Sifted as Wheat — TDW Kids

Satan Has Asked for You

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At the Last Supper, Jesus gave Peter a warning: “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat” (Luke 22:31). What did Jesus mean?

Sifting wheat. In Bible times, after the wheat was cut, farmers beat out the grain. Then they sifted it. To sift is to shake the grain hard in a sieve, a frame with small holes, so that the grain is separated from everything else.

Shaken hard. Satan wanted to shake Peter the way a farmer shakes grain. He wanted to shake Peter's faith until it gave way.

All of you. In verse 31 the word you means all of you. Satan had asked to shake all the disciples, not only Peter. That same night they all ran away (Mark 14:50).

Satan had to ask. Satan is a real enemy, but he is not as strong as God. Long ago Satan also had to ask before he could test a man named Job. God set limits on what Satan could do, and Satan could not go past them. He told Satan, “only do not lay a hand on his person” (Job 1:12), and later, “spare his life” (Job 2:6).

The Bible says the devil “deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9). To deceive is to trick someone into believing a lie.

Peter's warning. Years later Peter wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). An adversary is an enemy. To be vigilant is to stay awake and watch. Peter knew from that night how real this enemy is.

One more word. Right after the warning, Jesus said, “But I have prayed for you” (Luke 22:32). In verse 32 the word you means Peter himself. Satan asked for all of them. Jesus answered with a prayer for the one who would deny Him three times.

Stronger than the enemy. Satan is strong, but Jesus is much stronger. Satan asked for all of them, but Jesus prayed for Peter, and Peter's faith did not run out.

How Jesus won. Jesus died on the cross to pay for our sins, and on the third day He rose from the dead. The enemy could not stop Him, and death could not hold Him.

What to do. When life shakes you, remember who is stronger. Stay close to Jesus, pray, and trust Him to keep you safe in His hands.

At the supper table, only hours before Peter's three denials, Jesus told Peter what the enemy wanted, and then what He Himself had done.

Siniazo (Luke 22:31). “Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat.” Sift is siniazo (say: sin-ee-AHD-zoh), to shake grain in a sieve. The shaking was meant to separate. Satan wanted to shake Peter's faith until it gave way.

Plural, then singular. In verse 31 the word you is plural: Satan had asked for all the disciples. In verse 32 the you is singular: “But I have prayed for you.” Jesus met a threat against the whole group with a prayer for the one man who would deny Him three times.

Asked. The enemy had to ask. The first time, the Lord told Satan, “only do not lay a hand on his person” (Job 1:12). The second time He said, “Behold, he is in your hand, but spare his life” (Job 2:6). The Lord set the limit each time, and Satan could not go past it.

The night of sifting. Within hours of the warning they had all fled (Mark 14:50), and Peter had said three times that he did not know Jesus (John 18:17, 25-27).

The Bible says the devil “deceives the whole world” (Revelation 12:9), but he cannot go beyond what God allows.

What the sieve showed. A sieve does not put anything into the grain. It shows what is already there. The shaking of that night showed how weak Peter's own promises were, and how strong Jesus' prayer for him was.

A sifted man's warning. Peter later wrote, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5:8). He wrote as a man who had been through the sieve.

The Stronger One. At the cross Jesus paid for sin, and by rising from the dead He broke death's hold. The one who sifts could not stop the Savior.

For you. Times of shaking come to every believer. When they do, the enemy is not in charge. Jesus is. Stay close to Him, say no to the devil's lies, and keep trusting the Lord who keeps you.

That Your Faith Should Not Fail

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Jesus did not tell Peter that he would never fall. He told Peter something different: “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:32).

Fall and fail. Peter did fall. He said three times that he did not know Jesus. But his faith did not fail. To fail here means to run out, the way oil in a lamp can run out until the light goes dark.

Still burning. Peter's faith was shaken hard, but it did not run out. When the rooster crowed, Peter wept, because he still loved his Lord (Luke 22:62).

Strengthen your brethren. Jesus went on, “and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren” (22:32). Brethren means brothers, the other believers. Jesus would later meet Peter again and forgive him. Then Peter would help others stand strong.

Fiery trials. Years later Peter wrote, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you” (1 Peter 4:12). A trial is a hard time that tests us. Peter said hard times are not strange for Christians.

Like gold. Peter also wrote that “the genuineness of your faith” is “much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire” (1 Peter 1:7). Genuineness means being real. Fire shows what is real gold. Hard times show what is real faith.

Not alone. “But rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13). Jesus suffered too. In hard times we are never alone.

Trusting the faithful One. Peter wrote, “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator” (1 Peter 4:19). To commit your soul to God is to put yourself in His hands.

A gift from God. Faith is not something we make by trying hard. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

Why it holds. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). Jesus died for our sins and rose again, and He keeps His people.

What to do. If your faith feels weak, tell Jesus. Ask Him to make it strong. Then look for a friend you can encourage, the way Peter later encouraged others.

Jesus' prayer in Luke 22:32 did not ask for what we might expect. He did not ask that Peter be kept from falling. He knew Peter would fall that very night.

Ekleipo (Luke 22:32). “But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail.” Fail is ekleipo (say: ek-LAY-poh), to give out, to run out completely. Jesus prayed that Peter's faith would not die out.

Fell, but did not fail. Peter's courage gave way three times in one night, but his faith did not. When the Lord looked at him, “Peter went out and wept bitterly” (Luke 22:62). Those were the tears of a man who still loved his Lord.

Strengthen (22:32). “And when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.” Jesus would later meet Peter again and forgive him. The man who had been shaken would help steady others.

The fiery trial (1 Peter 4:12-13). Peter later wrote, “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings.” Testing is part of following a Lord who suffered.

Rejoice. Peter does not tell suffering believers to pretend. He tells them to rejoice because they share in Christ's sufferings, “that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:13). The hard time will end. His glory will not.

Gold in the fire (1 Peter 1:6-7). Peter wrote of “the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:7). Faith that has been through the fire will bring praise when Jesus is revealed.

Commit your soul (1 Peter 4:19). “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.” The man who once trusted his own promise learned to trust God's faithfulness.

Still strengthening. Near the end of his first letter Peter prayed, “But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you” (1 Peter 5:10). He was doing what Jesus told him to do: strengthening his brothers.

Why it holds. Faith survives the sieve because of the Savior it holds on to. “For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Peter 3:18). He died and rose, and He does not let go of His own.

For you. Your faith may be shaken. Bring it to Jesus as it is. And when He has helped you, help someone else stand.

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