10 “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones; for I say to you that their angels in heaven continually see the face of My Father who is in heaven. [ i ]

Matthew 18:10 (NASB)

Completing the child theme

At the start of this chapter, Jesus used a child as a teaching aid to help teach the disciples about the definition of greatness. Though He may have been referring to literal children as well, the context supports a metaphor model: the children represent new believers, those young in their faith who need extra care. Then He instructed disciples to be careful what they teach new believers and to not set up obstacles to faith. Here, He finishes the teaching using children after a pause in v7-9.

Respect the young

Don’t look down or despise the young is what Jesus teaches here. Remember He started talking about what is greatness – in His Kingdom. Of course we respect children but again, I think the subject is children in the faith. What comes to mind is Paul’s teaching on the body of Christ – how we are all parts of one body and each part should respect and honor each other part (1 Corinthians 12:15-26). New believers are weaker in faith so need some extra assistance.

Guardian angels

So does this verse teach that kids have guardian angels? It sounds nice. However, “It cannot be emphatically answered from Scripture whether or not each believer has a guardian angel assigned to him/her. But, as stated earlier, God does use angels in ministering to us. It is scriptural to say that He uses them as He uses us; that is, He in no way needs us or them to accomplish His purposes, but chooses to use us and them nevertheless (Hebrews 1:7)” (gotquestions.org)

What we do know about angels in regard to humans is they are, “ministering spirits, sent out to provide service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Hebrews 1:14). Isn’t this wonderful to know! God sends them to help us who will inherit salvation. In this regard, they likely guard us from evil (Psalm 121: 7) as God’s agents and probably protect us from certain harms and temptations. 

Angels

A quick summary of angels from Today in the Word, “What is clear from Scripture is that Jesus is superior to all angels and more powerful than any demon (Heb. 1:4–14). Jesus gave His disciples power to cast out demons (Mark 3:14–15). Angels are not to be worshiped. They are our fellow messengers and servants (Rev. 19:10; 22:9). They serve us as we serve God.”

RЯeflection

• Do you have a new believer around you who needs to be received and encouraged in their faith? Maybe they need to be mentored or discipled in the faith. Take it upon yourself to do your part.
• Have you been confused about angels? Spend some time reading these passages above and the articles to make sure you are clear. Certainly we do not worship them. But we also need to know their role in helping us.