We continue our meditation on Jesus' conversation with the disciples at the last Passover supper, the night before He was crucified. Jesus gave a shocking prophetic word to Simon, also called Peter:
31"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift you as wheat. 32But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers." 33But he replied, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." 34Jesus answered, "I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me" (Luke 22:31-34).
We suggested yesterday that Peter may have caused the dispute (Luke 22:24) at the table about who was the greatest among them. This argument may have arisen because Judas was seated in a position of honor to Jesus's left. The Lord addressed Peter using the name he formerly went by—Simon. Before Christ changed his name, Peter acted like a selfish, reckless, argumentative person. In those days, when someone wanted to emphasize a point, they repeated it twice, which is why Jesus reminds Peter that the old Simon behavior is returning, saying, “Simon, Simon” (v. 31).
Now that Jesus was leaving to be with the Father through the cross, He needed Peter to be a rock and a source of strength for the others. However, there was one more lesson or test Peter had to face, which was a lesson designed by God to break him as the potter breaks the pot to remold it again on the wheel (Jeremiah 18:4). The Lord wanted to shape Peter's character into a vessel of honor and use him to preach powerfully on the Day of Pentecost. Satan also had a plan for Peter: to sift him as wheat.
What does it mean to be sifted? The word picture Jesus gave is of harvested wheat shaken in a sieve. In those days, farmers took sheaves of grain from the fields to a threshing floor, usually on a hill, where a threshing instrument—a large wooden trolley pulled by oxen—was dragged over the husks to separate the wheat kernels from the stalks. When a strong breeze blew, they threw the entire mixture into the air with a pitchfork. The wind blew most of the chaff away, while the heavier kernels fell into the middle of the pile. Then, the sifting began with a good shake in the sieve. The wheat fell through, but the stones and chaff remained in the sieve. Perhaps the shaking in the sieve symbolized what was about to happen in the high priest's courtyard, where Peter was asked three times if he was a disciple of Christ. He failed the three-time test by responding negatively.
It could be that Peter’s pride needed to be broken before God could effectively use him. Satan’s goal was for Peter to be rejected as unwanted chaff, but the Lord told Peter He had prayed for him so that his faith would not fail. Have there been times in your life when your faith was shaken? What events has God allowed into your life to test your faith? Sometimes, God allows situations specifically designed to shake our faith and separate the useless chaff from our character. I don't believe it was a coincidence that three people questioned Peter about his faith in Christ while he stood around the fire in the high priest's courtyard. Perhaps God intended the whole situation to break Peter's heart. Peter thought he was strong enough and had what it took to lead the apostles. Hadn't Jesus told Peter that He would build His Church upon this rock? What about you? What situations are you going through that challenge your faith and character? I pray you come through the sifting as wheat and not blown away like chaff. Keith Thomas
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Taken from the series on the Gospel of Luke, study 59. The Last Supper
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