GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 13:37
In Summary
In addition to reading the New Testament, I recently read through the Book of Proverbs. In chapter 10, proverbs attributed to King Solomon lay out principles such as “Lazy hands make a man poor, but diligent hands bring wealth” (v. 4); “He who gathers crops in the summer is a wise son, but he who sleeps during harvest is a disgraceful son” (v. 5); and “As vinegar to the teeth and smoke to the eyes, so is a sluggard to those who send him.” (v. 26)
After discussing the coming disaster for Jerusalem and the Inter-Advent era, Jesus concluded his lesson to the disciples on the Mount of Olives by saying, “But what I say to you, I say to all—stay alert.” (Mark 13:37) Jesus extended the application of the prophetic parable of the traveling homeowner to everyone, and he concluded the lesson with one word: “Stay wakefully alert.” There is no direct English translation for the word Mark used, “grégoreó” (γρηγορέω; see the English name Gregory), because it includes both the ideas of staying awake and staying alert. Some New Testament translators use the word “watch,” while others use the word “alert,” to translate this word. Luke’s word is also an imperative: “Stay alert!” (Luke 12:37, 39)
Some New Testament scholars have counted as many as 300 distinct commands by Jesus in the New Testament, while others have count as few as 49. However, Jesus summarized them all in one word: “Stay wakefully alert.” No believer wants to be compared to Solomon’s “lazy hands,” “disgraceful son,” or “sluggard.” No, Jesus’ command sums it up—“Stay alert.”
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