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

Yesterday we read that, at the Last Supper, following Christ's institution of the Eucharist, there was also 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."  When Jesus says to Peter, "Satan has asked for you,"   you is plural, meaning all of the disciples.  When He tells him, "But I have prayed for you," you is singular, meaning that Jesus prays particularly for Simon Peter for just this purpose, to strengthen your brethren.  My study bible says that as Peter's faith was the strongest, he would be tested the most.  Strengthen your brethren is referring not only to the other disciples, but to all of the faithful until Christ's return.  In John 21:15-17 we may read the passage regarding Jesus' phrase, when you have returned to Me, and Christ's particular words to Peter at that time.

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."    Christ gives a warning of the open hostility to come.  My study bible comments that the sword isn't to be understood literally (compare verses 49-51), but rather is a reference to the living word of God in the battle against sin (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).  St. Ambrose provides an additional meaning.  He writes that to give up one's garment and buy a sword refers to surrendering the body to the sword of martyrdom.  As the disciples are thinking literally of swords, Jesus ends the discussion with an abrupt, "It is enough!"  In modern parlance, we take it to mean "That's enough!" or "Enough of this!"  (see Deuteronomy 3:26; Mark 14:41).

Jesus speaks of times of both testing and hardship.  But in the discussion of the meaning of "sword" and the disciples' misunderstanding, we are given to understand that the testing is going to demand of them the strength and the "battle" of following the commandments of Christ, and not responding through conventional means to hostility.  We continue to live in this time, when our faith may be tested, and we are to understand discipleship on the same terms.  Our mission is to follow Christ's commandments, not to take matters into our own hands, with our own understanding of resources and retaliation.  My study bible refers us to Ephesians 6:17 and Hebrews 4:12, in which St. Paul tells us to "take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God," and reminds us that "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."  Our weapons have more to do with soul and spirit than merely battles of physical power and might.  They touch into human beings more deeply and work in different ways than military weaponry.  They also allow us discernment, and touch the heart of others.  For the heart and soul and mind and spirit are the realm of the kingdom of God, in whom we "live and move and have our being" and which dwells within us and among us.  We may not immediately understand the effects of words and teachings, nor the power of the Spirit at work among us and through the word of God, but over time it creates its effects.  One may observe the biblical examples of the fulfillment of prophecy:  some, such as Isaiah, were fulfilled centuries later, in the coming of Christ and the eventual spread of Christianity to the known world.  Christ's prophecy of the destruction the temple and the Siege of Jerusalem came a generation later, in 70 AD.  Each of these prophesies are made regarding the fulfillment of the effects of our rejection of the word of God.   In a positive sense, we can look back upon our own lives and the changes wrought in us by that word and the experience of a journey in faith.  That is the power of the Holy Spirit at work in us.  We may not see such effects immediately; everything takes time to manifest.  But we can be certain that this power is at work in us and in our world.  And we note that my study bible remarks that because Peter's faith was the strongest, he would be tested the most.  This is the reality of a spiritual struggle, and what is called "spiritual warfare" in our world.  Jesus tells Peter, "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."  Let's note the different things we're taught here from His words:  Satan has asked for all the disciples, that he may sift them as wheat, to crush and destroy them.  But in this battle Jesus takes up the weapon of prayer, which He uses to strengthen the faith of Peter, so that in turn when Peter returns to Christ he may strengthen the disciples.  This is the battle and the battleground.  We will be faced with struggles, temptations, hardships, even hostility when we seek to live our faith.  But our weapons are primarily those of prayer and faith, and the word of God.  See St. Paul's list of spiritual weaponry, what he calls the "whole armor of God,"  at Ephesians 6:10-17.  St. Paul reminds us that this is a battle over hearts and minds and souls and spirit, and the weaponry and our own conduct in this "war" must fit the conditions and the battlefield.  We must understand Christ, follow His commandments.   In this light we must consider especially His teachings on the use of power and greatness among His disciples in yesterday's reading, above, for these teachings are part and parcel of how we are to conduct ourselves in the midst of an ongoing war.  If words of war and weaponry frighten, or stir up a history of misuse and heresy and false images meant for cinema and superstitions, we should not let that deter us from understanding the spiritual truth of these teachings.   We are faced each day with easy temptation, to cut corners, to ignore the power of our own integrity and truth.  We're tempted to practice hypocrisy, to let slip a discipline in remembering God, to discount the impact on our own souls of worship practices and prayer, even to deny that our words mean something and have effects on others.  Our egos may be flattered by those whom we cannot trust, or we're taken in by social "rules" or habits to which we think we must conform.  Christ reminds us of the importance of each minute and our awareness of what we're really about, the significance of our choices, and what each moment can hold in terms of what is truly needful.  St. Paul tells us that the struggle is not "against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places."   As St. Peter would discover, we don't know what forms our temptations or difficulties will take; they are often subtle and surprising and work as a snare on our own ignorance and weakness.  We may only come to ourselves when we are overwhelmed by something quite bitter, and we feel "sifted as wheat."  Let us not be foolish or confused; what Christ offers us is redemption and meaning, and each new generation must find its own way to discernment and the wisdom that is offered.