Simon, Satan has Desired to Have You - Luke 22:31

Luke the beloved physician wrote how Jesus said to His disciples, “You are they which have continued with me in my temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as my Father has appointed unto me; That you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel”, and in chapter twenty-two and verse thirty-one of his book Luke shared how Jesus said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you” where we read:

And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:

The verse reads, “And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has desired to have you, ...” Luke began with the words, “and the Lord said” or “and the One to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master and the title given to God the Messiah uttered, declared and proclaimed”, “Simon, Simon” which means “little stone or rock, little stone or rock who was also known as Peter”, “behold” or “lo, look and consider”, “Satan” which refers to “the adversary and prince of the evil spirits who is the inveterate adversary of God and Christ” “has desired to have you” or “asked, demanded, craved and begged to hold, own and possess you, Simon”. Luke shared how Jesus told “Simon Peter” that “Satan” or the “devil himself” wanted to “possess” him.

The verse continues, “... that he may sift you as wheat:” Luke added the words, “that he may sift you” or “so Satan might shake in a sieve, inwardly agitate, and riddle you, Simon” “as wheat” which means “like the grain of corn or wheat”. Luke shared how Jesus said “Satan” wanted to “inwardly agitate” “Simon” in a manner like “wheat” is “sifted” from the fields.

When we meditate upon Luke's words in this verse, we learn how Jesus knew what “Satan” desired of Simon Peter. We can only imagine what the “devil” had in mind for Peter, but it must not have in any way been good. Jesus was watching over “Simon”, and He desires to watch over every person whom “Satan” desires to “sift”. God's plan was to send Jesus as the “Savior” of people's lives, and there is no one, not even Satan himself, who will be able to destroy the “faith” of those who willingly yield to Jesus Christ the Lord.

Next time Luke shares how Jesus tells Simon, “but I have prayed for you, that you faith fail not”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".