Luke 22:31 tells us that Satan asked for permission to test the disciples severely, and that Jesus knew this was happening before it began. The verse also shows that Jesus was already interceding for Simon Peter, even as Peter was about to fail. Jesus speaks these words during the Last Supper, addressing Simon Peter by name and using his name twice to get his full attention.
The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked to have all of you, that he might sift you as wheat…
Luke 22:31 (WEB)
What Luke 22:31 Means
The phrase “Simon, Simon” repeats the name for emphasis, much as a parent might say a child’s name twice when they need to be heard. Jesus is not casually warning Peter. He is pointing to a real spiritual conflict that is underway. The word “sift” describes shaking grain through a sieve to separate the useful kernels from the chaff, which suggests a process of testing that can expose what is weak and refine what is strong.
The verse does not promise that the disciples will escape trouble, and it does not say the test is unfair or random. It reveals that Satan had asked for the chance, and that the testing would be real and painful. What the verse leaves unstated is also important: it does not say how the sifting ends, which is why the next verse matters so much.
The Context of Luke 22:31
Luke wrote this Gospel to a Gentile reader named Theophilus, and he drew on eyewitness accounts and careful research to present the life of Jesus in order (Luke 1:1-4). The passage sits in the Passover meal, where Jesus has just spoken of his coming betrayal and the disciples are arguing about who is the greatest. Verses 28 to 30 praise the disciples for staying with Jesus through his trials and promise them a place at his table, so Jesus is affirming their loyalty before he warns them.
Read this way, the verse is not a rebuke that cancels their faithfulness. It comes between a promise of honor and a prediction of Peter’s denial in verse 34. Jesus holds both truths together: the disciples have been faithful, and they are about to be tested beyond what they expect. That combination shapes how the whole passage should be heard.
Key Phrases in Luke 22:31
Luke 22:32
But I prayed for you, that your faith wouldn’t fail. You, when once you have turned again, establish your brothers.”
(WEB)
The very next verse completes the thought by revealing that Jesus has already prayed for Peter. It shows that the sifting is real but is not the last word, since Jesus’s intercession guards Peter’s faith and sets the stage for his restoration.
1 Peter 5:8-10
8 Be sober and self-controlled. Be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, walks around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Withstand him steadfast in your faith, knowing that your brothers who are in the world are undergoing the same sufferings. 10 But may the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a little while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you.
(WEB)
Peter later writes about the adversary who prowls like a lion and then encourages believers to resist him steadfastly. His own experience of being sifted shapes this counsel, which shows how the lesson of Luke 22:31 stayed with him for the rest of his ministry.
A Short Prayer From Luke 22:31
Lord Jesus, you knew what was coming for Peter and you prayed for him before he ever stumbled. I bring my own fears and weak places to you today, trusting that you see them clearly. When the pressure feels like a sieve shaking me, remind me that you are interceding for my faith. Strengthen what is genuine in me and let go of what is not. Help me return to you when I fall, and use my life to strengthen others. Amen.
