Simon, Simon! Indeed, 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 much 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 there was also a dispute among the disciples, as to which of them should be considered the greatest.  And Jesus 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 tells us that when Jesus says, "Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat," the form of you in Greek is plural, indicating that Satan has asks for all the disciples.  But when He says, "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren," the form of you used in this verse is singular, meaning that Jesus prays especially for Simon Peter.  My study Bible explains that because Peter's faith was the strongest, he would be tested the most.  Regarding Christ's words to St. Peter, "When you have returned to Me," see John 21:15-17.  "Strengthen your brethren" refers not only to the other disciples, but even to all the faithful until Christ 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 much 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 comments here that the sword is not to be understood literally (compare to verses 49-51), but refers to the living word of God in the battle against sin (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).  There is an additional meaning added by St. Ambrose of Milan, who says that giving up one's garment and buying a sword represents surrendering the body to the sword of martyrdom.  Because the disciples were thinking literally of swords, Jesus ends the discussion abruptly, with the words, "It is enough," or better translated, "Enough of this!" (see Deuteronomy 3:26; Mark 14:41).  Jesus quotes from Isaiah 53:12.

 

In today's reading, Jesus gives the disciples a sort of preview of the life to come as we await His return, even the life that we live today until the end of the age when He will judge in the fullness of the Resurrection.   For we do have still Satan at work in the world, seeking to sift as wheat those who love God.  This is why Jesus begins to prepare the disciples for the persecutions and difficulties and tribulations to come.  It is why we still need to be aware of spiritual battle, and to put on, in the words of St. Paul, "the whole armor of God" (see Ephesians 6:10-18 for St. Paul's full description of what that is).  We may wonder why, if Satan is indeed defeated, as Jesus has indicated (Luke 10:18), believers continue to do battle "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  It is St. Peter himself who writes of this time that we await Christ's return and Judgment, "But, beloved, do not forget this one thing, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.  The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance" (2 Peter 3:8-9; see also Psalm 90:4).  But certainly throughout this age in which we await Christ's return, our own participation in this spiritual battle as faithful is important in the sight of God, for otherwise it would not have been so to start with.  What we can conclude is that God's love for us is so strong that, although of course God needs nothing from us, we are invited in to this "good fight" as St. Paul calls it in 2 Timothy 4:7.  Just as God works through God's holy angels, so God also invites us, those faithful who struggle in this way, to be a part of God's "forces" and works in the world.  For we human beings, God's creatures as are the angels, are those whom God would also like to work through and share His power and authority with, as indicated in so many places in the Gospels, and throughout the Scriptures.  Repeatedly we are told that we, also, may become "sons of God" by adoption, a phrase which indeed is also used for the spiritual beings, the angels of all ranks, who serve God.  In John 10:34, Jesus replies to the religious leaders, "Is it not written in your law, 'I said, "You are gods" '?"  He quotes from Psalm 82:6.  These "gods" also refer to angelic beings, God speaking to human beings and our own capacity to become like angels as Christ tells the Sadducees in describing the Resurrection (see Luke 20:35-36).  It is this process, playing out in this world and in this age as we await His return, into which we are all born with Christ's words in today's reading to His disciples.  Ultimately, as Jesus indicates to Peter, this is a battle for faith.  So let us be prepared, and take up His charge and commission to follow Him in the way we are taught, and knowing the spiritual landscape into which we go forward.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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

 

 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, Christ's final Passover meal with His disciples, 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 twelves 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."   Just as we have observed over the course of the past few readings, beginning with Tuesday's, the Gospel does not tell us that the ultimate source of the evil events surrounding Jesus' Passion are simply the work of men.  Rather, the square blame is placed upon spiritual sources of evil, under the name of Satan, whom elsewhere is called the prince or ruler of this world (John 12:31, 14:30).  As we've seen, from the beginning of the synoptic Gospels and Jesus' temptations by Satan in the wilderness, and through the recent readings, Satan works through the weaknesses and especially the passions of human beings.  We've remarked upon the envy of the religious leaders toward Jesus, the greed of Judas, and the disputes among the disciples as to who would be the greatest among them.  Here, Jesus warns Simon Peter that it is not only he whom Satan has asked for, but all the disciples, as you in the first verse is plural (in Satan has asked for you).  But you in the following verse (in when you have returned to Me) is singular, which my study Bible says indicates that Jesus prayed especially for Simon Peter.  It says that because Peter's faith was the strongest, he would be tested the most.  Regarding Christ's words, "When you have returned to Me," see John 21:15-17.  Strengthen your brethren, my study Bible says, refers not only to the other disciples, but to all the faithful until Christ 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."  Jesus warns the disciples again about what is coming, and that this is a time of evil intent.   He reminds them of the prophecy concerning Him and this time of opposition:  "And He was numbered with the transgressors" (see Isaiah 53:12).  Regarding the sword, my study Bible tells us that we are not to understand this literally (compare to Luke 22:49-51, in which Christ heals the ear of the servant of the high priest).  Rather, it refers to the living word of God in the battle against sin (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12).   My study Bible also cites St. Ambrose, who gives an additional meaning to this text.  St. Ambrose comments that giving up one's garment and buying a sword refers to surrendering the body to the sword of martyrdom.  Because the disciples were thinking of swords literally, Jesus abruptly ends the discussion with the words, "It is enough" -- which are better translated, "Enough of this!"  (See Deuteronomy 3:26, Mark 14:41.)

