Jesus Christ said to his disciple, Simon Peter in Luke 22:31(NLT), “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.” In order to understand the severity of what Jesus said to Peter, we need to know a little bit about the process of sifting wheat during the period that our blessed Lord and Savior spoke these words. In Biblical times especially, wheat was extremely important to people for many reasons, mainly because it was used to make bread. The grains of wheat would need to be separated from the chaff or husk, and this sifting process was called threshing. They’d spread the wheat onto the threshing floor, usually made of stone or concrete, and they’d beat it with an instrument called a flail until the grain was detached. So, the devil was asking for permission to beat Peter unmercifully, in the worse way possible, and to do it until his soul was peeled of all its vitality and life. Make no mistake, this is what the adversary wants to do to all of us as well.
We can learn so much about the victory, authority, and power of Christ through what the Master told Peter. The first thing you and I must not miss is the reality that Jesus didn’t keep it a secret from Peter that his soul was in jeopardy. Most people are not familiar with the personality traits of many of the disciples, but Peter’s character is notorious. He was shown in the scriptures to be impetuous, to not think before he acted. He believed himself to have it all under control, and because of this, there were times when he stepped outside of God’s Word and allowed the devil to use him. So, the devil was ready to peel Peter like an onion, but Jesus Christ told him in Luke 22:32(NLT), “But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.”
Another very important piece of knowledge to note is that Jesus Christ stated the devil had asked to sift Peter like wheat. Who did the devil ask for permission to do this dastardly deed? The answer is that the devil petitioned God in the courts of heaven for this. We must never let this incredibly important detail to slip by our understanding. It is further confirmation of God’s impeccable order and the absolute sovereignty of which He rules. Our God has no equal, and He has set up a legal system that is perfect in every way. Everything that transpires in the universe must abide by God’s law, and this goes for satan, the prince of darkness, as well. This is a surprise to some people. They believe the devil can do whatever he wants. There is no question that satan is a liar, murderer, and rogue, but in order to attack us, there must be legal grounds.
Our sin is the legal precedent that the accuser tries to use in the Courts of Heaven. Not only had Peter’s attitude and mindset been an offense to the Will of God at times, in Matthew 16:22, Peter had the unmitigated audacity to try to reprimand the Savior of the world, Jesus Christ. Many of us have this mindset as well. Even as believers, we become agitated by God’s timing and Will. Some of us think that somehow, we are entitled to more, or that our way supersedes the wisdom of God’s way. This is the mindset of humanity’s fallen nature of sin, and Jesus Christ was teaching Peter not to yield to it.
Our Redeemer had informed the disciples of the things he was going to suffer, but Peter wouldn’t hear of it, and said, “Lord, this will not happen to you!” Matthew 16:23(NLT) tells us, “Jesus turned to Peter and said, “Get away from me, Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s.” We must be ever so careful not to let our emotions cause us to go against the truth of God’s Word. We must not think or speak in a way that is contrary to what God has spoken. He knows everything, His Word is true, and His Word will come to pass.
In Luke 22:32, Jesus told Simon Peter that he had pleaded for him in prayer. Here, we can see clearly that our precious Savior is our Mediator, our lawyer in the courtroom. He prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail. What does this tell us? It tells us something extraordinarily powerful. Jesus Christ presented evidence in the Courts of Heaven on the grounds of Simon Peter’s faith. And it wasn’t only the faith that Peter had at the time when Jesus told him about what satan had petitioned God to do, but Jesus Christ made the case for the faith that Peter would have AFTER he repented of his sins. Jesus was praying that Peter’s faith would continue to grow and increase so Peter could become born again, receive the infilling of the Holy Spirit, and continue the mission that Jesus had trained the disciples to carry forth. This mission was to teach and preach the Gospel so others could be spiritually strengthen.
The new birth wasn’t available when the events of Luke 22:32 took place. Jesus Christ had not yet been crucified and resurrected. Still dominated by his old sinful nature and not yet filled with the Holy Spirit, Peter would deny Christ, even though he was so sure he would never do so. After Jesus told the disciples of his suffering, Luke 22:33-34(NLT)tells us, “Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison with you, and even to die with you. But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you even know me.””
Jesus Christ knew the mysterious plan of salvation that God had sent him to make available. He prayed and knew that Peter would repent of his sins before God and be forgiven. Without salvation, like all of us, Peter would have been doomed, he would have been sifted like wheat by the devil. Jesus Christ prayed that Peter’s faith would not fail, that Peter would stay the course, follow the instruction of Christ and receive into manifestation the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The extraordinary piece of knowledge is that Christ prayed for Peter to be blessed in the present based on the caliber of faith that Peter would have in the future. This is a powerful piece of knowledge to have! It cements the reality that we must have faith in God at all times. We must not waver, and we must not doubt. We must continue to fight the good fight of faith, no matter what the conditions and circumstances of our lives appear to be. In 2Corinthians 5:7, God has commanded us to walk by faith and not by sight. Yes, it may seem to us at times that our blessings are delayed but be sure they are on their way to us. Our responsibility is to hold fast to our faith and make sure it doesn’t fail us. We are to continue doing as Jesus Christ told Peter, to strengthen and bless others so they will not be sifted like wheat by the devil but will be dedicated to growing in faith just as we are. ■
Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.
“Make Sure Your Faith Does Not Fail” written by Reverend Fran Mack, edited by Kim Times, for Sundie Morning Sistas ©2021. All rights reserved. All done to the glory of God through Jesus Christ, our Lord!