Reflection on Matthew 4:1-11

I must have preached on the temptations of Jesus close to 16 times.  That is 16 separate, unique sermons.  And, three of those sermons probably resembled something that was kind of good.  But, in all of those sermons, not once did the angels catch my attention.  This time around though, the angels have entirely captured my imagination.

In case you missed it, they show up at the very end of the story, after Jesus has resisted the temptations of the devil.  They come as parents who dote on a sick child, attending to his every need.  They come, caring for him in his weakness.  They are there to help Jesus recover from the attacks of the devil.

Does that really happen?  Does God send the angels to wipe our tears after making the hard choice?  Does God send the angels to heal our wounds after taking the difficult but needed steps?  Is it the angels who Jesus uses to restore us back to new life?  After-all, who is hanging around the tomb after Jesus rises from the dead?  The angels are there of course.

I actually, do not have any answers for any of these questions.  Angelology was never one of my focuses of study in my religious education.  But, it does fire up my imagination. 

Just as the angels sooth Jesus’ hunger ridden body after Jesus successfully pushes away a temptation to turn stones into bread, my imagination ignites and I wonder if the angels are right there in the kitchen of the small apartment as the young, thin, almost sick looking mother slides the plate with the sandwich and delicious looking slices of orange over to her young daughter who happily sings as she takes bites. 

Is the angel right there, hand caressing that mother’s hungry face, preparing to attend to that everyday saint’s needs?

Just as the angels attend to Jesus’ needs after he rebukes the devil for using scripture in a simplistic way (expecting Jesus to test the provision of God by jumping off the temple all because the scriptures say “on their hands they will bear you up”), I wonder if the angel is also there, soothing the heart of the old man who has been abandoned by his children because he cares for sick men with HIV?  The children know their scriptures well and share freely what the scriptures say, but so does the old man who cares for these sick men.  He knows that Jesus healed the sinner and ate with the despised.  He has memorized these stories of compassion. 

I wonder if the angels join him in wrapping arms around the young man who is doubled over in pain.  I wonder if the angel sings a lullaby to the old man as he tries to go to sleep, full of sadness for the loss of his own children who refuse to speak his name?

And, just as the angels care for the exhausted Jesus who refused to worship the devil in order to gain the power to remake the world however he saw fit, I wonder if the angels are there in the rundown trailer of the man who left the six figure Wall Street job and all the sports cars and bling that such a powerful job supplies? 

I wonder if the angels turn the pages of the job listings in the newspaper for him and direct his attention to a good, Godly job, that in no way makes him compromise his values and his compassion for the sake of riches? 

Are the angels there with warm towels and chicken noodle soup when you follow Jesus and refuse the temptations of life’s necessities, simplistic thinking, and power to get your own way rather than the common good?  Do they show up when you are at your lowest for doing the right thing?

It is so easy to think of God in some sort of man in the sky, a distant God who probably does not care about our petty concerns.  But, the God of the scriptures is the one who sends angels to help heal the ones who have been hurt for doing the right thing.  The God of the scriptures is the one who would send his only Son to redeem the sinner who does not deserve such a thing.  The God of the scriptures is the one who would send his Son to be with us.  The God of the scriptures is the one who hears the cries of your heart and sends some angels to heal the wounds that love has left behind. 

Love is not all roses and warm cuddles after-all.  Love is also starving for the sake of a young child.  Love is following the heart of God’s teachings and not just the letter, leading you to care for the sinner even when everyone else refuses.  Love is also refusing the luxurious trappings of life that others embrace, because you refuse to exploit and hurt others for your own gain. 

And, that sort of love draws the attention of those who were created out of pure love.  It draws the attention of the angels, who attend to Jesus and also attend to those Jesus holds close.