Hebrews 1:14Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Why, he says, do you marvel at the angels? They are servants of the Son of God. They are sent everywhere for us and minister for our salvation. Therefore they are servants like us.

See how small a difference he sets between creatures. Although the difference between angels and men is great, he places them near us. He speaks as though saying: They labor for us, run everywhere for us, one might say they are servants to us.

Their ministry consists in being sent everywhere for us. The Old Testament is full of such examples, and so is the New.

When angels bring good tidings to the shepherds, when they appear to Mary, when they appear to Joseph, when they sit at Christ’s tomb, and when they are sent to say to the disciples, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven?” (Acts 1:11), is it not clear that they minister to us?

When they free Peter from prison and converse with Philip, is it not clear that they minister to us?

Consider, then, what honor is shown to us when God sends angels to minister to us as to His friends. An angel appears to Cornelius. An angel frees all the apostles from prison and says: “Go, stand in the temple and speak to the people all the words of this life” (Acts 5:20).

But why do I speak of others? An angel appeared to Paul himself.

Do you see how they minister to us for God, and minister in matters of the greatest importance? Therefore Paul also says: “Whether the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours” (1 Cor 3:22).

The Son also was sent, but not as a servant or minister. He was sent as the only-begotten Son, as the One who wills the same things as the Father.

Or rather, He was not sent, since He did not pass from one place to another. He took flesh. But they change places, leaving one place where they were and going afterward to another where they were not.

The Apostle says this in order to encourage them. Why, he says, are you afraid? The angels minister to us.

Angels ministered much in both the Old and New Testaments. They did so when they helped Joseph with counsel (Mt 1:24), when they brought good tidings to the shepherds, when they sat at the tomb and announced Christ’s resurrection, and when they taught that He would come in the same manner as He ascended.

An angel appeared to Cornelius (Acts 11:13), to Philip (Acts 8:26), and to Peter in prison (Acts 12:7). In general, there are countless such examples.

Notice that the angelic work is to serve the salvation of men, or rather the work of Christ Himself. Therefore one must not despise such ministry.

But in the age to come such an order will cease. Then one will not receive revelations of God’s glory from another, for the glorification and joy of his soul.

Rather, to each, according to the measure of his virtues, what is due to him will be given directly by the Master according to his worth. He will not receive the gift from another, as here.

For there there is neither teacher nor one taught, nor anyone who needs another to make up what he lacks. There is one Giver, who directly gives to those able to receive, and from Him those who find heavenly joy receive.

There the ranks of teachers and learners will cease, and the swiftness of each one’s desire will hasten toward the One.

Here the Apostle also instructs women to be present in church with covered heads because of the angels; cf. 1 Cor 11:10. And the Prophet says: “I will praise You with my whole heart before the angels.” In Greek: καὶ ἐναντίον ἀγγέλων ψαλῶ σοι (Ps 137:1).

Nor should one doubt that when the mystery of the Flesh and Blood of our Lord is celebrated, there is an assembly of heavenly beings. They vigilantly keep guard at that memorable place where the sacred body itself was buried and from which it rose at the Resurrection.

Therefore, my brethren, we must strive diligently, whenever we enter church to offer praise to the Lord or to celebrate the liturgical rite, always to remember the heavenly angelic presence with due fear and reverence.

We should fulfill our duty after the pattern of the women devoted to God, of whom it is told that they feared the angels who appeared at the sacred place and bowed their faces to the ground.

The angels surpass us in many ways. But in a certain respect they are lower than we are, as we have already said and will say again. We are according to the image of the Creator, and because of this we became greater than they in the image of God.

We see the ministry for which angels were sent both in the Old Testament and in the New. In the Old, we see that an angel taught Hagar to return to her mistress (Gen 16:9).

Angels foretold to Abraham the birth of Isaac (Gen 18:10). Angels announced to Lot God’s decree concerning Sodom. They preserved him, his wife, and his daughters from the fire by taking them by the hand and leading them out of the city (Gen 19:16).

An angel delivered Jacob from all the evils that befell him (Gen 48:16). An angel went before the camp of the sons of Israel (Ex 14:19). In many other places of the Old Testament one may see angels fulfilling God’s commands and helping righteous people.

In the New Testament, we see that angels announced the conception of the Forerunner and the birth of the Ever-Virgin. They guided Joseph and the shepherds. At the birth of Jesus Christ they sang: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men” (Lk 2:14).

They ministered to Him after He completed His fast (Mt 4:11). They announced Christ’s resurrection to the myrrh-bearing women. At His Ascension they proclaimed His second coming.

They led the apostles out of prison, loosed the bonds from Peter’s hands, caught Philip away, instructed Cornelius, and performed many other such ministries and benefactions of angels, as we read in divine Scripture.

If the Son of God Himself, the Lord and Master of all, “emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men,” for the salvation of men, and for this God highly exalted Him (Phil 2:7, 9), then service to people who seek salvation cannot be humiliating for the angels.

On the contrary, it can serve as a means of merit and exaltation. Therefore, of course, the angels rejoice over the salvation of even one sinner (Lk 15:10).

They rejoice both from brotherly love for us, their younger brothers, and because, by fulfilling the duty laid upon them by the Master to serve the conversion and salvation of a sinner, they become like the Son of God Himself, who came to earth to serve men.