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Jesus’ Prayer for Peter (Luke 22) & Indefectibility

Jesus’ Prayer for Peter (Luke 22) & Indefectibility

Last updated on: August 5, 2025 at 12:40 pm by Dave Armstrong

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Jesus’ Prayer for Peter (Luke 22) & Indefectibility 2025-08-05T12:40:19-04:00 Dave Armstrong

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Photo credit: Christ Calling Saint Peter (Flemish School) [public domain / GetArchive]

Luke 22:31-32 (RSV) “Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat, [32] but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren.”

I can’t find any other passage where Jesus is described as “I have prayed for you” or “I will pray for you” in reference to a single person. His prayer for St. Peter is the only one I can find. I’m not claiming that Jesus didn’t pray for people. But the fact that Holy Scripture seems to highlight only Peter as one whom Jesus specifically prayed for, must be significant. Moreover, Jesus added: “when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren” (Lk 22:32). He is to do that precisely because he is the leader, whose job it is (among many other thing) to edify and strengthen other believers.

We might note, for example, how very few times Jesus prayed for others by name in Holy Scripture. The phrase of Jesus, “I have prayed for you” occurs only here in the New Testament (in RSV). In fact “prayed for” applied to Jesus, meaning intercession for a human being, only appears here also. The word “prayed” referring to Jesus appears nine times in the New Testament. The passage above is one of them. Six other times it refers to Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane about His Passion. The remaining two (Mk 1:35; Lk 5:16) refer to Jesus withdrawing alone and praying (no specific subject or object of prayer stated).

We can search “pray” in reference to Jesus and we find the same general thing: He is praying by Himself for we know not what (Mt 14:23; Mk 6:46; Lk 6:12; 9:18; 11:1), praying at His baptism (Lk 3:21), praying for many children (Mt 19:13), praying in Gethsemane (Mt 26:26; Mk 14:32; Lk 22:45), praying with (not for) Peter, John, and James right before the transfiguration (Lk 9:28-29), praying for the Holy Spirit to be given to believers (Jn 14:16), praying for the disciples as a group (Jn 17:9, 15), and for all Christians to come (Jn 17:20).

That’s the complete record, in terms of searching “pray” / ”prayed” / “prayer” in the New Testament (in the RSV). I think it’s also clear that Jesus prayed for Lazarus (John 11:41: “Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me.”) before He raised him (which is, of course, prayer for the dead: something Protestants tell us is heresy and unacceptable practice).

Thus, the only other single person that Scripture records Jesus interceding for is Lazarus. The instance with Peter above is the only time we see Him praying for one of His disciples about what he will be tasked to do: to strengthen his brethren. Surely, this is highly significant, and it has to do with a central task of what popes do: they guide, exhort, and strengthen Christian believers.

Jesus encouraged St. Peter to be a pastor of what is arguably the entire Church. His words were spoken at the Last Supper, with all the disciples present. Why does Jesus say this only to Peter, then? That’s the significance. If Peter wasn’t special and the leader, it seems to me that He would have said it to all of them. After all, most of His words at the Last Supper were directed to all of His disciples.

Critics of the Catholic interpretation of this passage note that Jesus prayed specifically for St. Peter because he was the one who (shortly after the Last Supper) denied Him three times. But are we to believe that no other disciples would have instances of failed faith? Only one of them, after all, was present at His crucifixion (St. John). Did none of them experience a lack of faith during that terrible time of His Passion? Of course they did! “Doubting Thomas” is an obvious example. So the relevant question is: why is it that Jesus is praying only for Peter’s faith? And why is Satan after him: so much so, that Jesus mentions it as something to pray for?

St. Peter’s faith, as I have noted in my writings, failed for maybe 10-15 minutes, when he made his denials: in the face of possible imprisonment and/or death (i.e., strong coercion or danger). He lost his nerve. Then he heard the cock crow and immediately repented. Contrast that with St. Paul, who was persecuting and killing Christians for an extended period of time, and had to be more or less forced by God to repent.

Of course all the apostles “strengthen”, just as non-apostle Christian believers also do. One can cite the example of St. Paul “strengthening all the disciples” (Acts 18:23; cf. 14:22; 15:41; 16:5; Rom 1:11) and the “prophets” Judas and Silas exhorting and strengthening the “brethren” (Acts 15:32). But what’s missed here and with regard to other Petrine / papal passages by critics is the sense of St. Peter as preeminent. The pope leads the Christian Church, even though bishops do many things the pope does, on a lesser scale and with less than universal jurisdiction.

St. Peter wasn’t constantly wavering in his faith. He wasn’t doubting Thomas. He wasn’t any worse than the other disciples. He seemed to have the most understanding and zeal among the disciples before Pentecost. Peter was the one (not the others) who jumped into the stormy sea with Jesus, to walk on the water, etc. Sure, he sank soon after, but at least he jumped in in the first place. Jesus prayed for Peter precisely because he was the leader, which was also indicated by the verse preceding: “Satan demanded to have you, that he might sift you like wheat” (22:31). Why Peter? Why not all of the disciples? It’s because — as always! — Peter was the leader. Satan thought he had defeated Jesus, so Peter was the next target, because a movement is rooted out by killing its leaders.

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Photo credit: Christ Calling Saint Peter (Flemish School) [public domain / GetArchive]

Summary: I examine the implications of Jesus’ rather unique prayer for St. Peter in Luke 22:31-32, and submit that it strongly suggests Peter’s role as the leader & head of the Church.

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