Written by Liz Rodriguez, Director of Women’s Ministries & Guest Services

Luke 2:8, 1 Peter 5:8, Luke 21:36, Mark 13:35-37

When we look up the word “watch” in the dictionary, what shows up is to “look at or observe attentively over a period of time.” ^[1] The word that always stands out to me is “attentively.”  This idea of watching is not merely seeing something in a passive sense but in an active one. Attentively watching should point us to looking out, to intentionally gazing for something, or even cause us to notice things we might normally miss.

You know that moment when someone asks if you saw something? You think back and are amazed that they caught that detail, that they remember, or even that they had eyes for in that moment. We see in Scripture this call to be watchful in our waiting. To be the one who is attentive, who is patiently looking, who remembers to keep their eyes set on the One we are waiting for.

We see in Luke 2 that, at the birth of Jesus, the shepherds were keeping watch.

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. —Luke 2:8

This idea of watching the sheep would not have been new in Scripture.  We see shepherds and shepherdesses in the Old Testament, and now, here, we see them as part of Jesus’ birth. Shepherds keeping watch by night evokes the image of these men and women staying up all night to ensure protection, peace, and livelihood for their sheep. They could not drift off or doze for a moment because, what if, in that moment, they missed something? What if, in that moment, danger chose to rise? What if, in that moment, a simple detail—like an angel—showed up?

What can we learn from those shepherds keeping watch? Personally, I wonder how long it took them to train themselves to stay awake, to train their eyes to be able to see all the things that could be in their surroundings. We can learn to have eyes like them, to not miss the details, or be on guard against what could lie on the other side of the darkness or on the other side of safety.

As the New Testament continues, we see this idea of being watchful described as a way of living for the believer. In 1 Peter 5:8 the text says, “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.”  The imagery here is painfully beautiful. We must be watchful in the waiting to not miss our adversary. The devil is active. He is on the prowl, as 1 Peter mentions. So, in his active nature, we must be actively watching. The word “sober-minded” means to have self-control, to have steady eyes, to be rational, to know what is going on around you. Peter shows us that that sober-mindedness and watching go together. If we are not of sober mind, we will not see clearly, which will lead to our inability to see what is coming.

Luke 21:36 says, “But stay awake at all times, praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that are going to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.” What a command! Stay awake, so that we can escape the things coming, and come to the end of our lives, and because of the strength of God, be able to stand before Him having delighted in Him and having kept our eyes set on Him. Having been watchful. 

We not only see the idea of watching in regard to the enemy, but also in terms of watching for Christ’s return. Mark 13:35-37 says, “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— lest he come suddenly and find you asleep. And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.” This is not saying to never sleep. Rather, this passage is calling us to a heart posture of being on guard. Mark is pointing to the return of Christ. As we are in the season of remembering Christ’s birth, we must also celebrate that this means Christ is coming back. So, we stay awake, for we do not know the time and place, but what we do know is we want to be ready. We should want to be found awake, living in a state of attentively watching for Him, our Savior and King, the One we are watching for.

^[1] "Watch." Merriam-Webster.com. 2011. https://www.merriam-webster.com (8 May 2011).