Sleep Walking

Blessed are those slaves whom the master will find on the alert when he comes; truly I say to you, that he will gird himself to serve, and have them recline at the table, and will come up and wait on them. Luke 12:37 NASB

On the alert – Are you awake? No, I don’t mean, “Are your eyes open?” I mean, “Are you gregorontas?” That’s the Greek word in this sentence translated “on the alert,” but it really means, “awake,” with the sense of “paying close attention to what’s happening.” You see, most of the time we are asleep, that is, we are just going through the daily routines of life not really aware of their import or sensitive to the grand connections in the universe. We are watching our feet rather than noticing the sunrise. We are victims of “eyes wide shut.”

So Yeshua tells his disciples, “Those who are paying attention will be blessed.” Once again, we need some cultural correction. In Greek, “blessed” is makarioi, but makarioi doesn’t mean “blessed” as we understand the word. It means “happy, lucky, fortunate.” We translate this according to the Latin (cf. the Beatitudes) rather than the Hebrew.[1] Yeshua is not telling his disciples that they will receive a spiritual blessing. He is saying that if they are awake when the Master returns, they will be the fortunate ones. Why? Because the Master will serve them! They will experience a complete reversal of status. They will be elevated. The completely unexpected reward is that they will be treated as people of supreme importance. Their years of service will turn out to be a celebration of honor. But only if they are awake.

Perhaps the umbrella of meaning for the Greek verb egeiro helps us capture the sense of Yeshua’s remark. The verb means more than “to awaken.” It means “to rouse up,” “to stir oneself,” even “to rise from the dead.” Sometimes it is associated with rising up in judgment. Sometimes it means rising up in glorification. It is always about some concrete action. It’s not just about inner awareness. This is the verb about doing something! In its derivative forms, it is about watching, vigilance and sober assessment. In 1 Thessalonians 5:10 it is used to mean “be alive.” When Yeshua (in translation) says gregorontas, he is exhorting his followers to watchfulness, serious concern for the details of living and persistent, active, readiness. You just never know when the Master will arrive, and I don’t mean, when the end of the age will come. I mean you never know when he will appear in the form of someone in need, someone in despair, someone sorrowful, someone desperate for connection. “Unto the least of these” are people who show up all the time—if we are awake.

Are you awake today? Are you sensitive to the opportunities of the Spirit, the hints of God’s engineering? Are you watching for signs of the Master?

Topical Index: awake, on the alert, gregorontas, makarioi, blessed, Luke 12:37

[1] For the details, see my book, The Lucky Life