Jesus, The Man Who Tore Open Heaven

Day 9 of the “What Child is This?” Advent Devotional

And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came fromheaven, “You are my beloved Son;with you I am well pleased.” (Mark 1:10-11, ESV)

This is one of my favorite topics in the Gospels, for this is where the invitation is served and our identify is discovered. I know we sometimes hurry by passages like this, not considering what their full implications are.

I invite you this season to become reflective. Pause and give the familiar another glance. I promise you, if you approach familiar Scriptures with fresh awe and expectation, the Holy Spirit will surprise you. I know He has done this for me. I cannot tell you how my heart has become deeply gripped and awed afresh by the revelation of Jesus.

One dimension of Mark 1:10-11 is prophetic fulfillment. Christmas was God preparing the way to answer the prayer of Isaiah 64:1, “Oh, that You would rend the heavens! That You would come down!” The Answer to this prayer came in the form of the Man, Christ Jesus.

I know many of us still pray these words, desperate for a fresh touch of heaven in our lives, churches, cities, and nations. While the cry is motivated by noble intentions, we actually stop short of our inheritance by asking for what we already possess.

What happened at Jesus’ baptism? The English Standard Version translates it best by describing the scene: And when he came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open... Many of us imagine clouds parting, birds chirping, and the sun shining down, glistening on Jesus’ flowing hair. Perhaps. All I know is the language is a lot more intense and powerful than what many of us have been led to believe. That day, a beautiful yet powerful act took place and heaven was torn open over the only Man—up until this moment in history—Who was fit to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

As Jesus rose up out of the water, the ancient cry of heaven and earth was satisfied. Since the Garden, Heaven longed to reconnect with Earth, and the Earth had been groaning for the invasion of Heaven. Both realms awaited a man—the Man from Heaven, and the Man from Earth. The Man from Heaven was sinless perfection, and the Man from Earth received empowerment. Jesus as God was pure, holy, and righteous, and Jesus the Man had laid aside divine prerogative to operate in power. As a result, He chose to depend upon the abiding Presence of the Holy Spirit.

Today, know that because of Jesus, heaven is open. In fact, heaven is open over every person filled with the Holy Spirit. I know it sounds spiritual and passionate to pray for the heavens to open, but that was a prayer only Jesus could fulfill—and He already did!

Advent Prayer

Father, thank You that because of Jesus I live under an open heaven. Show me what this means. I’m not content with spiritual-sounding language; I want this to be a practical, everyday reality in my life.