Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word. This week's question:

Amazingly enough, as much as Jesus taught about humility and lived it to the cross, His disciples were arguing among themselves the very night before His crucifixion. "And there arose also a dispute among them as to which one of them was regarded as the greatest." (Luke 22:24). Jesus learned obedience on the cross (Hebrews 5:8), as well as the shame of the cross (Hebrews 12:3), and,

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the form of a bond servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in the appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross." (Philippians 2:6-8).

That brings us to our question, "Who does Satan demand to sift like wheat?". Even though the disciples of Christ were arguing about who was regarded as the greatest, there is no doubt that Satan was ready and willing to try to tear him away from the faith as we have already seen him tempt Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) without success.

Jesus told His disciples that the greatest is to become the youngest and the leader is to become as the servant (Luke 22:26), and then He tells them, (Luke 22:28-34) "'You are the ones who have stood by Me in My trials; and just as My Father has granted Me a kingdom, I grant you that you may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Simon, Simon, behold, Satan has demanded permission to sift you like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your faith may not fail; and you, when once you have turned again, strengthen your brothers.' But he said to Him, 'Lord, with you I am ready to both go to prison and to death!' And He said, 'I say to you Peter, the rooster will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know Me.'".

And so, there we have the answer to our question as it is Simon Peter who Satan demands to sift like wheat. And before the rooster crowed that morning, Peter did deny Jesus three times and when the rooster did crow, "The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, and how He had told him, 'Before a rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times.' And he went out and wept bitterly." (Luke 22:61-62).

But the story does not end there. Just as the multitudes try to take Jesus by force and make Him king (John 6:15), so did the disciples believe that they would serve Jesus in His earthly kingdom with Jesus as an earthly king (Matthew 16:21-23 & 20:20-24)!

But when Jesus dies upon the cross, His disciples are confused about this kingdom which now seems like a dream. Even after some see Jesus raised up, they do not even believe the reports of it (Mark 16:12-13). Peter then tells some who were with him, "'I am going fishing.' They said to him, 'We will also come with you.' They went out and got into the boat; and that night they caught nothing." (John 21:3-4). It was their occupation before they were told by Jesus that they would become fishers of men (Matthew 4:19).

Then Jesus manifested Himself before them and asks them if they caught any fish, and when they said they do not, He asks them to cast once more on the right side of the boat, and as they do, they were not able to haul in the catch. John then recognizes who it was that asked them to cast once more and says to Peter, "It is the Lord." (John 21:7), and Peter dives into the sea in his haste to be before the Lord once more. Jesus encourages Peter to not only to "Tend My sheep" (John 21:17), but also to, "Follow Me!" (John 21:19). And Peter does turn and encourages the other disciples and preaches the first gospel sermon which brings on some three thousand souls into baptism which the Lord added that day to the church (Acts 2:1-47). And Peter does become fishers of men!

Let us learn more of His way to not only be a follower of Him, but as Peter, become a fisher of men!