Stay Awake!

STAY AWAKE!

An Exposition of Mark 13:32-37

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: September 26, 2021

Series: Mark: Knowing and Following God’s Son

Note: Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

I invite you to turn to Mark 13. As I've indicated before, the last couple sermons were more densely packed than the typical sermon. I was up here with many, many pieces of paper. I wanted to completely write out the last two sermons, because they were so information-heavy – and I wanted to be very precise. This morning I just have one piece of paper, so I'm not going to be flipping pages! Even though it is good to not be quite so intellectually intense, we still want to have our thinking caps on. We want to engage with the Word of God, with our mind as well as with our hearts, so that we can understand what the Lord is saying and so that we can be transformed by his words. And so, I'm going to go ahead and read Mark 13:32-37 – and then we will dive in.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

Holy Scripture says,

³² “But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³³ Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come. ³⁴ It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. ³⁵ Therefore stay awake—for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning— ³⁶ lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. ³⁷ And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” (Mark 13:32-37)

This is the Word of God and it is for our good.

STAY AWAKE!

I've titled this sermon “Stay Awake!” because in the English Standard Version Bible that I'm using, the phrase “stay awake” occurs three times, and the phrase “keep awake” occurs one time in verse 33. So “Stay Awake!” seems like a fitting title for the message.

WHAT ARE VERSES 32-37 ABOUT?

Unlike verses 1-30, which were about the destruction of Jerusalem and the destruction of the temple that took place in the first century, these last six verses are about the Lord's return at the end of history. Now, I don't just want to tell you that and expect you to take my word for it. I want to say a few things to give you some reasons why I think the way I do. So, let me give you four reasons why I believe that this last section of Mark 13 has to do with the return of the Lord at the end of history.[1]

First, there is a change in subject matter. The theme of Mark 13:1-30 is captured in verse 2. When Jesus says, “There will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down” (Mark 13:2), and when the disciples ask Jesus about the when the temple will be destroyed and what will be the sign that the temple is about to be destroyed (see Mark 13:4), these things set the topic for the verses that follow. And in verses 5-30 Jesus answers the disciples’ questions in verse 4. But here in verses 32-37, there is a different subject matter. Look at verse 34. It is parable, but it is a parable that is a window into the relationship between the Lord and his people: “It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore, stay awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come” (Mark 13:34-35). The point is that there is going to be a time, at some point in the future, when the Lord returns to his house, when the Lord returns to his people, when the Lord returns to this world. So, the subject matter is different.

Second, there was a time marker that Jesus gave us in verses 28-30. Jesus said, “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near. So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates.” (Mark 13:28-29) By the way – I mentioned this a couple weeks ago – the phrase “he is near” can also be translated “it is near”. And I think that “it is near” makes more sense in the context, because Jesus is talking about something that is going to happen while some of his contemporaries are still alive, as we see in verse 30. And what he has been talking about is the destruction of Jerusalem. So Jesus is saying that when you see the signs and the events unfolding that he had talked about in the earlier part of the chapter – “when you see these things taking place, you know that [it] is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.” (Mark 13:29-30) That last phrase (verse 30) is like a punctuation marker. In terms of time, everything that Jesus has been talking about up until this point – and Jesus is speaking around the year 30AD) – will be fulfilled in the lifetime of some of the people who were alive when Jesus gave this instruction. Some of the people who were alive when Jesus spoke about these things are still going to still be alive when Jerusalem and the temple are destroyed. And of course, this is what happened – as Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in 70AD. But there is no time marker in verses 32-37. Now, in verses 32-37, we are beyond the time marker of what was going to happen within the timeframe of the current generation. Now, with respect to verses 32-37, “do you do not when the time will come.” (Mark 13:33) “Therefore stay awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come” (Mark 13:35). So this is the second reason: we are outside of the time marker given in verses 28-30.

Now the second reason (mentioned above) leads right into a third reason. Jesus taught us in verses 1-30 that the destruction of the temple would be preceded by identifiable signs. The logic of verses 28-30 is: you do know the approximate time when the temple is going to be destroyed, because you are going to have the abomination of desolation in verse 14 and then tribulation – the difficulties are going to ramp up and things are going to get really bad. And you are going to recognize this. You are going to know that it is coming. Do you see? The destruction of Jerusalem was preceded by certain identifiable signs that Jesus expected the disciples to see. But guess what? In verses 32-37, the Lord's return is not preceded by any signs. This is really important to understand, because the logic of verses 1-30 is: pay attention because you will know the approximate time of Jerusalem's downfall. The logic of verses 32-37 is: always be ready because you do not know the time of the Lord's return. Do you see?

