Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat

 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."

- Luke 22:31-38

In yesterday's reading, we read about Jesus' last Passover supper with His disciples.   When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him.  Then He said to them, "With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God."  Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and said, "Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes."  And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me."  Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.  But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table.  And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!"  Then they began to question among themselves, which of them it was who would do this thing.  Now there was also a dispute among them, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And He said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them, and those who exercise authority over them are called 'benefactors.'  But not so among you; on the contrary, he who is greatest among you, let him be as the younger, and he who governs as he who serves.  For who is greater, he who sits at the table, or he who serves?  Is it not he who sits at the table?  Yet I am among you as the One who serves.  But you are those who have continued with Me in My trials.  And I bestow upon you a kingdom, just as My Father bestowed one upon Me, that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel."

  And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.  But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."  But he said to Him, "Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death."  Then He said, "I tell you, Peter, the rooster shall not crow this day before you will deny three times that you know Me."  My study bible points out to us in the first "you" (in Indeed, Satan has asked for you) is plural.  That is, Jesus is referring to all of the disciples as those whom Satan has asked for.   But when Jesus tells Peter, I have prayed for you, the "you" is singular, and this is directed particularly to Simon Peter.  That is because Peter's faith was the strongest, so he will be tested the most.  Regarding Peter's return (in when you have returned to me), see John 21:15-17.  When Jesus tells Peter, Strengthen your brethren, He's referring not only to the other disciples, but to all the faithful until Christ's return.

And He said to them, "When I sent you without money bag, knapsack, and sandals, did you lack anything?"  So they said, "Nothing."  Then He said to them, "But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.  For I say to you that this which is written must still be accomplished in Me:  'And He was numbered with the transgressors.'  For the things concerning Me have an end."  So they said, "Lord, look, here are two swords."  And He said to them, "It is enough."   My study bible tells us that when Jesus refers to the sword here, it's not to be understood literally (compare vv. 49-51), but instead refers to the living word of God in the battle against sin (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).  St. Ambrose adds another meaning to this passage:  giving up one's garment and buying a sword refers to surrendering the body to the sword of martyrdom.  My study bible says, "Because the disciples were thinking of swords literally, Jesus abruptly ends the discussion with the words, 'It is enough,' or better translated, 'Enough of this!'  (see Deuteronomy 3:26, Mark 14:41)."

Regarding Jesus' warnings of His "end" and also that the disciples must be prepared for anything, we read, above, the interpretations and commentary my study bible offers us.  Other commentators, such as Cyril of Alexandria, and also additional commentary by St. Ambrose, indicate also a warning here.  After Jesus' death, violence of the most extreme nature will come to everybody in Jerusalem, every Jew.   St. Cyril, as my study bible indicates, suggests that the two swords are the Old and New Testaments.  But all of these combine with the warning given to Peter in the earlier verses:  that evil is at work, that Satan desires to claim them all, that a great test is at hand.  And I think this is the deeper meaning here, for which the "two swords" of the Word are the armaments of battle, for which great alertness and alacrity must be commanded and prepared in their minds and hearts.  Indeed, these will be the departing words of Jesus to the disciples and we have read them all along as He prepared them for this time of His suffering and death.  All of the warnings here come in response to the fact that it is a time of crisis, of testing, of evil asserting itself against the Christ, against God.  And it's also an indication of the times in which we live, the times that occur between His suffering, death, Resurrection and Ascension -- and the time we are in now, in which we await His return.  The great battleground is the world, and ultimately the battle is one of souls, a spiritual battle.  It's the toughest battle there is, in the sense that the weapons we must learn to use are spiritual, and that the wakefulness we need is one in which we can become aware when we're caught in some kind of snare, whether it be psychological or physical or any other sort of difficult and hard choice we're forced into.  There is a spiritual reality present that can become difficult to fathom, and difficult to follow.  The word of Christ isn't always an easy thing for us to follow, by any means.  There are all kinds of hardships and deceptions that may come our way when it is time to stand up and make a choice.  Jesus has warned of divisions within households, and in one of the verses we're referred to above, St. Paul speaks of the sword that cuts so deeply into everything:  "For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).   It is this sort of  'conflict' we can be prepared for.  It mirrors all the things that go on in the world, but the real battle for awareness is within, keeping our minds sharp, our hearts in the right "chain of command" loyalties.  And the sword, as reflected throughout Scripture in so many ways, is the sword of truth, His truth.  Let us be prepared and let us understand that this battle is no less a struggle than many ways in which we think about battle.  The difference is that this truth is all about God's love and what it teaches us; the sword isn't just a sword of truth, but one of light from Christ, and we know where His heart, His love, and loyalties lie.  We know what He has offered us and done for us, as we enter into the labors of others, and struggle through the trials that come with Him.