Sleep

John 11:11-13 – This He said, and after that He *said to them, “Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep; but I go, so that I may awaken him out of sleep.” The disciples then said to Him, “Lord, if he has fallen asleep, he will recover.” Now Jesus had spoken of his death, but they thought that He was speaking of literal sleep.

Nearly every evening you fall asleep. Your body gets the rest and recovery it needs, and you awake refreshed the next morning, ready to face another day. Every person on the planet sleeps nearly every day. It is one of the most common experiences of life. Yet, sleeping is unique.

As we sleep, our minds are not conscious of the real world around us. We are not in control of our actions. We are not able to interact with those around us. Yet, this condition is temporary. We are out of touch with reality for several hours, but then we reemerge and reconnect with the real world.

Jesus introduces sleep as a metaphor for the experience of his friend Lazarus who had died. Jesus said he would “awaken him out of his sleep,” and he did that by calling his name at his tomb later John 11. Lazarus, who had been dead for four days, came back to life and walked out of the tomb. Like a sleeper who had been out of touch with the real world, he woke up and reengaged.

 

The New Testament goes on to use sleep as a picture of death for Christians (I Corinthians 11:30 and 15:51), and this should be a great encouragement for us who believe and a motivator for those who have yet to believe. Death can be a cause of great fear because it seems a permanent end to life. Yet, because Christ was willing to die temporarily on our behalf, as he arose from the dead, so will we who believe in him. Death for the Christian is temporary. It is like sleep. If you believe in Christ, the time will come when you disengage, but only temporary. You will awake as from a good night’s sleep.