate the power of His saving faith.
It is interesting that this word of warning followed the dispute over who was the greatest! Imagine how the disciples must have felt when they heard that not only would one of their number betray Him, but that their spokesman and leader would publicly deny Him! If a strong man like Peter was going to fail the Lord, what hope was there for the rest of them?
One of the reoccurring themes in 1 Peter is: as we endure trials, we are placed in the position to become a source of strength for others. Peter’s courage failed but not his faith. In fact, he was more intimately restored to fellowship with Christ and was more profoundly used to strengthen God’s people.
Thirty years later Peter wrote, "Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Resist him firm in your faith." The Lord Jesus pictures Satan trying to tear us apart from our faith in the God of the Bible. Peter pictures Satan as a lion who can devour anything but faith.
God broke Peter's pride and self-reliance that night in the agony of Satan's sieve. And, He used the tortures of Satan to strengthen Peter's faith. Even though Peter would shortly deny the Lord Jesus, all of this was used of the Lord to make Peter the leader he became. Napolean once said, "Leaders are dealers of hope." We do not have hope unless we have tested the faithfulness of God. It is through our most intense trials that we gain confidence in His FAITHfulness.
