Paying Attention to the Young Man

Scripture: But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed. Mark 16:4-5

Observation: It is consistently reported that three women are the first to go to the tomb on what we now call "Easter Sunday" and discover it empty. There, they meet a young man who tells them Jesus has risen, and they need to go report it to the disciples. What really happens next is up for debate. Some versions say Mary Magdalene immediately meets Jesus in the garden; Some versions say, upon receiving the news, John and Peter race to the tomb; Some versions say the disciples were confused and didn't believe the report. Even THIS version in Mark has three different next steps, one saying the women were afraid and said nothing, another that they immediately told the disciples who didn't believe them, and another that they told Peter who took action.

This young man is interesting because ... of course he is an angel, though he is given no title and no name and no other description. He is just a young man dressed in white. In modern recreations of the scene, he gives off a radiance, which is implied by the idea of wearing white. In all cases, his news is a little unnerving, as the reactions to him are typically described in some form of sadness (further expressing grief and wondering where someone has moved Jesus' body) or fear (trepidation about what has really happened). However, almost no further attention is paid to the fact an angel is sitting right there, speaking to them. In fact, so little attention is given him that some accounts say there is one angel, some two, and the ones that say there was only one place him in different locations. In every case, before others arrive, the angel is gone, his only mission being to comfort and give instruction to the three women who arrived first.

Application: Recently, I saw a YouTube video about what biblical angels look like. For most, it is no wonder their first words to people are "do not be afraid", for they are odd and almost unimaginably formed. This is true of many, many angels mentioned throughout the bible, as even the ones that have human qualities still have otherworldly features, and most are compared to beasts, with language that implies the person describing them actually lacks the vocabulary to do so and therefore is using comparisons to known things to explain them.

However, messenger angels are often just average men. Gabriel, who appears to Mary and Elizabeth, is just a man. The warrior who confronts Joshua is a man. The angels who go into Sodom are just men. Yet everyone who sees them has a reaction to them ... honor and respect, but also trepidation and fear.

We are told that it is possible angels will walk among us, and therefore if we help others it is possible we are serving angels. I do believe that. However, I also believe that such angels would have a 'tell', and that seeing them impacts something inside us that tips us off, something that sparks a little fear and a little respect.

When I read about the angels that are huge and fantastical, I wonder what it would be like to see one. However, when I read about the angels that are just young men with a message and a mission, I still wonder what it would be like to see one.

Prayer: Lord, if and when I see an angel here on earth, may I have the courage to listen and obey their instructions, and respond to their mission. Amen.