Let me give a simple example to help us understand. Suppose an administrator comes to one of his teachers and says “I'm going to come to your class next Monday morning from 9am to 11 am, and I'm going to observe your three morning classes.” In this case, the teacher knows in advance the day and the hour. What does the teacher do? Well, I can't speak for every teacher, because there are some really good teachers out there who are always ready for an administrator’s visit and wouldn’t have to make any special preparations. Some teachers, though, would think that the administrator’s pending visit means that it is time to get really professional, to get really prepared, to get really orderly – because they know that the administrator is going to be there on Monday morning to observe the class. But suppose the administrator takes a different approach with his teaching staff and tells them, “Teachers, at various unannounced and undisclosed times throughout the year, and without any warning, I'm going to come and sit in your class and observe your work.” Now if that's the case, the mindset of the teacher ought to be: I have to always be ready and always be doing my best, because I don't know the day or the hour when the administrator is going to come and observe my teaching. Do you understand? Always be ready because you do not know the time! That is the logic of verses 32-37.

So the theme has changed. Verses 32-37 are outside of the time marker of verse 30. And unlike the signs that preceded the destruction of Jerusalem, there are no signs preceding the Lord's return.

Now here's the fourth reason. Throughout the New Testament, there are references to “that day”. We see “that day” right here in verse 32: “But concerning that day…” “That day” is almost always a reference to the final day of judgment that will take place at the end of history in conjunction with the Lord's return. If you have your Bible, I'm going to ask you to turn with me because I want you to see a few passages where this phrase “that day” occurs, and then we'll come back to Mark 13.

In Matthew 7, Jesus said:

““Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’” (Matthew 7:21-23)

“That day” is the day of judgment.

In Romans 2, Paul wrote:

“They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 2:15-16)

“That day” is once again connected to God's judgment.

In 2 Timothy, Paul wrote in Chapter 1:

“May the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chains, but when he arrived in Rome he searched for me earnestly and found me—may the Lord grant him to find mercy from the Lord on that day!—and you well know all the service he rendered at Ephesus.” (2 Timothy 1:16-18)

Paul utilizes the phrase “that day” again in Chapter 4 of the same letter. This is a beautiful passage in which Paul recounts what he is anticipating as his earthly sojourn comes to an end. He writes:

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.” (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

So “that day” points forward to the time when all of humanity will be gathered before the Lord and there will be a final judgment and separation, with some being sent away into the outer darkness and others being rewarded and welcomed into the presence of God for all eternity.

So those four reasons, among some other reasons, lead me to the conclusion that verses 32-37 are about the return of the Lord at the end of history, when he comes to judge humanity.

THE PRIMARY EXHORTATION OF VERSES 32-37

Now clearly the primary exhortation of these verses has to do with your spiritual attentiveness. Verse 33: “Be on guard, keep awake.” And then verse 35: “Therefore stay awake”. And verse 37 concludes: “Stay awake.” The idea is to be awake, alert, attentive, spiritually tuned in, focused and faithful, vigilant and watchful. Always be ready for the Lord's return.

FOUR WAYS TO STAY AWAKE

And so, in light of this passage’s primary exhortation to us that we stay awake and remain spiritually alert, I want to give you four different ways of staying awake. These four ways of staying awake are all complementary and work together. So here are four things to think about that would help you to stay awake in your walk with the Lord.

Stay Awake by Remembering the Lord

First, stay awake by always remembering your Lord. Look at verse 34 again: “It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.”

Now what is the most important duty of the servants and of the doorkeeper? The most important duty is for them to remember the man of the house – because it is his house! He is the one who gave them the charge to do this task or that task. They must remember him first of all.

