John 1:50-51 WEB

Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!” [51] He said to him, “Most certainly, I tell you, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

I have never seen an angel floating up or down from Heaven. Have you?  Did the disciples? There is no mention in the New Testament of the disciples ever witnessing angels ascending and descending on Jesus. At the temptation of Christ, the angels came and ministered to Him. I suppose that could be the fulfillment of this verse. The Lord spoke in parables, metaphors. Did the disciples understand that this was a metaphor? I wonder how much statements such as this challenged the belief of the disciples. Besides the Messiah, Jesus was a prophet. Much of what he said had little meaning unless understood as a story that means something else. How hard was it for His disciples to remain in faith? They saw the miracles, but they also saw the times Jesus prayed and nothing happened. They heard the wisdom and then there are these ambiguous metaphorical statements. Jesus had a faith that took him all the way to the cross. He faced and endured death with the confidence that God would raise Him from the dead. No matter what happened, whether glorious or horrifying, Jesus remained in faith. At the cross all the apostles fled. Their faith failed. I wonder if this prophecy is one of the expectations that made it hard to understand what was happening at the crucifixion.

Lord Jesus, please give me eyes to see what you are doing and ears to hear what you are saying. I hope to recognize you Lord in my life and in the coming age. In Jesus’ name, amen.