I think that many who read these words know the story of Eutychus, the man who went to sleep and fell out the window while Paul was preaching. He actually missed out on hearing the great apostle preach.
What we may have overlooked is other times when individuals went to sleep and almost missed being part of some of the most remarkable times in history. This lack of knowledge makes it difficult to see and learn the lessons from other times when men slept.
Jesus only took three of the apostles to the mountain where He was to be transfigured and engaged in conversations with Moses and Elijah. These men went with Jesus who went to the mountain to pray with Him (Luke 9:28). I cannot imagine what it would have been like to hear the Master pray. Can you believe that these three men could have heard His prayers, but they fell asleep (Luke 9:32)? Had they not been asleep they could have known the full conversation Jesus, Moses and Elijah had.
The apostles slept in Gethsemane and were not there to watch and pray with Jesus as the enemies were approaching. At first, He woke the disciples but later let them sleep. Jesus needed them, and they had fallen asleep. Saints sometimes sleep when others need us.
There are times when saints “sleep,” and those times become a great blessing. Before Jesus’ resurrection, the fear of death brought bondage to mankind (Heb. 2:14-15). He who was the resurrection and life did not see death in this way. His disciples did not understand why Jesus wanted to go the Bethany and wake Lazarus up (John 11:12-13). Yet, we know what He meant when He said He was going to awake Him from sleep.
Seeing death as going to sleep removes the fear we have of the unknown nature of death. We go to sleep every night and rest, and we do it without fear. When saints die, the truth is that they have fallen asleep awaiting the morning of their resurrection.
When Jesus arrived at the house where a twelve-year-old girl had died, the Bible describes what was happening as loud wailing, tumult and commotion. When Jesus said that she was not dead, but simply asleep, they ridiculed Him. He used their definition of death and not His. When properly understood, death is like going to sleep. We do not fear going to sleep and saints should never react as the world does when someone dies.
At the end, there will be the final trumpet that sounds, and there will be a resurrection of all that are in the grave. While the world views death as the end, Christians see it so differently. It is not the end! It is the beginning! Our bodies sleep; our souls are with Jesus. God hasten the day!