And so, stay awake by always remembering your Lord. Remember his character. Remember his mission, his love, his sacrifice. As we saw earlier in Mark’s Gospel, Jesus did not come “to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10:45) Remember his compassion, always taking time to minister to the brokenhearted. Remember his authority, commanding demons and diseases and storms, and even calling the dead back to life. Remember his exaltation, as I talked about last week: Mark 13:26 isn’t about Jesus coming back here, but instead his “coming in clouds” in Mark 13:26 – drawing upon Daniel 7:13-14 – is about his coming before the Ancient of Days to be exalted and to be entrusted with sovereign authority over the whole earth. And so, remember his exaltation. And remember what Jesus said before he ascended into heaven: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” (Matthew 28:18) This is the One who is seated at the right hand of God. Also remember his words. This is so important! What did Jesus say in Mark 13:31? “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” Therefore, give heed to his words!

One helpful way of letting this instruction sink in might be to reflect on that phrase “pass away”. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus essentially said the temple will pass away – and in due course it did. Here in verse 31, Jesus says that “[heaven] and earth will pass away”. Similarly, in 1 John 2 we are told that “the world is passing away along with its desires” (1 John 2:17). But here's the question. What about you? Are you going to pass away? Or are you going to abide forever? That's the question. The entirety of 1 John 2:17 says, “And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.” How do you know the will of God? By listening to Jesus. By giving heed to his words. Take this to heart: the way to not pass away is to build your life on the One whose words will not pass away. You see this idea at the end of the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 7:24-27. The wise man, who built his house on the rock, is the one who hears the words of Jesus and does them. The wise man builds his life on the Lord Jesus Christ and on the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. Always remember your Lord.

Stay Awake by Giving Yourself to Your Assigned Tasks

Second, stay awake by always giving yourself to the work the Lord has assigned to you. Again, this idea is tucked away in verse 34. The man who left to go on a journey put his servants in charge and gave each of his servants a particular task, and he commanded the doorkeeper to stay awake. Therefore, the man’s servants have work to do! And the point, moving from the parable to the Christian life, is that the Lord’s disciples have work to do. So if you are a disciple, then you have work to do!

One of the worst things that you can do for your spiritual life is to meander aimlessly through the day. Whether you are a child, a youth, in the middle of life, or retired, it is a really bad idea to meander aimlessly through the day. Someone has said that idle hands are the devil's workshop. Idleness is how you get yourself into trouble. So take this to heart: you have work to do!

As far as this idea of staying awake in the parable, the doorkeeper’s job is literally to stay awake at the door, looking out, waiting for the hour of his master's return. And then when the master returns, the doorkeeper opens the door and lets the master in. That is the parable. But when you take the message of the parable and translate it into the everyday Christian life, you are not supposed to keep vigil on your flat roof, looking up to the sky 24/7, waiting for the Lord to come back. That's not how the parable’s message translates. Instead, what you must do is stay awake by doing the work that the Lord has given you to do.

You have work to do as a husband or wife, as a father or mother, as a grandfather or grandmother, as a child or grandchild. You have work to do as a member of the body of Christ. You have work to do in whatever business or employment you are engaged in. You have work to do within your extended family and within your network of relationships. And of course, at the heart of your work are the kinds of instructions that Jesus has been giving us throughout the Gospel of Mark. You are to represent the Lord Jesus Christ at all times. Wherever you are, you are always his. He said, in Mark 8, to deny yourself and take up your cross and follow him, to lay down your life for his sake and the gospel’s sake, always representing him in whatever you say and whatever you do. What you say and do, you are to say and do on his behalf in order to influence others – your children, your relatives, your neighbors, your co-workers, your brothers and sisters in Christ – in order to influence others to become or to grow as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. Always give yourself to the work that the Lord has assigned to you. Never abandon your post. Never fall asleep. Never get sloppy. But be diligent to follow the Lord's call upon your life.

Stay Awake by Practicing the Presence of Jesus

Third, stay awake by always practicing the presence of Jesus. Now this third lesson is really just a practical way of combining the first two points, but let me explain it this way.

