Mt 3:13 Then Jesus came. A first reflection immediately presents itself to me: why did Matthew recount with such exactness that the Lord came from Galilee, and to the Jordan, and to John? Would it not have been enough to say simply that He came to John, or that He came to be baptized? In response to what might perhaps seem a curious question—yet is not such at all, since nothing in Sacred Scripture is superfluous or idle—it seems to me that Matthew most rightly said that He came from Galilee.
Now Galilee signifies revolution and rotation. When, therefore, you hear that the Majesty of God, God Himself, came as though He were a sinner to John to be baptized by him, do you not understand that the whole world is being turned upside down, that the entire machinery of the universe is rotating? John and every human being ought to come to God to be baptized by Him; but because man did not come to God to receive baptism from Him, God came to man to be baptized by man. O revolution of the whole world! O laws of reason, laws of prudence, overturned! Who has ever heard such a thing: He comes as a sinner to be baptized by man. The abyss of goodness and grace seems to ask from man the remission of guilt; the abyss of misery. Clearly the world is turned about, and what ought to have been above is turned beneath. Thus it pleased God to raise man, who lay at the lowest pivot of the wheel, to the highest place. But in order that the lowest parts of the wheel be lifted up, it is necessary that the highest parts of that same wheel be pressed down; for the lowest do not rise unless the highest descend. Therefore, that man might ascend to God, God descended to man. This is what the word revolution signifies, especially since the Jordan signifies descent. It is therefore signified that the summit was rotated and descended into a low place, so that the lowest might ascend to the highest place.
Secondly, by the word rotation and revolution it is signified that the Law was devolving into grace, into which the Law descended and there failed according to the letter, although according to the Spirit it ascended from grace, more perfect and better than it had been before. Thirdly, it is signified that Christ, who up to that time had lived as a private man, turned Himself toward the descent and humility of baptism, so that from there He might ascend—that is, be manifested—as the Savior of the whole world.
A second consideration presses upon the mind: what cause moved Christ to be baptized by John? Consider carefully, I beg you: Christ, when He comes, is God, the fountain of holiness and grace; John, who is a man, is in need of grace. Surely Christ was able to give grace, since “the Lord gives grace and glory.” Christ comes to John to be baptized, as though you were to say: Christ professes Himself a sinner; He professes that He desires remission; and He comes to John that John may wash away His crimes. What is the meaning of this matter? The Holy One and the source of holiness asks for what cannot cleanse. Who can understand this miracle?
But if this can scarcely be understood, come with me and penetrate more deeply. Truly, Christ performed three—or rather four—works of supreme humility in this life. The first was circumcision, by which He showed Himself subject to original sin like other children. The second was this baptism, by which He wills to be cleansed like other sinners. The third was when He washed the feet of the disciples. The fourth was when He was crucified. Among these four works, at first glance it seems that the washing of the feet holds the highest degree of humility, since the God of majesty washed feet. Yet how much more humble it is to show oneself to be cleansed from sins than to cleanse sins themselves! Therefore, to ask cleanliness from John is more humbling than to bestow it upon the disciples. Again, since it seems more base to be stained with actual sin than with original sin, it may appear more humble to seek from John a baptism for sins than to endure the shedding of blood in circumcision.
O therefore the supreme humility of soul! O the truest contempt of self! He wills to be seen as a sinner in the eyes of men; He wills to be seen as unclean in the theater of so many people, in so great and frequent a crowd. When, therefore, you ask what moved Christ to be baptized, certainly it was that, as a lover of humility and abasement, He might see in action what He desired in His heart. Indeed, a merchant, when the hope of profit shines forth, runs, hastens, leaves nothing undone that he might reach it; so also Christ, where He could attain humility, ran and hastened, that He might join this spouse to Himself. This is the first explanation of the difficulty.
The second is this: certainly it was a ceremony that John baptized, for that baptism did not of itself confer grace. Therefore, that Christ might show that sacred ceremonies are not to be rejected by the people, He Himself was the first to accept them.
The third cause was this: by this supreme abasement of Christ—by which He, who lacked all sin, subjected Himself to John for the remission of sins—God was merited to be bound and obliged to give grace through the ministers of the New Testament, even if they are evil, even if they are satanic. For if the Author of grace, the fountain and principle of grace, seeks the grace of remission from a man who of himself lacks grace, it was just that God should necessarily assist the ministers of the New Testament by giving grace through them, even if they themselves lack it, to those who seek grace; and by giving an increase of grace to those who seek it if they already possess it.
The fourth cause—and this follows upon the third—is that the Majesty of God seeks remission and cleansing from John so that the whole human race, lying in the deepest misery, may trust that it will obtain remission if it truly seeks it from Christ. For if we, who are evil, know how to give good things to our children, how much more will the Father give good things to those who ask Him. If John does not deny cleansing to one who asks, how much less will the Father deny it.
Fifthly, consider, I beg you, that Christ came from Galilee to the Jordan, to John. John signifies grace. It is therefore indicated that nothing must be left undone by man, nothing not attempted, in order to obtain grace. Christ stripped Himself, plunged Himself into the water, subjected Himself to the cold of winter, subjected Himself to John so greatly His inferior. Therefore nothing must be left undone that we may be subjected to John—that is, to grace—even if we lose our garments, even if we endure cold, even if we lose honor.
Sixthly, I beg you, reader, do not contemplate Christ as a private individual; rather, in Christ understand the whole human race as members of one body. Now what could be more solemn than that God and man, Christ, together with the entire human race, should as suppliants ask cleansing from John, who here acts in the place of God? Truly Christ asks—and men ask in Christ—because neither could God of Himself ask for grace, nor could man of himself obtain it. Therefore God asks in man, so that He may be able to ask, and man asks in God, so that he may be able to obtain. It was not fitting that God should need anything; it was not within human capacity to merit grace. Therefore divinity is joined to humanity, so that it may both ask and merit. And since cleansing is sought from John—that is, from grace—it is indicated that no Christian receives grace except from grace; that is, no one receives grace unless freely (gratis), according to that saying of Isaiah: “Come, buy without silver and without exchange,” and of Paul: “If by grace, it is not from works.”
Seventhly, it is commonly said—and thus taught by Doctor Augustine—that John represents the Old Testament. Now it is certain that to many people, not only unbelievers but even believers, Christ and the things Christ did in the flesh appear base, sordid, and unclean, when they hear that Christ was spat upon, scourged, died, was buried; and likewise that He ate, drank, slept, grew angry, feared, and trembled. Since therefore Christ knew that He could appear vile to men, He has recourse to John—that is, to the Old Testament—by which He is washed, so that He may appear pure; and thus it came to pass. For since the Old Law foretold all the things which He did in the flesh, those things which seem vile and unclean cannot be so, having been announced so long beforehand concerning Christ.
Mt 3:14-15 Therefore Christ came to John, that is, to the Old Law. “Search the Scriptures,” He says, “for they bear witness to Me”; that is, they wash, illuminate, and remove the filth which you cast upon Me. And indeed the Old Law, out of reverence which it owes to Christ its fulfiller, responds to Christ, who seeks testimony from it: “I ought to be baptized by You, to be enlightened and perfected.” But the Lord says, “Permit it now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Truly it was righteousness to believe Christ who performed such great signs, for never did a man speak thus, nor did a man act thus. It was righteousness, therefore, to believe Him, since so great a prophet had arisen. And all righteousness is fulfilled, and all righteousness commands that we believe Him who did so many miracles and of whom the ancient Scripture foretold. For if the Jews do not believe because of the miracles, do they not rise up against all righteousness when they contradict such manifest Scriptures? “Permit it therefore,” says the Lord, “that Wisdom may be justified by her children; permit it, that men may understand that I require all righteousness from them when I demand faith in Me.”
Mt 3:16 And since the text says that when Christ was baptized He immediately came up from the water, it signifies a mystery: namely, that when anyone compares and, as it were, immerses the works of Christ in the Old Law by searching the Scriptures, if Christ is truly the promised Messiah, he will surely find that the works of Christ are not inferior to the Law, nor less than those things written in the Law about Him; indeed he will find them far greater than the Law itself. Thus he will find Christ ascending, not cast down. And the fact that it says immediately He came up indicates that it is no great labor nor long delay for one who compares Christ with the Law to find Christ the true Messiah—provided he is not blind, or does not will to be blind.
Eighthly, if you take John not only as representing the Law, but also as representing the blind Jews themselves, you will find another meaning, not alien to the previous one. Christ seeks baptism from Judaism, figured by John. This baptism in water signified baptism in blood, just as being immersed in water signified burial. For Paul teaches that through baptism death and burial are signified. When therefore Christ came to John to be baptized, understand that He came to Judea to be killed by it. And indeed, if the synagogue had asked the Lord why He was coming, He would have answered: “I am going to be crucified for you.” Then it would have been fitting for all Judea to answer Christ: “By no means, Lord; it is not fitting that You die for Judea; rather it is fitting that we die for You. It would be better that we, for Your sake, be baptized by You in our blood, than that You, out of love for us, be baptized for us in Your blood.” But God says: “Permit it now; for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Thus it is fitting that I, and men in Me, pay every debt which for the sins of men is owed to the Father; thus it is fitting that in Me, and in men who are My members, all the rigor of righteousness be observed, and that it be exacted from Me to the last farthing, and that divine justice be most fully satisfied.
Therefore Christ baptized Judea in blood; but He immediately came up from the water, because on the third day He rose from the dead, according to that saying that it was impossible for Him to be held by death and hell, as Peter says.
Ninthly, if John represents not only the Jews, but men most devout, another sense arises, though not alien to what has been said. When Christ comes to John, understand Christ coming to men; when He asks baptism in water from John, understand that for love of men He asks to be immersed in tribulations and sufferings. For in the Scriptures it is customary for water to signify tribulation. Therefore Christ asks from men—and for men—tribulations. The devout reply: “It is fitting that we suffer for You and be plunged into the storm of trials; why should You suffer for us?” But God says: “Permit it now, while I remain in this life, that I may suffer for you; I shall not suffer after death. Allow Me to suffer, and you suffer with Me; thus we shall fulfill all righteousness.” For although it is righteousness to give heaven to a devout man, yet all righteousness is that a devout man, by a certain propriety, open the heavens by patience while immersed in the waters of tribulation. “Patience has a perfect work,” and therefore it possesses all righteousness. Hence that well-worn saying of Paul: “We are heirs of God and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also reign with Him”—so that Paul seems to think righteousness of the kingdom consists in the homeland. The devout allow Christ to be baptized in tribulations, but He immediately comes up from the water of sorrows, because every tribulation is momentary, as Paul says: “What is momentary and light is our tribulation,” and so forth. Immediately also the devout man comes up from the water, because the waters cannot extinguish charity.
Tenthly, just as Christ asked to be baptized by John, clothed in hair and dwelling in the desert, so Christ asks to be baptized by the sinner, clothed in hair and dwelling in the desert—that is, He asks from him tears, in which Christ more willingly is immersed than in the waters of the Jordan, if these are but mere outward forms. But the sinner replies: “Lord, why do You ask my tears? Rather, let Your tears suffice for me.” But God answers: “Permit it now; allow Me to accept your sorrow and tears; thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness. For if I alone, without you, were to save and convert you, I would not appear just, as one who justifies the utterly unprepared; but when I work, and you give your tears, you favor Me by pouring them upon Me; and while I justify the impious, I appear just.”
Eleventhly, just as the Lord sought baptism from John, so He seeks from every devout man, when He demands almsgiving and good works from him, by which Christ is gladly immersed, refreshed, and rejoices. Thus Christ asks, in the poor man, from the devout rich man, water by which He may be baptized and washed from the filth of poverty. Then the devout man says: “Lord, You give to me; You baptize me; You know how much I need what I have. Give You the waters You ask.” But the Lord replies: “Permit it now; give even from what seems necessary to you. For thus it is fitting to fulfill all righteousness. It is righteousness to give from abundance; but all righteousness and goodness is to give from what we ourselves need, as that widow whom the Gospel praises showed by her example.” Therefore, Christ coming to John and asking water from him indicated that He needs our water in order to bestow His fire upon us.
Twelfthly, receive this prosopopoeia, reader. Christ is grace; He bears the person of all men. Christ therefore comes, in the person of men, to grace, asking that it immerse men in the fountains of grace. Then grace replies to Christ: “Why do You ask grace from me, since You are the fountain of grace? Rather, fill my channels, that I may flow more abundantly to men.” But the Lord says: “Permit it now; when I represent sinners and take their place, thus it is fitting for Me to fulfill all righteousness. For all righteousness is that grace be given to Christ asking grace for sinners and imploring cleansing in the name of sinners—not for Himself, but for the sinners for whom He prays. It is not righteousness that grace be given to the sinner; but all righteousness is that grace not be denied to Christ who pleads the cause of the sinner.”
Having been baptized, Jesus immediately ascended from the water. Clearly, while Christ is in the water, He does not see the heavens opened, does not receive the Spirit, does not hear the voice of the Father. Therefore, will He not ascend from the water hastily and hurrying so that He might see so beautiful a spectacle—namely, the heavens opened, the dove coming, and hear so sweet a voice: "You are my beloved Son"? By this is signified how devout men who use the Sacraments in this life ought to hasten to ascend, to depart from life, to desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ, so that their eyes may be filled with those ineffable riches which are in the heavens. For now we do not see, but we walk by hearing alone, believing those sublime things.
Secondly, that hasty ascension of Christ from the water signifies that Christ had to swiftly seize the heavens and the dove. It was said eternally concerning Christ: "Call his name 'Hasten to take spoils, hurry to plunder,'" which the Prophet predicted and Christ signified by His hurrying ascent. Brief indeed was the time He lived among men, brief was the delay while He lay immersed in the waters of this life. But when He ascended from life, the heavens were opened to Him as the heir of heaven. He saw the dove as the announcer of peace, for now Christ does not die, now He does not suffer, now for Him the waters of the flood have ceased—for all the sorrows and tribulations of Christ have ceased.
Thirdly, by that hasty ascension it was denoted that whoever departs hastily from life after baptism will immediately see the heavens—there is no delay. Baptism washes away all sins; if one does not sin again, immediately upon dying one will fly to heaven.
Fourthly, if you understand by the opening of the heavens the right to heaven (as the saints have understood), then many things will be noteworthy to you. First, he who remains in his mortal sin when baptized certainly does not ascend from the water toward heaven but plunges downward to hell; therefore the heavens are not opened to him since he descends from the water. Second, if you truly ascend from the water and pray as Christ did, God by His law cannot fail to open the heavens to you; the Spirit cannot restrain Himself from coming to the one praying—which is especially noteworthy. If you humble yourself and confess yourself a sinner and rise from sin, be secure: God will exalt you, and just as you care to humble yourself before all, so God will care to exalt you before all, and with open voice will thunder: "You are my son."
Third, Scripture says the heavens were opened. Therefore they will remain opened until the bridegroom comes at midnight (that is, on the day of judgment) and the door is closed. Understand here that the heavens are now open in the same way they will then be closed. Then they will be closed because there is no longer a place for meriting; so also now they remain open because however much a sinner you are, although you have persisted in sin for a long time, still the heavens are open to you, the door stands open—only ascend from the water.
Fourth, with Christ praying, the heavens are opened so that all things in heaven flow to us and things with us ascend into heaven. Paul said: "Blessed be God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places." Therefore every spiritual and heavenly blessing descends upon us. Again he says to the Corinthians: "You were made rich in Him, so that no gift is lacking to you." If no gift is lacking, therefore all heavenly blessings have flowed down upon us as if by force. Would that just as those things spontaneously run to us, so also our things might hasten there!
"I saw the Spirit descending" (Jn 1:32) Our Lord saw the Spirit descending upon Him, that the Scripture might be fulfilled saying: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me," etc. And indeed, if God breathed into the old Adam the breath of life so that he might become a living soul, much more excellently does the eternal Father inspire into His Son His Spirit in this place, that He might be a life-giving spirit—not that our Lord in His baptism was filled with any new spirit (for from the instant of His incarnation He was most full), but that God wished to testify to all men that Christ is full of the dove-like Spirit.
But since, as I was saying, Christ bears the person of men, through the coming of the Holy Spirit upon Christ it is understood that from that time when Christ was baptized, the Holy Spirit never ceases to come to men—especially if they have been baptized, and especially if they have ascended from the water through righteousness. Certainly no one can be excused if he is not holy, since the Holy Spirit never ceases to knock at man's door, desiring to sanctify him and to turn him from a raven into a dove.
Nor indeed should a sinner fear or dread the Holy Spirit coming into him, for He does not come as a raging lion but as a simple dove; He comes not to tear you but to make you gentle and peaceful. Again, if the Holy Spirit comes as a dove, yet a dove does not come to a man unless it is familiar, domestic, and friendly to the man. Therefore the Holy Spirit comes to us as familiar, as domestic, as a friend. In an unheard-of manner, God presents Himself as familiar to man, as familiar as the dove which approaches a man's hand. I most certainly believe that the Lord wished to indicate through the coming of the dove upon Himself that the Holy Spirit, who once to ancient men was as wild, as untamable, has through Christ become tame and friendly to men, so that just as men have their doves among their domestic possessions, so now men themselves may consider the Holy Spirit among their domestic riches. O truly rich is he who is rich in God!
And indeed the dove is most fruitful, yet not for itself but for its master; so also the Holy Spirit is most fruitful in us because He makes us fruitful, yet He wishes that fruitfulness to serve not His own convenience but ours. From these things you have that the manners of a Christian are dove-like—gentle and fruitful.
Mt 3:17 Finally, the paternal voice is heard over Christ, saying...
"This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." Truly, because no one has pleased God except in Christ. It was said of Abraham: "In your seed all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed." This seed is Christ, as Paul teaches, and therefore the same Paul says: "Blessed be God who has blessed us with every blessing in the heavenly places in Christ," for no one is blessed except in Christ; that one receives grace.
But consideration most worthy is why the Father testifies that Christ pleases Him only when He has been baptized. Did He not please before baptism? Indeed He pleased, but I have already admonished you that these things are described not for Christ's sake but for ours. Understand therefore that a man living only in natural law, if he does good, is loved by God, because God loves every good thing, and it is said: "You hate nothing that you have made." But if that man, good in natural things, does not have grace, he does not please God insofar as it regards the heavenly kingdom, for whoever does not have charity is nothing.
Now, as it follows, it is not enough to be good according to nature, for grace is not from merits—otherwise grace would not be grace. Indeed, God gives grace not from merits but from the one calling. Whoever therefore wishes to attain grace will be able to do so by this way: namely, if he grieves that he is a sinner and has recourse to God, the fountain of grace, about to receive it from Him through the Sacraments freely.
Therefore, because the Lord, in the place of all of us, professed Himself a sinner in us—not Himself but us in Himself—and approached baptism, which held the role of a Sacrament, therefore He obtained grace not for Himself but for us. And therefore He is affirmed by the Father not only as beloved Son but as one "in whom [the Father] is well pleased," because [He is] not only good according to nature but also gracious according to grace.
Clearly it is not worthy that God should please Himself except in God, for what is less than God is also less worthy that it can please God so greatly. Therefore, in order that men might please God, they were made gods through grace. But grace is not given except to one confessing his crimes. For blessed is he whose iniquities are forgiven, etc. Blessed is he to whom God imputes righteousness without works, as Paul says.
You have therefore the reason why Christ, bearing our person, is not affirmed to please God except after baptism and the profession of sins—not His own but ours.
But O truly miraculous thing! Christ, where we all are, is called beloved Son and pleasing. Allow me, O eternal author of things, allow me to speak with You. Why do You affirm that Christ pleases You? Do You not see us joined to Him, that we are His members? If You see this, You have placed upon Him the iniquities of all of us. How therefore does He please You, in whom are our crimes? Truly Christ bore our infirmities—how will He please You, burdened with so many infirmities? Truly our leprosy clung to Christ—why does one so leprous please You so greatly? "Does the seat of iniquity adhere to You?" says the Psalm. Therefore could Christ, in whom all our iniquities had their seat, please and adhere to Your so great purity?
But indeed so great is the Father's love for the Son that the abyss of our iniquities cannot dry up this abyss of love. Love flows into the Son like the rush of a river; the rivulets of our sins cannot turn aside this rush. So great is the Son's fragrance, like the fragrance of a full field, that our iniquities do not disturb God's nostrils. So great is the Son's brightness that He easily dispels our darkness.
Wherefore, if the iniquities of all of us do not have strength to turn God's favor from Christ, why do I, a sinner, fear if I am found in Christ? If the crimes of all men do not turn God's eyes from His Christ, how will my iniquities turn God's eyes away from me, if I am found in Christ and united to Christ? My iniquities, of which I repent, will not harm.
But I beseech you, pay attention to me. As I was now saying, Christ is not said to have pleased the Father except when baptized, so that Christ seems to have displeased before baptism. Clearly Christ in Himself always pleased the Father, but Scripture does not say He pleased, as He bears our person, except after baptism. Because in that baptism, by His supreme humility, He merited that all guilt and punishment should be remitted to those baptized in Christ, and therefore the Father might truly be pleased in them.
Rightly therefore, after the humility of Christ's baptism, Christ—that is, we in Christ—truly please the Father. He testified to this complacency with that most sweet voice: "In whom I am well pleased."
But if you do not penetrate this, remember that the unbelieving Jews, according to Paul, although they displease God in themselves, yet for the sake of their Fathers are loved by God. "Enemies," he says, "for your sake, beloved for the sake of the Fathers." So also we in ourselves are sinners and enemies and therefore held in hatred. But in Christ and for Christ's sake, we are so loved that the Father says: "This is my Son in whom I am well pleased."
There remains for me in this place a doubt: Why at the time of Christ's passion are the heavens not opened but rather obscured and closed? