One of the most thought-provoking questions we find in the Bible is this:
“If angels are spiritual beings, how can they appear in human form and even eat food?”
Genesis 18 gives us a powerful account. Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw three visitors. He hurried to prepare bread, meat, and milk, and they sat with him, and “they ate.” Later, we discover that one of these was the Lord Himself and the other two were angels. This was no dream, no imagination — it was heaven visiting earth in a way Abraham could touch, see, and serve.
This shows us that although angels are spiritual beings, God sometimes allows them to take human form to accomplish His purposes. They don’t eat because they need food, but because God wants to confirm the reality of His nearness. When Abraham watched them eat, he knew he was truly hosting messengers of the Almighty, not shadows of his imagination.
The Bible repeats this mystery. When Lot welcomed two travelers into his house in Sodom, he baked bread for them and they ate with him. It was only later revealed that they were angels sent to rescue him. A meal became the bridge between the seen and the unseen, between the ordinary and the divine. And centuries later, after His resurrection, Jesus Himself walked with two disciples on the road to Emmaus. They did not recognize Him until He sat at the table, blessed the bread, and ate with them. In that breaking of bread, their eyes were opened. What angels foreshadowed — the Word taking part in human fellowship — was fulfilled in Christ, God truly in the flesh, walking, eating, and dwelling among us.
The lesson is clear: God chooses to come close. Sometimes He comes through His angels, who take on a form we can recognize. Sometimes He comes through His Son, who became fully human, yet without sin. In every case, the purpose is the same — to remind us that heaven is not distant. God walks into our world, sits at our tables, and even partakes in our ordinary bread to show that He is Emmanuel, God with us.
The writer of Hebrews reflects on this mystery when he says, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by doing so some have entertained angels without knowing it.” A simple act of kindness can become an encounter with the divine. It reminds us that what looks ordinary — a guest, a stranger, a traveler — may carry heavenly significance. Jesus Himself taught that whatever we do for “the least of these,” we do for Him. Perhaps we do not only entertain angels unaware, but also serve Christ in disguise.
And yet, this question of angels eating points us beyond angels themselves to Jesus. For angels, the eating was a sign of identification; for Jesus, it was the reality of incarnation. Angels could appear in flesh for a moment, but Jesus took on flesh forever. He ate, drank, wept, rejoiced, and suffered as one of us, not to pretend humanity, but to redeem humanity. Angels bring messages, but Jesus is the Message. Angels bring bread to strengthen men, but Jesus Himself is the Bread of Life.
So when we ask, “How can angels eat if they are spirits?” we are really asking, “How can the invisible God touch the visible world?” The answer is found in the same truth that angels reveal and Christ fulfills: God makes Himself accessible. He bends down into our world. He is not content to remain distant.
Therefore, every table, every act of service, every piece of bread broken in kindness becomes holy ground. For who knows? Perhaps in such a moment you are meeting not just an angel unaware — but Christ Himself in the mystery of your brother, your neighbor, or even a stranger.
✨ Reflection:
The angels remind us of God’s nearness. Jesus reveals God’s nearness. Angels eat to show us they are real. Jesus eats with us to show us He is ours. The spiritual touches the physical because God refuses to be far away. Heaven has come down to earth, and Christ sits at our table.