And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. (Luke 21:34)
This bit comes during Christ’s explanation of the signs of
the second coming.
The part that puzzles me is that word “overcharged.” If it were in a retail context, it
would mean “paying too much.” If
it were in an electronics context, it would mean “ too much electricity put in.” With the list of surfeiting,
drunkenness, and cares of this life, it sounds like it is saying some surfeiting, drunkenness, and
worldly care is alright, but not too much. But that rubs us
wrong because from what we know of Jesus’ holiness, we can’t imagine He would
look upon those things with any degree of allowance, especially among the
Saints who are supposed to know better.
(I don’t know if we can totally get rid of worldly care though.. If so, I would love someone to tell me how!)
The word “surfeiting” is kind of tricky too. There is a
footnote for it that says “debauchery” and a reference to the Topical Guide to “rioting
and reveling.” That seems really odd.
Are the Saints really going to be inclined to debauchery, rioting, and
reveling? That is really out of
character for Saints.
This may be a case where we have to leave the KJV and look
at other translations. I want to call
your attention to Biblehub.com, which gives parallel verses among a whole mess
of translations. They help us with
this particular verse because they give alternate phrasing.
Overcharged – weighed down/ dulled/ loaded down/ grow cold/
laden
Surfeited – carousing/ dissipation/ self-indulgence/
gluttony/ drunk/ excess
These words above give an overarching sense of excess. When you add to that drunkenness and
the cares of this life, you start to get the feeling that the verse is a
warning against excess, even in activities that are lawful in and of
themselves. (Yes, drunkenness is
unlawful among the Saints, but there are more things one can be drunk on besides
drink or drugs. Self-indulgence in
anything to excess can dull our
spiritual sensitivities, even if there is no earthly law against it.)
The Saints know better than to go after the sins of the
heathen. But we get under stress
and we have to find ways to relax and recreate our strength. It is also an article of faith to us to seek after
everything that is virtuous, of good report, and praiseworthy.. but we also
have a tendency to want to own
everything that is virtuous, lovely, of good report, or praiseworthy. We like our pleasures a lot, along with our phones, our social
media, our TV and Netflix, and so on.
I think Jesus’ warning really is for our day, telling us the excess is
dangerous because it keeps us unaware of what’s really happening and lulls us
into passivity, just as if we were drunk.
It is amazing to me that this warning was given so long ago
for our day. The warning against
excess shows us Jesus knew a time would come when so much would be available
that even the Saints could be mesmerized by it.
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