Readings: Genesis 28:10-17; Psalm 103:19-22; Hebrews 1:5-14; John 1:47-51
“Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!‘
What is an angel? Who is an angel? Today is dedicated to Michael and All Angels. But what actually is an angel, what is their purpose? To see that, we need to look at the examples we are given: Gabriel, the one who brought good tidings of great joy and told Mary she was to “conceive, and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus”. (Lk 1:31). And, then, well, the only ones I can recall are the heavenly host who appear with Gabriel to the shepherds and announce, “Upon earth peace among those whom God favours” (Lk 2:14). Other angels do appear in the Bible – Raphael restores sight to Tobit’s eyes; Uriel appears on a vision to Ezra in 2 Esdras (1). And then we have Michael, the one whose name is associated with today: Michael, his name means “who is like God”, is seen as a protector, leader of the heavenly armies, the patron saint of: grocers, soldiers, doctors, mariners, paratroopers, police, sickness (2). And the patron saint of Mont St Michel, St Michael’s Mount and many other churches across the world – including my curacy parish in Southampton, the oldest standing church in the city. Angels – , we know of them; they are there in the Bible and in our popular and religious culture. But why?
Well, because of their role. In the Bible, angels “communicate the presence of God”. They shout God’s presence: at Jesus’ birth they couldn’t contain themselves: He’s here! Glory to God!. They give messages: to Mary, to Zechariah about John the Baptist, to the shepherds, to the apostles – he is risen, he is not here! They “fight for God’s purposes” (3) – Michael is most associated with this: in Daniel and Revelation he commands the holy army which defends God’s people and defeats the devil. And he is often depicted with a flaming sword, or killing a dragon (Revelation).
But why is this important today, and why with these readings? “As Jacob with travel was weary one day, at night on a stone for a pillow he lay; he saw in a vision a ladder so high that its foot was on earth and its top in the sky”, as the hymn has it. Jacob’s ladder, with the angels descending and ascending between earth and heaven, carrying God’s word, being God’s presence to God’s people, God’s creation. They are the means by which God communicated with us, how God communicated with all God’s people. The angel in Daniel; the angel that stood before Balaam’s donkey and prevented Balaam from going forward. The angel that stood at the gate of Eden preventing Adam and Eve’s return. They let the people know what God wanted, and kept God in contact with God’s people, even if it was with a flaming sword.
But now, in today’s Gospel, we have: “Very truly I tell you, you will see heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.” Because here we get to the heart of things. The angels have mediated between God and humans, have been agents of God in the world. And now, something changes. From the moment Gabriel’s message is fulfilled, the moment of Jesus’ birth, the relationship between God and humanity has irrevocably changed. He is here! God is with us, in person, in the form of the baby in the manger; the carpenter learning his trade; the wandering preacher gathering his disciples and seeing Nathaniel under the fig tree, knowing Nathaniel, knowing him deeply, fully, and Nathaniel recognising this deeper understanding, this deeper recognition by Jesus: God is with us, teaching through the parables, healing, hanging on the cross, and finally, fully in the resurrected Christ. Emmanuel, God is with us! Jesus is saying to Nathaniel, to his disciples, to all of us: “I am the ladder. The true connection, the gate of heaven.” (4). If you have seen him, you have seen the Father, heard the Father. Jesus himself becomes the ladder “set for all the broken-hearted and earth herself becoming heaven’s door”(5). Jesus becomes heaven’s door, an open door between God and humanity, reconciling God and humanity. Something vividly demonstrated at the crucifixion when the veil in the Temple tears in two: the veil between God and humans is brought down and through Christ, through Christ’s life, teaching, death and resurrection we see God: and God is with us. And that is true today. God is with us, in all that we do. In our day to day lives. Through Christ’s life among us, God knows what it is like to deal with daily life, working, what it is like to live in poverty, dependent on the generosity of others, what it is like to face challenges, to be opposed, to suffer and to die. And through Christ we know that death is not an end. That there is life after death. That our death will lead to eternal life in God. Because God has been there before and has shown us the path.
The angels are “spirits in the divine service, sent to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. (Heb.1:14) They are examples of listening to God, of doing God’s will. They shouted Christ’s coming, and Christ now reveals God, to us. They are obedient to God’s spoken word, ministers who do God’s will. Examples to us of how to live for God, following God’s will. Examples of how to praise and bless the Lord. But they are only messengers. It is Christ, the ladder connecting heaven and earth, God and creation, who brings God close to us, who becomes the ladder, the gateway between heaven and earth. It is Christ who reveals God’s nature; Christ who is God in man made manifest. The one through whom we are “ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven.” The one who has given “his own dear presence to cheer and to guide, strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.” The one who is faithful: ‘Great is thy faithfulness, O God my Father’. So we say with Nathaniel: ‘Rabbi, you are the Son of God!’ “For now a child of Israel finds it true, And sees the One who heals the deep heart’s aching As Jacob’s dream becomes Nathanael’s waking.”(6). And ours.
- Exciting Holiness p. 410
- https://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=308
- Stevenson K (1998), All the Company of Heaven, Norwich: Canterbury Press, p105
- https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/tag/jacobs-ladder/
- https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/tag/jacobs-ladder/
- https://malcolmguite.wordpress.com/tag/jacobs-ladder/