Luke 22:32 - Printer Friendly

ESV: but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers."

NIV: But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

NASB: but I have prayed for you, that your faith will not fail; and you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.'

CSB: But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers."

NLT: But I have pleaded in prayer for you, Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to me again, strengthen your brothers.'

KJV: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.

NKJV: But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren.”

Peter is being warned about what he and the other disciples are going to do. In a move reminiscent of Job 1:8–12, Satan has asked God permission to test the faith of the disciples. He wants to sift them like wheat: metaphorically tear them apart. God will only allow Him to sift in a more traditional way: throw them in the air to blow away the unusable chaff of their weak character from the good grain of their faith (Luke 22:31).

Jesus has called Peter "Simon," which means "listening;" He wants Peter to hear Him. Jesus has prayed that Peter's faith won't fail; He knows that it will and that Peter will deny that he knows Jesus. But Jesus has also prayed that when Peter returns—reconciles—with Him, he will lead the other disciples in the way they should go.

Peter does this from the day of Jesus' ascension. He leads them in finding a replacement for Judas (Acts 1:12–26), preaches to thousands in Jerusalem (Acts 2:14–41), defends Jesus' resurrection before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:1–22), and continues preaching when the Sanhedrin threatens the disciples (Acts 5:17–42). He makes some missteps, largely related to his confusion about the inclusion of Gentiles in the church (Galatians 2:11–14). But he finds that Jesus was right when He said those who are forgiven much love much (Luke 7:47).

"Fail," here, has the sense of disappearing completely. When Peter denies Jesus, he will have a kernel of faith still active as proved by his intense mourning (Luke 22:54–62). Peter will lose his courage, not his love for Jesus. "Turned again" means "repent." Jesus will lead Peter to repentance and restoration on the shore of the Sea of Galilee when He tells Peter "Feed my lambs" (John 21:15–17).

Luke 22:31–34 records the last of three stories of how the disciples fail Jesus at the Last Supper. Jesus has already revealed that one of them will betray Him (Luke 22:21–23). The disciples have revealed that their goal in Christ's kingdom is still positions of authority and power (Luke 22:24–30). Now, Jesus says they will abandon Him and Peter will deny Him. But Peter will recover and lead the disciples into restoration and a deeper faith. Jesus' prophecy of Peter's denial is also in Matthew 26:31–35, Mark 14:27–31, and John 13:37–38. Peter's recovery is in Luke 24:34 (cf. Mark 16:7; 1 Corinthians 15:5), John 21:15–19, and Acts 1—5 and 10—11.

Luke 22 is a long chapter which records events leading to Jesus' political trials and crucifixion. He has successfully taught crowds at the temple and proved His authority over the religious leaders (Luke 19:47—20). Meanwhile the leaders have spent the week planning to arrest Jesus and have Him killed (Luke 19:47–48). This chapter records the Last Supper, the arrest on the Mount of Olives, and the trials before the Jewish religious leaders. Matthew 26, Mark 14, and John 18 cover much of the same information.

Luke 23 continues Jesus' trials before Pilate and Herod Antipas. He is then led to the cross where He forgives His murderers and saves a thief before He dies. In Luke 24, Jesus rises from the dead, meets two disciples while they travel, and explains to them how the Old Testament prophesied the death of the Messiah. In the final scene of the gospel, Jesus is reunited with His disciples, blesses them, and ascends into heaven.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.