Sleeping Believers

Descipleship

45When He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping from sorrow, 46and He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you do not come into temptation.”

– Luke 22:45-46
(NASB® © 2020)

These disciples – faithless, tired, and totally lacking in empathy! We often find ourselves thinking this way. As much as we marvel at the fact that they fell asleep three times in that scene in the Garden of Gethsemane, which moves us like almost no other, we still want to “consider ourselves, lest we also be tempted” (Gal 6:1). We too can fall asleep in our practical life. In this case, Paul’s encouragement applies to us: “Therefore let us not sleep, as others (=unbelievers) do, but let us watch and be sober ” (1 Thess. 5:6) and: “And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep ” (Rom 13:11). The dead and the sleeping are, at first sight, almost indistinguishable; and even Christians who have fallen asleep are just as “useless” to God in their sleep as unbelievers.

It is interesting that Scripture gives us several examples of sleeping believers – always for different reasons, but each time with a great lesson for us, too:

  • Samson (Jdg 16:18-22) – fell asleep because of worldliness
  • Elijah (1 Kings 19:1-5) – fell asleep because of resignation
  • Jonah (Jon 1:3-5) – fell asleep because of disobedience
  • 10 virgins (Matthew 25:5.10) – fell asleep because of a lack of expectation
  • Disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration (Lk 9:28-36) – fell asleep due to lack of appreciation
  • The Bride of Song of Songs (Song of Songs 5:2.6) – fell asleep because of a lack of affection
  • Eutychus (Acts 20:7-12) – fell asleep because of a lack of attention
  • The disciples in Gethsemane (Luke 22:39-46) – fell asleep because of a lack of dependence and watchfulness.

The important question now is: Are you asleep? Then wake up!

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