Angels, and the way back to the garden

"And the angel said to them, 'Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.'" (Luke 2:10)

“Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay." (Matthew 28:5-6)

Angels figure prominently in the Christmas story. I believe angels actually exist and are active in this world. Most of the time they are behind the scenes, unseen by human eyes, but sometimes they make their appearance. Angels were prevalent in the events surrounding the birth of Jesus, and then again at his resurrection and ascension, but not so much in between. So, when they show up in the biblical record we should take note.

In a recent advent sermon, we heard references to "going back to the Garden" (that is, Eden) and to not being able to "find our way home." I'm not sure it was intended, but (as a child of the '60s) these two phrases reminded me of two songs, one by Joni Mitchell, and the other by Blind Faith. These once popular songs reflect our human longing to go home, to find our way back to the garden of innocence. In Genesis, however, we are told that a flashing sword bars the way. The advent sermon we heard began with the cherubim guarding the way back to Eden after the fall of Adam and Eve. This is the first mention of angelic beings in the Bible.

Cherubim (plural; singular is cherub) are a class of powerful angels that are tasked with being sentries and guardians of God's holy presence. The Lord is described as being enthroned above the cherubim (Ps 99:1; Isa 37:16). The cherubim guarding Eden's entry, and thus the way back to God's presence, were represented by two gold cherubim on top of the Ark of the Covenant in the Israelite temple (Exodus 25). Once a year the blood of an unblemished sacrificial animal would be sprinkled upon the top of the ark (the "mercy seat"), underneath these cherubim, to demonstrate that divine justice had been fulfilled. It was a picture of sin, judgment, and the forgiveness needed to find our way home.

The angelic appearances recorded in the Bible usually aroused fear in their observers. Sometimes these appearances were associated with impending judgment. For example, angels appeared before Sodom's destruction, as did angels with "destroying weapons" in Ezekiel, chapter 9. When groups of angels appeared ("the heavenly host"; literally, "the armies of heaven") entire cities or armies might be destroyed. Think also of the book of Revelation and the end-time events before Christ's return. When heaven draws near to earth in judgment, angels are involved.

But when the angelic host appeared to the shepherds, an angel of the Lord said, "Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people." (Luke 2:10) The angelic army -- certainly not a choir in the modern sense -- gave praise to God, saying, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!" (Luke 2:14) It was an announcement of great joy, not judgment. Heaven was drawing near to earth for redemption, and angels appeared. When Christ came into the world from heaven, the angels rejoiced. When Jesus was risen from the dead, and before he ascended back into heaven, angels again showed their presence. When heaven drew near to earth in mercy, the angels rejoiced.

When Mary Magdalene looked into the tomb, she saw two angels sitting at the head and foot of where Jesus' body had been. They were placed much like the cherubim on the ark of the covenant (John 20:12), indicating that here had lain the One who made the atonement. They said, "Woman, why are you weeping?" Once in despair, exiled from God's presence, now human tears were being wiped away.

For the truth is, Jesus is Lord of the cherubim and of all the angelic host. He himself is the mercy seat of atonement where the precious, saving blood was sprinkled. He himself is the way back to God, and the way back to the garden (not Woodstock, but the eternally glorious world of God’s presence). He is the risen Lord of the new creation. At the beginning of his earthly life, angels directed the shepherds to where Jesus lay in the manger, and later after Jesus' work was done, they pointed to where his body had lain in the empty tomb.

Unlike the cherubim at the gate of Eden, unlike the angels who announced judgment, the angels at the beginning and end of Jesus' ministry, bore no flashing swords in their hands, but only words of kindness and comfort. 

They did not say, "Sinner, stay away!" but rather, "Come, see the place where he lay."

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Image credits, from the top: panel depicting two angels in a scene from the Nativity, in a window of the Cathedral of Notre-Dame in Clermont-Ferrand, France; the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden, engraving by Gustav Dore; a reconstruction of the ark of the covenant (author unknown); and at the bottom, a painting of Mary Magdalene at Jesus' tomb, by Philip Richard Morris.