On Watch

 Today's reading: Mark 13:14-37

"And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” - Mark 13:37 ESV

Jesus' teaching takes a sudden turn from the destruction-of-Jerusalem-prediction (ends at verse 23) to the end of time when he and the angels will come again for what he calls the "gathering of the elect." There are many things to consider when it comes to Jesus' initiated eschaton (final event), but let's zero in on the command he gives twice at the end: "Stay awake."

There is one Greek word used for "stay awake" (gregoreo) and it can also mean to "watch" or to "be alert." John used the term when he quotes Jesus in Revelation 16:15: “Behold, I am coming like a thief! Blessed is the one who stays awake, keeping his garments on, that he may not go about naked and be seen exposed!”

We have to remain prepared for the moment when Jesus stops time and separates the sheep from the goats (see Matthew 25:31-46). Goats? They are the ones who fall asleep on the job Jesus gave them. Goats allow time passed to lull them into the lie that Jesus will never return, or if he does return, it won't be soon because x and y and z haven't happened yet.

If we have learned anything this year from our journey through these biographies of Jesus' life, it's that we don't get to set the terms or make the rules of how this life works. God is the creator and the sustainer of life, and he will blow the whistle at the right time (which no one knows).

Dive into the Bible today. Beg God for a heart like his. Go to church. Be around other Christians who can remind you that Jesus is coming again and that being ready isn't optional for his followers.