Of Angels and Children and Shepherds

See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that in heaven their angels always see the face of my Father who is in heaven. – Matthew 18:10

The idea of guardian angels owes much to this statement by the Lord. Taken alone it may not be obvious how that connection was made, however, consider the verses that follow immediately: What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. So it is not the will of my Father who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish (vv 12-14).

The disciples had questioned Jesus about who was the greatest, and the Lord had answered by bringing forward a little child to admonish the disciples for their worldly attitude. A child-like humility is essential to entering the kingdom. Not far from this passage, Matthew records the meeting of Christ with the rich young ruler where Jesus said, “There is none good but God.” He could have said here, as well, there is none great but God.

An angel is a “sent one”, a messenger dispatched on behalf of another or one could even say an ambassador going on a mission of representation. It is said of angels in Hebrews 1:14, “Are they not all ministering spirits sent out to serve for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation?” Angels may be sent from heaven to earth for the purpose of helping, supporting, and strengthening believers. They may be enabled, in some cases, to intervene in human affairs. Perhaps, some speculate, angels have turned the tide of battles, or aided in the saving of a particular life. Many of us can probably cite specific situations where we found ourselves in great difficulty and were delivered in some uncanny way. With all the near-misses I have had, I am pretty sure, if I have an angel, he qualifies for the hazardous-duty premium.

Angels may go, too, from earth to heaven. Could it be that Jesus means there angels sent by the prayers of humble believers who represent those “little ones” before the Father? In Matthew 5:8, the Lord said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” Do those who are pure and refuse to exalt themselves have direct access to the throne of God? Whether Christ is talking about some special order of being or metaphorically of an agency of the human spirit, I do not know, and probably will not know in this life. In any case, we can be assured that purity of heart and humility do put us in contact with the Divine. A child-like trust in the goodness and greatness of our Father puts us in harmony with all of heaven, and all of heaven’s inhabitants.

Do we fear being separated? Do we worry about going astray and being forgotten by the Shepherd? It cannot happen.

In winter our cows were usually pretty easy to find. But the lure of the summer pastures sometimes led the more adventurous Jerseys well out of sight of the house and barn. One of my jobs was to make sure that all were gathered for the evening milking. In this I was ably assisted by my little black shepherd. It was her joy to race across the field and push all visible members of the herd toward and through the gate where I would count them as they passed. The little dog would look at me as she trailed the last one by to know if the job was done for the day or if more remained. While I did not believe she could count, it was my habit to tell her how many were still missing. The words she did clearly understand were “go back” and “on back”, and she would follow the direction of my pointed finger as surely as a black arrow from a bow. Sometimes I would see a stray in a far corner. Other times I sent her flying by instruments over the hill and out of sight. Invariably, in a moment or two, a bovine form, or two or three would come trotting over the crest gently pursued by the happiest angel on four legs.

But God's firm foundation stands, bearing this seal: “The Lord knows those who are his”… (2 Timothy 2:19).