Elijah was visited by an angel and provided food when he was weak. He was being hunted down by Queen Jezebel and was going to kill him. He thought she was dangerous and ran. Yet the message of the angel gave him strength and power to continue his journey in his time of great weakness.
John the Baptist wasn’t afraid of King Herod and stood up against his power. John the Baptist wasn’t afraid to speak the truth to power, even if it meant getting thrown into prison. John’s faith in God was dangerous and he was thrown into prison for it. This messenger in prison perhaps became weak and afraid that the message he was preparing the way for wasn’t powerful enough to overthrow this dangerous King Herod. But now John is wondering about this Messiah named Jesus and how he would rescue the people from this dangerous and powerful oppression.
John the Baptist is tired and is looking to be saved from the imprisonment and tells his followers to go and ask if Jesus is the Messiah. They arrive and tell them about John. The cousin of Jesus is in prison and what does Jesus do and say?
Jesus responded not with theological explanation, pointing out that John is like Elijah and has a dangerous message of fulfillment! Also, Jesus didn’t tell them to be optimistic about John’s future, for John would soon be beheaded by this evil King. Jesus didn’t drop everything and go and rescue John from prison. Finally, Jesus didn’t tell them not to question in the midst of struggles.
Jesus told these messengers, “Go and tell John what they see and hear”. Here is the first angel reference of three in this passage. The Greek word for tell in the go and tell John is the word ap-angellos. What do they see? The blind see; the lame walk; the lepers healed; the deaf can hear and the dead are raised. But what do they hear? They hear that the good news is proclaimed to the poor – who are grateful for everything. The poor have the good news proclaimed to them; they are comforted with word; not that they are fed and given a home; but they receive the good news. Here is the second angel reference when it said that the good news proclaimed with the Greek word eu-aggelizoô. The poor are brought the angelic message. Only they are given words of comfort.
The only group here that has GOOD NEWS preached to them is the poor who are weak and have no power! Charles Spurgeon said, “Every impostor who has come into the world has aimed principally at the rich, and the mighty, and the respectable; very few impostors have found it to be worth their while to make it prominent in their preaching that they preach to the poor.”[1]
These disciples of John return with a message of hope to John who is in prison. They go and tell him what they see and hear! The angelic message is sent to John in prison with a poor and weak heart; in the midst of uncertainty and suffering; in the midst of struggle and fear. Jesus didn’t go and bring the message to John himself but sent these disciples to be the messengers of Good news to the cousin of Jesus while he was in prison. No guarantees the message would get through, a dangerous mission to be sent upon.
Then Jesus talked about his cousin, but he wasn’t just his cousin, nor was he just a prophet, Jesus said this about John the Baptist, 10‘See, I am sending my messenger ahead of you…” Here the third angel word is referenced in the word “messenger”, as the word is euangelizo is the Greek word. John was an angelic messenger sent to prepare the way, a dangerous mission that landed him in prison, for John the Baptist would soon be beheaded by this king. The messengers are sometimes not appreciated or welcomed. It’s dangerous being a messenger.
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When we talk about the power of angels, we are not focusing on them in order to harness their power. We are not focusing on them to do what Shirley McClain’s website said, “Anyone can access their angels”.[2] The angels do not belong to us. They were created by God for God’s purpose. They are sent by God to us as we face the jails and imprisonment of life. They are messengers from God to set us free and tell us of God’s power that is protecting us. This message saves us, heals us that we might see a new future, we might walk with confidence into a new future; that we might feel welcomed into community instead of being ostracized.
We are to proclaim the angelic message to those around us who are weak and are not strong. We are let people know that they can be set free from the jail of fear; that they can be healed and to know that great miracles are happening all around us. This message is a dangerous message of God’s powerful love that brings good news.
Pastor Erwin McManis son went to church camp when he was in second grade for a two night overnight. His dad was about to leave his room after tucking him in one night after that.
Let us pray: Gracious God, give us a faith that is dangerous and unafraid to speak your messages of hope. Grant us your strength and power to share that hope with others, in Christ we pray, Amen!
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