The heavens opened
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Matthew 3:13-17
For us it’s a description of rain (cf Genesis 7:11). For Ezekiel it enabled him to see “visions of God” (Ezekiel 1:1). In the Gospels, the heavens open for Jesus in order that He sees the Spirit descend:
Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:16-17).
As Jesus unites Himself to our life in baptism, He is affirmed as the Christ, the Son of God. Entering our humanity does not cost Him His divinity. Joining us in our estrangement has not distanced Him from the Father. No – the Gift and love of the Father continues to pour down on Him. And the veil that separates us from God is torn down for Jesus. He walks under an open heaven.
In fact, Scripture doesn’t say that the heavens were closed again for Jesus. Perhaps we are to infer that, from then on, the heavens were always open to Him. Certainly He always had the Father’s love and the Spirit’s anointing.
But then on Good Friday, He cried out: “My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me.” (Matthew 27:45-46). The heavens were black and silent before God’s Son. And yet at that very moment, “the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Matthew 27:51). The heavens were shut for Him, yet opened for us!
Now, with Christ risen again – vindicated by the Spirit and ascended into heaven – He invites us to be baptised into His life. In Christ we too have the Father’s love and the Spirit’s anointing. Which means this: today you walk under an open heaven.
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