As we have seen in the readings of this past week, and as indicated above, the Gospel assigns a particular root cause of the complicated machinations against Christ to spiritual forces of evil.  Satan works through human beings, on vulnerabilities and weaknesses, manifest in our passions.  The religious leadership is vulnerable to evil through envy; Judas is vulnerable through greed; and the disciples themselves have just engaged in a very petty and out-of-place dispute over which one of them would be the greatest in Christ's kingdom.  Let us understand that the disciples themselves have no idea what that Kingdom will be or will look like.  They only know they have come into Jerusalem in a Triumphal Entry, Christ has been teaching in the temple daily, and Christ's mysterious prophecies about what is going to happen in Jerusalem have not been things they can completely grasp.   Although they have been warned several times by Jesus, the events that are about to unfold are simply unthinkable to them.  At this point Jesus gives an explicit warning to Peter, but on behalf of all of the apostles, as the you is plural in the Greek:  "Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat."  In other words, Satan wishes to destroy this movement of the followers of Christ.  Jesus then adds (with you in the singular this time, directed toward Peter specifically), "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren."    As the one with the strongest faith, Peter will be tempted with denial in the courtyard of the home of the high priest (Luke 22:54-62), and at the same time Christ entrusts him with the job of strengthening his fellow apostles, and by extension all of us in turn.  Over the course of the past week, in these events in which great spiritual evil is at work (according to our text), we observe some things about spiritual opposition to Christ.  It works, first of all, through temptation, and secondly, it does so by playing on the weaknesses of human beings -- and specifically what are called in traditional spiritual language our passions.  That is, the things we lust for, things of which we make idols of some sort.  This should give us pause to think for a moment that the Gospels do not teach us that we are all to be superheroes who are without a single weakness or flaw.  On the contrary, even Peter, whose faith is arguably the strongest of all of the apostles, will display a weakness upon which temptation plays successfully, even when a servant girl confronts him as one of Christ's followers.  The text tells us that all of the disciples have succumbed to a truly petty and deeply inappropriate dispute about who would be greatest among them.  In other words, to be a human being is to have vulnerabilities and weaknesses.  We should not despair that we are not super human, or do not measure up to the sinlessness of Jesus Christ, who resisted every temptation put His way by Satan (see Luke 4:1-13), and completed His mission in the world with the fullness of perfection.  What the Gospels tell us, on the contrary, is about how much we need Christ, and how this help is always available to us.  Not only are we given examples which teach us why it is so important to understand our own passions and vulnerabilities and weaknesses (and to do something about them; see Matthew 18:6-9), but the Gospels teach us that we have strength and help through the Lord, and the whole host of the saints, which include the angels.  St. Paul writes of his own struggle with what he called a "thorn in the flesh":  "And He said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Corinthians 12:9).  We needn't despair over our state as human beings, because the story of Christ and especially His Passion is all about God working through even the worst of our times, the deepest of our struggles, and in the midst of difficulties.  Our power is in humility, in knowing ourselves and our dependency upon God, and especially this spiritual place from which true strength comes.  This is what we rely on, and what we know we need.

 

 

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

 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, after Jesus instituted the Eucharist, 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."   When Jesus says, "Satan has asked for you," this you is in the plural form, meaning that Satan has asked for all the disciples.  In the next verse, in Jesus' statement, "I have prayed for you," you is in the singular -- meaning that Jesus has prayed especially for Simon Peter.  Because Simon Peter's faith was the strongest, my study bible says, he would be tested the most.  "When you have returned to Me" -- see John 21:15-17.   That Peter is told, "Strengthen your brethren," refers not just to the other disciples, but rather 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 says that Jesus' mention of a sword is not meant to be understood literally.  It refers, it says, to the living word of God in the battle against sin (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12).  St. Ambrose gives us yet another meaning:  that to give up one's garment and buy a sword refers to surrendering the body to the sword of martyrdom.  Because, as with so many passages in the Gospels, the disciples misunderstand -- interpreting the words literally and beginning to speak of swords, Jesus abruptly ends the discussion.  "It is enough" is better translated as "Enough of this!" or "That's enough!"  (see Deuteronomy 3:26, Mark 14:41). 

