Daily Devotions
Luke
Luke 22 : 31-34 "THE ENDLESS BATTLE WITH THE DEVIL"
Day 286 – Luke 22
Text: Luke 22 : 31-34
THE ENDLESS BATTLE WITH THE DEVIL
Luke recorded in his Gospel that when Jesus prepared Himself for public ministry, the devil appeared and sought to tempt Him away from fulfilling His Divine Mission. He tried his hardest but failed miserably (Cf. Luke 4).
The Gospel of Luke also mentioned a number of incidents where Jesus confronted demons. They had invaded these poor human beings, and controlled them through “possession”. Mercifully, these men met Jesus and were released from their dark bondage.
Luke solemnly noted that Satan got the better of Judas. This erstwhile disciple of Jesus was finally fully possessed by the devil and ended up betraying his Teacher (Luke 22:3).
As if these notations were not sobering enough, we read a startling passage. Jesus spoke very plainly to His Disciples,
“And the Lord said,
‘Simon, Simon! Indeed Satan has asked
For you (this pronoun is in the plural in the Greek text), that he may sift you as wheat…”
Luke 22:31
Jesus saw Satan as a defeated foe. His humble disciples could overcome his demons. His defeat was well-described by Jesus when His Disciples returned from a successful ministry,
“I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven.”
Luke 10:18
However, it would be a tragic mistake to think that since the Devil has been defeated, he has thrown in the towel. He has not done that. He will continue to fight all believers till the very end.
THE LIMITED POWERS OF THE DEVIL
Though we may be stunned by the fact that the Devil could possess Judas, we must not let that thought cripple our faith and trust in the Lord. Jesus made an important statement as He spoke to His Disciples about this battle that Satan waged against Him and His Disciples.
“Satan has asked for you…”
Luke 22:31
Let us be assured that Satan cannot possess believers at will. He cannot invade our lives just as he pleases. He has to “ask” permission from the Lord Jesus before he can even launch an attack. What a comforting thought this is. Would Jesus abandon us to the devil? NEVER! (The word “asked” may also be translated “begged”. Yes, Satan has to beg Jesus to give him permission to test His Disciples).
MORE THAN ONE PERSON IN VIEW
Simon Peter was one of the prime targets of Satan. However, he was not the only one whom he sought to tempt and to test. Jesus made it known to His Disciples that Satan had in fact asked for all of them. The plural pronoun “you” would suggest that the whole company with Jesus would be tested!
Simon was probably singled out for two main reasons:-
1. Satan asked for him specifically, by name.
2. Simon played a leading role among the Disciples. Satan must have reasoned that if the leader of the Disciples could succumb, than the others would not be a problem. Hence he focused his attack on Peter.
NO NEED TO FEAR ANY ATTACK FROM THE DEVIL
Jesus of course allowed the Devil to attack Simon and the rest of the Disciples. He was not afraid of His Disciples being tested, no matter how severely. The reason may be found in the words of Jesus.
“But I have prayed for you,
that your faith should not fail;
and when you have returned to Me,
strengthen your brethren.”
Luke 22:32
We may be frightened by the thought of Satan attacking us. Jesus wasn’t! He had no need to fear any attack from Satan. He believed that His intercessory prayer had power enough to keep Peter and his faith in Him.
Jesus prayed for Peter, that his faith might not fail him. He knew Simon and the rest of His Disciples only too well. This severe time of testing from the Devil may be very humiliating for His Disciples, but He knew that at the end of the ordeal, they would emerge stronger and be even more triumphant.
Jesus knew that Peter’s raw, natural courage would falter and fail. This was one lesson that Peter had to learn – the hard way! The faith of Peter did not fail him. Failure need not be interpreted as a loss of faith!
“DELIVER US FROM THE EVIL ONE” Luke 11:4
Jesus once taught His Disciples how to pray. He reminded them to cry out to the Father to deliver them from the evil one.
This episode illustrates for us how Jesus practised what He preached! It would take nothing less than the power of God to deliver us from the attacks of the evil one.
Let us be reminded of the efficacy of prayer. Jesus spoke simply of how He prayed for Simon. He believed that His prayer would uphold Peter’s faith, and when faith holds, Satan is defeated. His purpose as always is to shatter people’s faith and trust in God. Let us not allow him to succeed in his attempts to derail our faith in the Lord.