Keep Awake!

Scripture — Matthew 24:36-44 (NRSV)

“But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,_ but only the Father. For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark, and they knew nothing until the flood came and swept them all away, so too will be the coming of the Son of Man. Then two will be in the field; one will be taken and one will be left. Two women will be grinding meal together; one will be taken and one will be left. Keep awake, therefore, for you do not know on what day _your Lord is coming. But understand this: if the owner of the house had known in what part of the night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. Therefore you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an unexpected hour.”

Devotion

When I was a boy, I slept very little on Christmas Eve. I wanted to sleep. I would have been happy to sleep. But my brain simply would not shut down. I was too excited about what was coming on Christmas morning, beginning with surprises from Santa. Sleep, however much I longed for it, just wouldn’t be happening for me on that magical night. I could tell myself, “Just go to sleep!” but to no avail.

In Matthew 24, Jesus gave his disciples the opposite advice. Not, “Just go to sleep,” but “Keep awake!” I’ll get to that imperative in a moment. But first, I need to provide some context.

When the disciples asked Jesus about what was coming in the future, he warned them about all kinds of terrible things. For example, the disciples would be tortured, killed, and hated by all nations because of their relationship with Jesus (24:9).

But the news Jesus delivered wasn’t all bad. When everything in the world seemed to be going wrong, Jesus, as the Son of Man, would appear in glorious victory (24:30). His followers would be gathered together to share in his triumph (24:31).

Now, if you were one of the disciples listening to this revelation, I expect you might have one urgent question: “When will all of this happen? Soon? Later? When?” Jesus anticipates this question, though answering it in a way that could feel unsatisfactory. He says, “But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (24:36).  What??? It’s bad enough that we don’t know when the events of the end times will occur. But could it be true that Jesus himself didn’t know the timetable for such things??? That’s unexpected and unsettling. (Your Bible may have a footnote that says some ancient biblical texts lack the phrase, “nor the Son.” Scholars who study the New Testament manuscripts believe that, for some early Christians, the idea that Jesus didn’t know when he was coming back was theologically untenable, so they deleted “nor the Son,” which was most probably in the original text of Matthew’s gospel.)

At any rate, whether Jesus knew the timing or not, we certainly don’t know when he is coming in glory. Of course, I am well aware that, for centuries, some Christians have tried to figure out in advance when exactly Jesus was going to appear as the victorious Son of Man. Whether that’s something we ought to do or not can be debated. But it’s worth noting that Jesus did not say to his disciples, “So, I leave it to you to figure out when I’m coming.” Rather, what he did say was this, “Keep awake therefore, for you do not know on what day_ _your Lord is coming” (24:42).

Jesus urged his disciples to keep awake! Oh, how I wish I could claim that my sleeplessness on Christmas Eve was related to this command of Jesus. On the final night of Advent, it would have been appropriate to take seriously the command of Jesus related to his advent, his coming. Unfortunately, that would not have been true for me. My being awake all night wasn’t related to either the advent of Jesus, his birth, or his future coming. Rather, I was unable to sleep because I kept wondering what Santa was bringing me for Christmas. Moreover, when Jesus said, “Keep awake,” he wasn’t telling his disciples to avoid physical sleep. Rather, keeping awake is a metaphor for spiritual awareness. Keeping awake is paying attention to what God is doing in the world. In particular, it is always being ready for the advent of Jesus.

What does this mean for us? How can we be ready for the second coming of Jesus? This is not about trying to figure out God’s timing for the advent of Jesus. Rather, being awake is living each day differently because of the hope we have for the future. We see this in a passage from 1 Corinthians. Chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians has much to say about the future coming of Christ and how we will be transformed from mortality to immortality (15:53). We will experience the victory of Jesus over sin and death (15:56-57). What difference does this make in our lives today? 1 Corinthians 15 concludes with this exhortation: “Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.” Our confident hope in the future victory of Christ, in which we will participate, enables us to excel in the work God has given us today. Why? Because we have confident hope that our “labor is not in vain.”

Like the first disciples of Jesus, we don’t know exactly when he is coming. His second advent is a mystery known only to God. But our secure hope in his coming encourages us to “keep awake.” It empowers us to live today with assurance that what we do in this life matters. It matters today. And it will matter in the future, when Christ comes in victory. Let this truth inspire you in the season of Advent.

Find all Life for Leaders devotions here. Explore what the Bible has to say about work at the High Calling archive, hosted by the unique website of our partners, the Theology of Work Project. Reflection on today’s Life for Leaders theme can be found here: Being Ready for the Son of Man.