In Jesus' words there is a sense conveyed to the disciples of imminent danger.  He warns them all that "Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat."   He tells them that now, in contrast to the time they were sent out on their first mission, "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."    Jesus quotes from the prophesy of Isaiah 53:12 -- "Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors."  Jesus becomes One who is numbered with the transgressors, an enemy of the state and of the people.  But in so doing, He also becomes intercessor for all those seen in the same light, the outcasts, the transgressors.  Since "a disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher" (6:40) and "If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you" (John 15:18), then Jesus is now teaching them about the time that is at hand, the time of the initiation of the present age, in which conflict becomes the norm.  Persecution and hatred are all a part of the work of the judgment.  To stand up for the truth -- to use that sword of which He speaks -- is also to encounter hatred and dissension and betrayal.  He warns the disciples several times in various places in the Gospels that this is the reality that is now theirs, the time that has come to be and will be initiated through His Passion, death, and Resurrection.  We, as followers of Christ, can take His words to heart that He tells to Peter:  "Strengthen your brethren."  This is the call to those of faith; we must help one another to remain strong in the ways He has taught, in the things He has taught us.  We must help one another as disciples, and we shore up that Kingdom that is both within us and among us.  It's not that we can, of ourselves, withstand all the assaults both spiritual and worldly that will come to test us.  But we can help one another.   At the very end of John's Gospel, Jesus tells Peter, "Feed My lambs."  Repeatedly asking him, "Do you love Me?" the answer comes from Christ:  if we love Him, we will feed His lambs, feed His sheep.  And that is what we can do through all things.  We must seek to feed one another with the good things of faith, to strengthen one another in love and joy and peace and truth.   This is the word He gives us as faithful, and it is what we must do for Him and for one another if we love Him.

Simon, Simon! Indeed, 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 when the hour had come for the Passover supper, 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."  In the first verse ("Indeed, Satan has asked for you . . ."), you is plural.  It indicates all the disciples.   But in the second verse ("I have prayed for you . . ."), you is singular, meaning that Jesus has prayed especially for Simon Peter.   My study bible says that because Peter's faith was the strongest, he would be tested the most.  For that which takes place "when you have returned to Me" see John 21:15-17.   Jesus tells Peter, "Strengthen your brethren," referring not only to the other disciples, but to all faithful until the Return of Christ.

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 the sword is not to be understood literally, but rather refers to the living word of God in the battle against sin (Ephesians 6:17; Hebrews 4:12).  St. Ambrose views giving up one's garment and buying a sword as surrendering the body to the sword of martyrdom.  In both cases, sword is connected to the truth of the word of God, martyr being the Greek word for "witness."  But the disciples were thinking of swords literally, and Jesus abruptly ends the discussion when it's reported He says, "It is enough."  My study bible says this would be better translated, "Enough of this!" (see Deuteronomy 3:26, Mark 14:41).  The prophecy ("And He was numbered with the transgressors") is from Isaiah 53:12.

However we are to understand Jesus' use of the word sword, it is clear from today's reading that a great evil is coming.  Jesus is warning about the time that is imminent, about to come.  It's a time of betrayal and of the power of forces that will be fighting His Church, His faith, His ministry, His word.  He warns St. Peter:  Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.   Jesus' warnings about taking a money bag, and knapsack, and selling a garment to buy a sword intentionally remind the disciples of their first missionary journey, in which they went out in humility and poverty preaching the kingdom of God (see Luke 9:1-6).  His words teach them that now the kind of opposition that will come is much stronger than what they experienced before.  Betrayal is about to come, and He will be crucified.  He has already warned them about the persecution that is to come to the Church.  But there's a kind of depth to His warning, and it's one that is also deeply personal.  He tells St. Peter that Satan has asked for him, and desires to sift him as wheat.  This is a kind of threat that has to do with internal struggle, with temptation and weakness.  It's important to understand the nature of such a struggle with our own weak points and vulnerabilities to manipulation, half-truths, and assaults on our faith.  This can be a time of testing that really has to do with where we can be subject to the very things that try us the most, having to do with our particular vulnerabilities.  The worst temptations aren't necessarily the obvious, but the subtle.  Peter will fail his own test in front of a servant girl, denying Christ this very night, although he swears he would go to prison and die with Christ.   But Jesus "will be numbered among the transgressors," and they will all be subject to every kind of pressure, to opposition of all they know and trust, their very identities in question, their deepest loyalties laid bare and challenged.  It is the power of the internal trial that evil uses against us, and where we're vulnerable.  This is why strength is needed that comes through grace,  why faith practices like prayer and fasting have always been relied upon.  Times that test who we are will demand our deepest humility, our willingness to sacrifice the things to which we're attached, our capacity to give up false hope, and find it only where it can be truly rooted.  These are internal struggles, such as that exemplified by Peter, exacerbated by external circumstances.  This depth of inner struggle for faith is what is known as "spiritual battle" -- all our vulnerable points are tried. What Peter's example must teach us is that our own weakness is not in itself evil, not grounds for any decision that we're not fit for our faith.  He will return to His brethren, and be their strength.  It is love that conquers everything -- even the worst of times.  It is the capacity for grace to allow us to go through the difficulties and challenges, to return to Christ, to find our way.  The Cross becomes the way:  we go through our struggles, with Him, and come to the other side of them, through repentance and growth in faith.  This is the work of salvation, the true building of the Church, stone by stone.

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.

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.