GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 13:36
Stay Alert
While working the midnight shift, I found it easy to stay awake as long as I was active. However, the job often required standing by, waiting for someone else to complete a task before I could proceed, and that was when it was difficult to stay awake. I used several strategies—walking, reading, memorizing Scripture. I had to be awake and alert when the foreman gave the signal to start work.
As Jesus taught his disciples about the return of the resurrected Christ, he told them to be alert. “Lest, if he comes suddenly, he find you sleeping.” (Mark 13:36) The word Mark used for “sleeping” is instructive (καθεύδω, katheudo). It is a compound word. The first part is the preposition “according to” or “down,” and the second part is the verb for “sleep.” One image created by the word is of a believer who is active, but who over time relaxes downward into sleep. As long as he is alert, he is awake, but gradually he begins to relax the vigilance and drifts to sleep.
I will admit—since those days are long gone—that if I sat waiting to work, my eyes would sometimes drift slowly closed. It seems the same way spiritually—wakefulness and watchfulness are not always easy to maintain. There are many ways to stay alert—fellowship, work, Bible study, and prayer. Jesus’ emphasis is relevant—stay alert.
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