To whom it was revealed that, not to themselves but to you, they ministered those things which are now declared to you by them that have preached the gospel to you: the Holy Ghost being sent down from heaven, on whom the angels desire to look.
οις απεκαλυφθη οτι ουχ εαυτοις υμιν δε διηκονουν αυτα α νυν ανηγγελη υμιν δια των ευαγγελισαμενων υμας εν πνευματι αγιω αποσταλεντι απ ουρανου εις α επιθυμουσιν αγγελοι παρακυψαι
13 Church Fathers comment on this verse
Here an exhortation is offered, drawn from the lofty dignity of the subject. The prophets' inquiries concerning our salvation served us. The work of our salvation is so wondrous that it became an object of longing even for the angels. That our salvation is pleasing to the angels is evident from the joy they expressed at the Nativity of Christ. They sang then, "Glory to God in the highest" (Lk 2:14).
Some things are riddles of more perfect mysteries. Others are those things whose future glory the prophets announced, to whom it was revealed. And the saints preached the Gospel by the Spirit of God sent from heaven, into which the angels fervently desire to gaze, as the Apostle Peter says.
Since some thought that a lesser promise and salvation were appointed for those who lived before the coming of the Savior, the Apostle shows that their supposition is wrong. They considered that only those who saw the Lord bodily after His coming, and received signs from Him, could possess holiness in all its fullness. But how can Abraham be less than someone who lived after Christ's coming, when he saw the day of the Lord? And all who attain perfection, according to the Lord, depart into the bosom of Abraham. How can Moses and Elijah be lesser, who appeared on Tabor transfigured in God's glory together with the Lord, although they did not see the Lord bodily? Those who saw Christ in the flesh have no advantage over those for whom His coming was spiritual.
Indeed, many of the unbelieving were shown to be deceived in their opinion about Christ, having an inclination to violate the Old Testament in every way. Yet it was said that, even if they neither saw nor heard bodily what the Lord said and did, they still had divine love for it. "Many prophets and righteous men desired to see" (Mt 13:17). If anyone obtains the salvation which the prophets also sought as their goal, he attains the goal which all strive to attain. For its sake all things were created by God, while it exists for nothing else. It was not revealed either to the holy Angels or, in general, to all the blessed rational creatures. They could not comprehend what was to come, although all of them longed to look into what was to be revealed in the last days.
For, he says, the Gospel was preached to you by the Holy Spirit Who was sent, that is, through the Advocate, of Whom the Lord said: "If I do not go away, He will not come" (Jn 16:7). Into Him, he says, the angels desire to look. These are not apostate angels, as many suppose, but, truly and divinely, the angels who desire to attain the progress of His perfection.
For there is one Son, Who accomplished the will of the Father, and one human race, in which the mysteries of God are accomplished, into which the angels desire to look.
Clearly, the angels both see God and desire to see Him. They thirst to gaze into Him, and they do gaze. For if they desired to see Him in such a way that the fulfillment of their desire brought them no delight, there would be fear in desire without fruit. And fear contains suffering within itself. But the blessed angels are far from every suffering, because torment and blessedness never come together.
What are those good things given to us by Christ into which, as Peter, the chief of the Apostles, says, "Angels desire to look" (1 Pet 1:12)? Answer. Some say that these good things are what "eye has not seen" (1 Cor 2:9). Others say that they are the mystery of our Communion, τὸ μυστήριον τῆς μεταλήψεως ἠμῶν. The question arises: does this make any sense at all? For our bloodless Sacrifice is carried out, accomplished, and attended by the holy Angels. Therefore, as it seems to me, the Angels desire that God the Word, Who created them, should dwell according to essence in their nature, as He dwells in our flesh. They also desire that their nature, seated upon the cherubic throne in the bosom of the Father, should be worshiped and glorified by us.
