Sleep, Awake, Food Coma

We have all experienced the feeling of being lulled gently into an afternoon “food coma,” perhaps following the consumption of one too many Chipotle burritos. The experience itself might be thought a pleasant one—were it not for the person sitting across the table from you, now wondering just how closely you are listening to their story as your head bobs, eyelids closed.

Likewise, we have presumably all experienced not only such times of physical lethargy but also times of spiritual slumber: our view of God is hazy, and we’ve become desensitized to the movement of His Spirit. Not surprisingly, this is an issue we repeatedly find addressed in the pages of the New Testament.

For instance, Paul cites what is probably an early Christian hymn when addressing the congregation in Ephesus:

“Awake, O sleeper,

  and arise from the dead,

and Christ will shine on you.”  - Ephesians 5:14

The awakening in view almost certainly has a double reference: that of the future resurrection of the body, yes, but also (and most pertinent to Paul’s present exhortation) that of the believer’s present new life by virtue of union with Christ. Our new life in Christ, then, is a matter of “waking up” to the spiritual realities through which we previously only slumbered (due to “food coma,” or “wealth coma,” or “sex coma,” or—just pick your preferred sedative).

Peter accents a closely related theme in several passages where the image he paints is that of spiritual “sobriety”:

“Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” - 1 Peter 1:13

“The end of all things is at hand; therefore be self-controlled and sober-minded for the sake of your prayers.” - 1 Peter 4:7

“Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful.” - 1 Peter 5:6-8a

Note two features of the above texts. First, the reason why Christians ought to be spiritually sober is to be ready for “the end of all things,” or “the revelation of Jesus Christ”—whenever that day should come. Keep in mind that the Greek word for “the end” here is telos, which means Peter is not talking about the cessation of human existence but its “goal” or “culmination,” which is the new creation brought about by Christ at His return. This eschatological motivation for alertness fits precisely with Jesus’ own recorded words in the gospels, “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 cock crows, or in the morning—lest He come suddenly and find you asleep” (Mark 13:35-36, cf. Matthew 25:13). To be awake, then, is to be ready, sitting on the edge of our seats as an audience before the curtain, in anticipation of the long-awaited renewal of all things.

Second, and finally, note the relation with prayer. Peter says sober-mindedness is necessary “for the sake of your prayers.” And in the text from chapter five the call to sober-mindedness immediately follows a verse on prayer. For this connection, too, we can easily think of Jesus in Gethsemane, rebuking His drowsy disciples when He had asked them to pray: “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Mark 14:37-38).

Like the disciples, often our greatest temptation is simply the temptation to sleep through life, numbly oblivious to the spiritual realities all around us—no less to the sorts of active, attentive responses such realities demand of us. Add to this the problem that a sleeping man, being unconscious, cannot actually wake himself. The result would be devastating, were it not for God’s sobering grace. Let’s pray that He will awaken us from our complacent comatose, sensitize us, shake us, stir us up, and energize us for His service.  

Jesse Peterson