I really want my children to ‘practice the presence of Dad’. Here's what I mean. I come to my children, and I give them instruction. And I want them to be transformed in such a way that when I walk away or go to a different part of the house or occupy myself with some other task, that as far as they are concerned Dad's presence looms large upon them and my words hold sway, and they put those words into practice. In other words, I don't have to be physically present in order to be influentially present. Since I have spoken and my words have gone forth, my words ought to influence them and carry them to put my words into practice. We have a long way to go on ‘practicing the presence of Dad’. But this is a picture of what we are called to do as disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Apostle Paul talks about how when he speaks in this world, it is as if he is speaking in the sight of God. Paul told slaves in Colossians: work diligently for your earthly masters, not only when their eye is upon you. You see, that is what we often do. We think, ‘Dad's not around’, ‘the Boss isn't around’, ‘the Administrator is not coming today’, and so we get a little sloppy, we procrastinate, and we perform shoddy workmanship. But Paul says: forget about whether your boss is present or not, and work heartily as unto the Lord. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Thus we are called to practice the presence of Jesus, not sometimes but always.

What are we are doing here in this sanctuary this morning? We all understand, or hopefully most of us understand, that our gathering together for worship is something that we are doing in the presence of God. But the thing is, if you sit down this afternoon and turn on the football game – Saints versus Patriots or whatever other team you want to watch – and in whatever else you do today, these things are also taking place in the sight of God.

Brothers and sisters, practice the presence of Jesus. He is physically absent, but you must understand that he is spiritually present through his Holy Spirit. And the question is: are you aware of his presence? In the parable in Mark 13:34, the ideal situation is that that doorkeeper and the other servants in the house actually feel the reality of the master of the house, even though he has gone on a long journey. They remember their master. They remember his instructions. And that man and his words continue to hold sway in their hearts, even though he is not physically present. That’s how it is to be with us: that the Lord Jesus Christ, our exalted King, and his words which will never pass away, are always holding sway in our day-to-day lives and in our day-to-day decisions.

Stay Awake by Anticipating Your Appointment with Jesus

Finally, and really most pointedly and emphatically from this passage – what I'm about to tell you is the main thing, the primary thing, in this passage – stay awake by always anticipating your appointment with Jesus on the last day. Let me say it again: stay awake by always anticipating your appointment with Jesus on the last day. That's really the point here.

Frankly, most Christians throughout history will not actually be physically alive at the time when the Lord returns. I mean, we have two thousand years of faithful followers of Jesus – and these faithful disciples are dead. Therefore, the primary issue isn't so much whether you are alive when he returns – though you might be, you never know; maybe he will return soon; we don't know the day or hour, no one knows except the Father. But the point is to live in such a way that when he does come, and when all the peoples of the world throughout all time are gathered before him for judgment, that you will have lived in such a way that meets with his approval when he comes.

You see, sometimes when people talk about being ready for the Lord's return, they talk about it as if they want you to get your estate papers in order. You know, to make sure that you have the documents right and that have you signed off on them. And if the papers are in order, then everything is good. You're good to go.

However, being ready for the Lord's return is not at all just a matter of having received him or supposedly received him as your Lord and Savior at some point in the past. Being ready for the Lord’s return means to be constantly awake and always living in the reality that he is going to come. And when he comes, you are going to stand before him. And if you look at Matthew 24-25, which really expands on what Mark is telling us Mark 13:32-37, you will see that your eternal well-being is tied to whether or not you are awake or asleep, that is, whether you are spiritually awake or spiritually asleep. You can see the different ways that this reality is described in Matthew 24-25. Are you awake or are you asleep? Are you obedient and faithful, or are you unfaithful and disobedient? Have you demonstrated love for Jesus by caring for his people, especially his suffering people, or have you not demonstrated such love for Jesus? Those who are awake and faithful and obedient and have demonstrated love, however imperfectly we do that – but if that's the path you are on, then you will be received into the heavenly kingdom. But to those who were asleep, unfaithful, disobedient, and unloving – they are cast into the outer darkness. (See Matthew 24:36-25:46)

There Are Only Two Days That Matter

It may help to think about it this way – I learned this from a friend of mine who I think got it from Martin Luther, the great Protestant Reformer of the 16^th century. Here's the thought: there are only two days that matter. If I were to ask you, ‘What are the two days that matter most?’, I wonder what you would say. Do you want to know what Mark Twain said or supposedly said? Mark Twain supposedly said that the two most important days are the day you were born and the day you discover why. Well, there is certainly some wisdom in that.

But Martin Luther did better. According to Luther, what are the only two days that matter? The only two days that matter are ‘today’ and ‘that day’.  Let me say it again: ‘today’ and ‘that day’. Those are only two days that matter.

