Angels Ministering to Jesus?

By Amber Lehman, CEO

Mark 1:13 and John 4:11 both reference that when Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and Satan had came and tempted him that “angels came and ministered to Him”. This phrase is one I usually blow past without much thought but this morning it caught my eye, it caught my heart, I thought “how did the angels minister to Jesus?”.

We know Jesus was fasting so they didn’t bring Him food, perhaps they brought water though. Did they encourage Him with reminders of the future, why He left Heaven to be tempted, tortured, and die for sins? Did they remind Him how many souls He came to save from destruction?

Did they just sit with Him and keep Him company? Perhaps He was crying and they just sat and listened?  Perhaps they gave Him a chuckle?

“Hey Jesus remember that time you played with Leviathan like it was a bird? (Job 41)….wow,you mastered that beast!” “Wasn’t that Grand Canyon fun to create?!?!” (Genesis 1)“ooooh, remember taking Enoch up with no warning? Did you see the look on that guy’s face?”(Genesis 5: 24)

Did they encourage Him? “Jesus, great job resisting the Father of Lies, your Daddy in Heaven is so happy and so proud of you, GREAT JOB! This wilderness time is almost over, keep going, keep going, souls are depending on You for salvation, don’t stop now.”

It makes me wonder how we should minister day by day.  Do we sit with the homeless man or woman and just sit? Not solving all their life problems, not throwing money at them, just sitting and enjoying the presence of another human being whom God loves.  Do we inconvenience ourselves to drive someone to a job interview, have a meal together, talk about “a lot of nothing’”, and enjoy the presence of another human being made in the image of God just like we were?  Do we visit a widow or an orphan? Do we fix a new mom a meal and go do her dishes? Do we look around for a person needing a word of encouragement to press on to the end? How do we love?

I’m convinced that “doing ministry” is 95% simply enjoying another human being as someone created with dignity by God regardless of earthly circumstances and 5% projects and life solutions.

Unfortunately, I’m afraid that the busyness of American culture has made “doing ministry” something to be fit in to schedules and giving quick solutions (usually material/financial) to alleviate ‘distress’…when what that soul needs is a simple friend. A friend who sees them for the person made in the image of God, enjoys them based on God’s view of them rather than their earthly performance, and shows them the Jesus that sits with them, loves them, and invites them in to fellowship with Him now and in to eternity.

Ministry is not something we do, ministry is who we are.

I guess that is enough of my ponderings on paper for now. How can you minister like an angel today?