“And what I say to you I say to all … Keep awake." - Mark 13:37
Jesus calls us to wakefulness, to watchfulness, to awareness. There is a wonderful interplay in some of his teachings between being awake and being asleep. We quickly realize it is figuratively, not literally, that he is speaking. To be asleep in the Greek of the New Testament is “katheudo.” It literally describes a posture: laid out, horizontal, prone, flattened. Euphemistically it means unaware, unconscious, dead to the world. Its opposite – wakefulness – is “egeiro” … vertical, upright; the posture of agency and capacity; aware, alive!
On the Mountain of Transfiguration, the Gospel says the disciples accompanying Jesus were “weighed down with sleep; but since they stayed awake, they saw his glory, and the two men standing with him.” (Luke 9:32) Far from groggy, his closest companions have been unconscious to the truth. In this elevated place of vision they are able to see, to comprehend, to understand Jesus in the tradition of the prophets and the faithfulness of God to raise up deliverers. They awaken to the reality of the One who has come into the midst of the world.
In the breaking of the bread, the Emmaus disciples awaken to the true identity of the One who journeys with them. “Keep awake,” Jesus says; “you never know when the Master of the house will come.” (Mark 13:35) Saul of Tarsus is struck blind on the Damascus road, only to have the scales fall from his eyes, revealing the Christ of God.
In chastising his dozy disciples, Jesus paraphrases Isaiah: “Do you still not perceive or understand? Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes, and fail to see? Do you have ears, and fail to hear?” (Mark 8:17-18) He’s calling them to wake up!
This becomes our prayer in the Eastertide: God give us eyes to see, and ears to hear! Give us minds to comprehend the glory of what you are doing in Christ. And give us hearts to embrace your calling upon us to live transformed lives in response. We sing, “Open our eyes, Lord, we want to see Jesus; to reach out and touch him, and show that we love him. Open our ears, Lord, and help us to listen. Open our eyes, Lord …”
Together, we can embrace God’s calling to true life … awake, aware and actively living into the Kingdom God is revealing. In times of joy, we can celebrate with one another. In times of challenge and struggle we can encourage one another with the words of the prophet: “No eye has seen, no ear heard, nor the human heart conceived, what God has prepared for those who love him.”
- Pastor Brad