You can't do anything about yesterday. Yesterday is done and over, and the Apostle Paul says that he “[forgets] what lies behind and [strains] forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13). Jesus says, “[Do] not be anxious about tomorrow” (Matthew 6:34). Don't worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come. Of course in one sense it is never tomorrow, do you understand? Don't worry about tomorrow. Jesus goes on to say, “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.” (Matthew 6:34). Today has enough trouble of its own.

Ponder the significance of today. Today is the only day that you can be awake. Today is the only day that you can be faithful. Today is the only day that you can lay down your life for Jesus or for his people. Today is the only day when you can sow gifts or resources or energy into the work of God's kingdom. You can only do it today.

And you should always do what you do ‘today’ in light of ‘that day’ when the Lord will examine you. ‘That day’ is that final day of judgment when the Lord will examine the quality of your heart, your life, and your work. This is a weighty reality, but it also brings simplicity. Because how crazy it is to be constantly caught up in trying to please other people? You only have to have one person's approval. The only person whose approval truly matters is the Lord. If you have the Lord's approval, nothing else matters, because you'll be vindicated when you stand before him on judgment day. But if you do not have the Lord's approval, nothing else matters, because you will be cast away on judgment day.

TWO QUESTIONS OF PRACTICAL APPLICATION

Let me leave you with two questions for practical application.

First, are you ready? Are you ready for that day? A person is not saved by their faithfulness and obedience. But here's the thing: faithfulness and obedience and love demonstrate that you know and trust and love the Lord. And in the ongoing absence of growth in faithfulness and obedience and love, this absence demonstrates that you do not know and love and trust the Lord Jesus Christ. Are you ready? Do you love him? Do you trust him? Are you walking in his ways? You will keep your appointment with Jesus on the last day. Are you ready?

Second – and this question is specifically to those of you who are seeking to follow Jesus – is there something in your life that is getting in the way? Is theresomething in your life that is causing you to do the equivalent of falling asleep?Are you getting sloppy or veering off the path? And if so, what are you going to do about it? If you are spiritually asleep, you will say something like, ‘I'll get to that tomorrow. I know I've got to get my life reordered, but maybe tomorrow, maybe next week, maybe in a more convenient time.’ That is the voice of sleepiness. The voice of being awake, of being spiritually awake and alert, is very different. The person who is spiritually awake will say, ‘Today is the day. Today is the day of faith. Today is the day of repentance. Today is the day of growing closer to the Lord. Today is the day to take steps of obedience.’ Because today is the only day you have.

Brothers and sisters, live today in light of that day.

Let’s pray.

Father, we believe that the Lord Jesus Christ will return tojudge the living and the dead. Father, I pray that there would be a weightiness, but also a joy and anticipation and simplicity, that we would live, strive, love, and labor for the approval of one – our Lord Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen.

ENDNOTES

[1] I am especially indebted to R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark, and to Kenneth L. Gentry, The Olivet Discourse Made Easy, for understanding the focus of Mark 13:32-37 and how it differs from the focus of Mark 13:1-30. See bibliography below. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

James R. Edwards, The Gospel according to Mark (The Pillar New Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

R. T. France, The Gospel of Mark (The New International Greek Testament Commentary). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2002.

Kenneth L. Gentry, The Olivet Discourse Made Easy: You Can Understand Jesus’ Great Prophetic Discourse. Chesnee: Victorious Hope Publishing, 2021 reprint (copyright 2010).

William L. Lane, The Gospel of Mark (The New International Commentary on the New Testament). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974.

Eckhard J. Schnabel, Mark (Tyndale New Testament Commentaries Vol. 2). Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2017. 

Si Sheppard, The Jewish Revolt AD 66-74. Oxford: Osprey Publishing, 2013.

R. C. Sproul, The Last Days According to Jesus: When Did Jesus Say He Would Return? Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.

James W. Voelz, Mark 8:27–16:20 (Concordia Commentary). St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2019.

Walter W. Wessell and Mark L. Strauss, “Mark”. In The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Revised Edition, Volume 9: Matthew and Mark. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2010. 

Ben Witherington III, The Gospel of Mark: A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001.

N. T. Wright. Jesus and the Victory of God. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996.