So our nature in Christ is worshiped by them and by every visible and invisible creature. They also desire to have "the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven" (Mt 16:19), and to sit "on twelve thrones" (Mt 19:28), exercising judgment like Christ on the Day of Judgment, as the fishermen will judge. Therefore I say that the Cherubim and Seraphim desire to have such closeness to Christ as the disciple had who "leaned on His breast" (Jn 21:20). They desire the closeness of the sinful women who poured myrrh upon His head and anointed His feet with that myrrh (Mt 26:7; Mk 14:3; Lk 7:37-38). I am speaking to you of what surpasses all things in its greatness. For Christ said that when the Son of Man comes on the Day of Judgment, the powers of heaven will be shaken (Mt 24:29) with fear and trembling before Him. Yet He will make the righteous sit down, and coming to them He will serve them (Lk 12:37), He Who created them. Such are the great good things given to us by Christ, into which "Angels desire to look," that is, to enter. In this case, the expression τὸ μυστήριον τῆς μεταλήψεως ἠμῶν most likely denotes the Eucharist. Concerning it, St. Maximus says: "By Holy Communion of the most pure and life-giving Mysteries, the communion and identity with God by participation are shown, received through our likeness to Him. Through Communion, man is counted worthy to become god from man" (Mystagogy 24). The fishermen are the holy Apostles. Explaining this passage of the Gospel, Blessed Theophylact says: "He places the good servants upon a couch, that is, He gives rest to all in every respect. For just as one lying on a couch rests the whole body, so in the future coming all the saints will be given rest in every respect. Here they find no repose for the body. There, together with their souls, their bodies also, spiritual and divine, having inherited incorruption, will enjoy perfect rest. And God will be all in all (1 Cor 15:28). The Lord 'will serve' the worthy servants, giving them an equal return. As they served Him, so He will serve them, setting before them an abundant table and granting them the enjoyment of spiritual gifts."
Among the many mysteries revealed to the prophets, when they diligently inquired and carefully searched concerning future salvation, this also was revealed. That salvation would come not in their time, but in yours, the time of those born at the end of the ages. He says this in order to move them to care for the salvation bestowed upon them. For long ago it was beloved by the prophets and righteous men before them, who desired to live in that time when, leaving the world, one could immediately attain the Kingdom of Heaven.
“The things which now have been announced to you by those who preached the Gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven.”
Since most of the churches of Asia Minor to which Peter now writes were founded by the Apostle Paul, these words may be seen as proof that the Apostle Peter recognized Paul as a God-inspired preacher and Apostle, like the other Apostles.
“Into which things angels desire to look.” The manifold wisdom of God, hidden in the mystery of the Trinitarian Essence and wondrously revealed in the redemption of fallen man, becomes the object of contemplation for the heavenly spirits and of their glorification of God.
Rejoicing over the salvation of man (Lk 15:10), and becoming by God’s will messengers and ministers of the mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God, they desire, according to the Apostles’ testimony, to penetrate this mystery.
They also desire to bow before the name of Jesus Christ (cf. Eph 3:10; Phil 2:10; Heb 1:6).
“It was revealed to them that not to themselves, but to us,” and so forth. This saying further strengthens the thought of the greatness and glory of the calling and destiny of Christians.
The Apostle has been speaking of this up to this point, and he will go on to urge them to be worthy of this calling and destiny (v. 13ff.).
The connection with what precedes is this: the mystery of mankind’s salvation in Christ is so great that the searches and inquiries of the prophets were concentrated upon it.
Those called to salvation, Christians, must value the height of this calling all the more because even the Old Testament prophets, despite the greatness of their ministry, knew by revelation that the full disclosure and realization of this mystery belonged not to their time.
It belonged not to them, but to us Christians. They only foretold it.
In the general sense, this is the same as what Christ once said to the Apostles: “Many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it” (Mt 13:17).
“The things now preached to you” means the whole content of the Gospel, which has disclosed the mystery of human salvation in Christ.
This mystery has only now been preached to you, not earlier, not in the times of the prophets, who only foretold it. Only now has its revelation been accomplished.
To the prophets it was revealed only that this served not themselves, but us.
“By those who preached the Gospel through the Holy Spirit” means those who brought and preached to you the Gospel of Christ by the prompting and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
As the prophets foretold Christian grace by the Holy Spirit, so the New Testament evangelists preached by the same Spirit, according to Christ’s promise (Jn 14:16-17; 15:26-27; 16:12-15 and parallels).
The word “those who preached the Gospel” does not exclude Peter himself from the number of these evangelists to the readers of the epistle.
This is also confirmed by tradition. It only shows that he was not the only one who preached to them, but that other Apostles did also, especially Paul, as Acts and Church tradition testify.
“Sent from heaven.” This occurred in an especially striking manner on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), of which some of the readers could have been witnesses.
He was sent from God the Father (Jn 14:16-17 and parallels) and from the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2:33; cf. the magnification for the feast of Pentecost).
“Into which,” that is, into what was preached to you, or more precisely, into the content of this preaching, the mystery of human salvation in Christ, angels desire to look.
The Greek word translated “look into” means the attentive examination of something by bending down and pondering it.
The mystery of the salvation of the world revealed in Christ contains such a depth of the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God (Rom 11:33), that it is an inexhaustible object of contemplation and inquiry even for the most perfect heavenly spirits (Eph 3:10).
The Apostle makes us feel how great and important the divine economy of this salvation is when he says that "the prophets who prophesied of the grace appointed for you searched and inquired concerning this salvation." And what was revealed? "It was revealed to the prophets that they were serving not themselves but us in the things now preached," that is, to the New Testament children of Christ's Church, "by those who preached the Gospel through the Holy Spirit sent from heaven." These are the disciples and Apostles of Christ. The content of this divine economy of salvation for human souls, preached by the Apostles, is so deep that the very Angels desire to look into it. Thus the Apostle concludes his praise of the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The salvation of which the Apostle spoke is understood here in a broad sense, in all its historical unfolding through the Incarnation of Jesus Christ and His Second Coming. After that coming the fullness of salvation will be revealed (cf. Acts 2:39; Acts 4:12). By indicating that the prophets, and even the Angels, sought to penetrate the mystery of salvation prepared for Christians, the Apostle expresses the extraordinary greatness of the salvation given to Christians. Even the thought of it should awaken and strengthen them. Christians should rejoice in the grace of salvation given to them. This is all the more true because all the great prophets, of whom the world was not worthy (Heb 11:38), foretold this mystery as prepared not for them, but for us.
We have heard the Gospel of this mystery through the new instruments of the Holy Spirit: the Angels and the Apostles. The Angels rejoice even over one sinner who repents. With special love and living expectation, they would have desired to hear and see the great mystery of salvation. Yet it was not revealed to them before the appointed time. The Angels were the first to express their joy over the salvation of sinners, proclaiming to the shepherds the birth of Christ in Bethlehem (cf. Heb 1:6). Afterward the Apostles preached it, moved by the same Holy Spirit Who descended upon them from heaven on the day of Pentecost. Thus all God's servants ministered to the salvation of Christians: the prophets and Apostles, the Angels, and God Himself. How then can they grow despondent or despair at the sight of various dangers? By the searching and inquiry of the prophets we should understand their reverent meditations. They entered into these when they received divine revelations concerning the Messiah, and also when they read the predictions of other prophets. They sought to make clear to themselves when and how the Messiah would appear. But through illumination from the Spirit it was revealed to them that this would not come to pass in their own time. The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ because He is consubstantial with the Son and was sent down for revelations concerning the Messiah and Savior. By Christ's merits He was given to the Apostles and to all Christians. Thus in Christianity everything bears the seal of unity and supernaturalness, whose whole depth even the Angels cannot comprehend. Therefore the Apostle Paul rightly cried out when contemplating the greatness of the work of our salvation: "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out" (Rom 11:33).
The salvation of souls, attained through faith in Jesus Christ Who has come, is so great a good that those who possess it are incomparably happier than the people of the Old Testament, who believed in Jesus Christ Who was to come. This salvation, given by God's grace to those who believed in Christ, was the object of the prophets' searching and inquiry. It was revealed to them by the Holy Spirit, Who even in the Old Testament acted in union with Christ, consubstantial with Him, the Spirit of Christ. Salvation was to be accomplished through Christ. For salvation Christ would suffer and then be glorified through the Resurrection, the Ascension, and the spreading of His Church everywhere.
Thus the Spirit was "testifying beforehand of the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow." Receiving revelation concerning these events, the prophets also desired to know exactly when they would take place. They wished not only to contemplate them in the future, but also to live until them and become witnesses of them. How blessed they would have been if their desire had been fulfilled (Mt 13:17), and if with their own eyes they had seen Christ. How blessed, if with their own ears they had heard from His mouth the word of life and salvation. But this happiness was not given to them. It was revealed to them that the events they foretold would occur in the distant future, to which they would not live. It was revealed that what they proclaimed beforehand would serve not themselves but us. To them it was future; to us it has been preached as accomplished. Christ the Savior Himself brought this preaching, this good tidings of salvation, to the earth. But from the time of the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles, it spread through all the earth. The Apostles, who preached the Gospel by the Holy Spirit sent down upon them from heaven, preached Christ everywhere. For the Angels themselves this Gospel is the object of most intense attention, for "Angels desire to look into" it. They are brought into reverent wonder by the depth of the riches, wisdom, and knowledge of God revealed in the salvation of men by the crucified and glorified Christ. If our salvation is so precious to the Angels, should it not be still more precious to us who are being saved?
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 28 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS