A Message From An Angel

A Message from an Angel

As I was praying, Gabriel, whom I had seen in the earlier vision, came swiftly to me at the time of the evening sacrifice. He explained to me, “Daniel, I have come here to give you insight and understanding.”

Daniel 9:21-22

Gabriel appeared to her. . . . “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told her, “for you have found favor with God! You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you will name him Jesus.”

Luke 1:28, 30-31

If the first thing someone said to you was, “Don’t be afraid!” then it would be logical to assume that seeing that person was scary or startling. Interestingly, whenever the angel Gabriel and other angels in the Bible appeared to people to give them a message, the first thing the angel usually said was, “Don’t be afraid!” Evidently angels are startling and scary when you hear them speak or see them appear, unlike the cute cherubs people like to imagine.

Even though the angel Gabriel must have been startling to see, his message was always one announcing something very good to come, something that would help people know they didn’t have to fear him or the future. He had very good news. And what was that news?

In the Old Testament book of Daniel, God sent the angel Gabriel to explain to Daniel about the coming of the Anointed One—Jesus. Then in Luke 1, Gabriel came to Zechariah, an elderly priest in the Temple, telling him that his wife would bear a son, John, who would “prepare the people for the coming of the Lord” (1:17). Gabriel also came to Mary, telling her that she would have a son, Jesus, who would “be very great” and would “be called the Son of the Most High” (1:32).

Gabriel’s message is always the same. It’s Jesus. Don’t be afraid; Jesus is coming. Whatever frightens us in this life, we can be comforted to know that Jesus is real and that he’s coming for us. We don’t have to be afraid as we face the future.

DISCUSSION STARTERS

How have you seen angels depicted in movies or artwork?

Why would the promise of Jesus’ coming have reassured Daniel, Zechariah, and Mary?

How does it reassure you to know that Jesus is coming?