Luke 22
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Luke 22:31-32:
“Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers” |
Satan planned to attack the apostles, which he did throughout the remainder of their lives. But Jesus, the Lord, Our Savior, the Son of God Himself, interceded on their behalf!
Then Jesus told Peter to do the same for his fellow believers. |
Steve Gallagher Files
The attacks of devils are not limited to the guilty, though. The innocent are sometimes assaulted. However, no attack can occur upon a believer without the consent of God. Take, for instance, the time Jesus told Peter, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail..."(Luke 22:31-32). Once the person belongs to God, the enemy can demand all he wants, but he must have permission before he can attack. Believers purchased from the devil by the blood of Jesus.
--Steve Gallagher; At The Idol of Sexual Idolatry
--Steve Gallagher; At The Idol of Sexual Idolatry
In the evening before His betrayal, capture, torture, and trial, Christ turned to Simon with these final words, encouraging him to remain strong. Of course, Peter boldly proclaimed that he would never deny Christ, but Christ knew better (vv. 33-34).
Actually, our text is quite forceful. Christ claimed that Satan has “begged earnestly” (literal translation of “desired”), not just for Peter, but for all the disciples, as seen in the plural pronoun “you,” to “sift you as wheat.” Satan knew (as he still knows) that the fall of Christian leaders causes many others to fall, and if all of the disciples could be made to abandon the faith, the gospel could not be spread.
Christ turned specifically to Peter as the generally recognized spokesman for the disciples, and even though He knew Peter would fall, Christ informed him that he had been prayed for, that his “faith fail not.” Indeed, Peter did turn around once he saw the risen Lord and became a leader in the fledgling church in Jerusalem, as well as a missionary. Through the witness of Peter and those he strengthened, the gospel has come to us. -Christian Blessings
Actually, our text is quite forceful. Christ claimed that Satan has “begged earnestly” (literal translation of “desired”), not just for Peter, but for all the disciples, as seen in the plural pronoun “you,” to “sift you as wheat.” Satan knew (as he still knows) that the fall of Christian leaders causes many others to fall, and if all of the disciples could be made to abandon the faith, the gospel could not be spread.
Christ turned specifically to Peter as the generally recognized spokesman for the disciples, and even though He knew Peter would fall, Christ informed him that he had been prayed for, that his “faith fail not.” Indeed, Peter did turn around once he saw the risen Lord and became a leader in the fledgling church in Jerusalem, as well as a missionary. Through the witness of Peter and those he strengthened, the gospel has come to us. -Christian Blessings
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Luke 22: 42- 44:
Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. |
Luke is the only gospel writer to mention the bloody sweat, possibly because of his interest as a physician. Sweating blood is a rare psychological phenomenon.
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Jerry Pokorsky Files
There is a tension between real and imagined fears. Imaginary fears—or those only partially based on reality—are irrational. Jesus feared the Cross in the Garden, and His fears were realistic. In His anguish at the prospect of the Crucifixion, He prayed, “Father, if thou art willing, remove this cup from me.” We need not deny fears anchored in reality, but we must place our anxieties in service of God’s positive or permissive will. So Jesus concludes, “…nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” (Lk. 22:42)
Like Jesus, we tremble at the prospect of the Cross. Yet recent events demonstrate that many of our fears are disproportionate and irrational, making us vulnerable to organized scare tactics.
-Fr. Jerry Pokorsky ; Catholic Culure; 3.18.22
Like Jesus, we tremble at the prospect of the Cross. Yet recent events demonstrate that many of our fears are disproportionate and irrational, making us vulnerable to organized scare tactics.
-Fr. Jerry Pokorsky ; Catholic Culure; 3.18.22