Archangel Gabriel, Cuzco (Perú) School, 18th century
On the 24th of June, the Orthodox, Roman Catholics, and some of the Protestant communities celebrated the Nativity of the Forerunner, John the Baptist. As I read the story again, I was struck not only by the intensity of the story but also by the silencing of Zechariah by the Archangel Gabriel. But then I remembered how Mary had asked almost the identical question, “How can this be ….” In the case of Zechariah, his question led to a silencing. In the case of Mary, it led to a chat that almost sounded like Gabriel and Mary were having tea. For Mary, there were no repercussions for asking a question. For Zechariah there were.
So, I found myself thinking about angels and the interactions people had with them. I realized that while there were a few peaceful encounters with angels, quite often there were not so pleasant ones. For instance, Abraham and Sarah are told about their new son, question the prophecy, even laugh about it, yet nothing happens to them. On the other hand, as the men are leaving they mention in passing that they are on the way to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. Certainly, this is not all sweetness and light. Lot’s encounter with the angels was less-than-pleasant, particularly when his neighbors are struck blind and his wife is turned into a pillar of salt. Moses is warned about the angel of death, who is also not all sweetness and light. Joshua encounters the Archangel Michael and is quickly told that the Archangel is not on his side, but is only obedient to God. Joshua ends up on his face. A few angels later, Isaiah has a vision of the Heavenly Temple and ends up with an angel pressing a burning brand to his mouth. While not all the time, angels are frequently pictured more often on the side of judgment than on the side of sweetness and light. There also seems to be a side lesson to watch out for how one responds to an angel. Questioning an angel may not be a very good idea. Challenging an angel is an even worse idea. Ignoring the warnings of an angel can get your entire army destroyed.
In other words, wanting to have an encounter with an angel may not be as great an idea as you may think.
And, yet, the Archangel Gabriel deals with Mary in an incredibly gentle way. Even though the angels were somewhat gentle with Abraham and Sara concerning her pregnancy, yet, if you read the passage, both of them were immediately challenged by the angels. Yet, Mary was not, nor did she suffer any fallout from asking a question. It is as though she were special to them. They would do nothing to disturb her. Then I thought, well, of course, she is special to them. Except for Protestant Christians, the rest of Christianity has been saying that Mary is special for nearly 2,000 years. It seems as though the angels thought so as well. Jesus had an even stronger positive relationship with the angels, though that is to be expected. Mary is the surprise. Gabriel’s encounter with Mary shows a little something of her place in God’s economy.
Leave a Reply