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, Jesus had just instituted the Eucharist at the Last Supper, saying, "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."  After this there was a dispute among the disciples, 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 explains that you in the first verse ("Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat") is plural -- meaning that Satan has asked for all the disciples.  But in the second verse, you is singular ("But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren"), meaning that Jesus prayed particularly for Simon Peter.  My study bible says that because Peter's faith was the strongest, he would be tested the most.  (For "when you have returned to Me," see John 21:15-17.)   "Strengthen your brethren" refers not only to the disciples at Christ's time, but to all followers until He returns.

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 says that the sword isn't to be taken literally -- but refers to the living word of God in the battle against sin (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).    St. Ambrose teaches an additional meaning -- that giving up one's garment and buying a sword refers to giving up the body to the sword of martyrdom.  Since the disciples were thinking of literal swords, Jesus ends the discussion with the words, "It is enough," meaning "Enough of this!"  (see Deuteronomy 3:26, Mark 14:41).

So often we think of Peter's "trial" during the time He would deny Christ as just a drama that involves Peter somehow, an example to us all of the dangers of relying only on our own strength.  Perhaps it's always going to be a cautionary tale about our own zeal or relying on our own emotions or convictions.  But if we think about the commentary from my study bible, the explanation that the first verse here implies all the disciples and not just Peter ("Simon, Simon!  Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat"), then we enter into an understanding of a great time of evil, something that all of them will have to deal with.  It's not just a prophesy about Peter, not just a warning to him.  This is a time in which darkness is facing everyone, a time of great temptation to despair and falling away, with the power of evil at work in the world.  That's important for us to understand because it puts Peter's struggle right at the center of community.  He's the one who's their leader.  Most importantly, my study bible tells it to us really straight:  those of great faith will be tested the hardest.  You can't get around it, there's just too much telling us this:  our faith is tested in proportion to the strength we take in it, and expanded that way.  St. Peter isn't just a man alone, and he's not just "leader" of the apostles.  Leadership in Christ's terms means service, as He's just finished telling them in the previous verses (yesterday's reading, above).  Leadership is service.  It's not just being the "chief" or the "head" so that everybody follows.  Our understanding of leadership means that others are dependent on him for his service; his faith must be great because it feeds the rest of them and all of us who will follow.  It is in this context that Satan, the evil, comes to test particularly him, because the evil is after all of them, to "sift all of them like wheat."  When Jesus warns that now things are not as they were when He sent them out on their first mission, that it's the time now that they must take a money bag, and take a knapsack, sell what they have for a sword, He's warning them of the darkness coming upon the world and upon all of them as His Passion draws to its conclusion.   Let's note that although Jesus goes to His Passion voluntarily, the evil at work in plotting His death is not skipped over!  In this context, we take up the sword of truth, of the word, of His word, and hold fast to it.  This must be particularly so in times of testing, of temptation, when we see all else about us losing their heads in fear or panic or outrage or whatever happens to be going on in reaction to evil that hits us in life.  This is where the sword of truth must come in to strengthen our faith.  So let's not be naive about it, evil will come.  Evil does come.  We have a battle going on behind and within every other kind of battle we may think we see or feel in life.  We can look around us in the world -- all over the world! -- and see terrible evil at work, terrible injustice, with violence, lies, pain, and death in all kinds of forms.  That's the very time we need to watch, to hold fast to the sword of His word, to His truth, to find ways to strengthen our faith and maybe especially to strengthen one another in that faith.  We are community; we are not alone in our faith.  This is the purpose I write my blog, that I may water the mustard seeds in each of us.  It is a time of trial and we will have times of trial.  Let us remember and watch and pray.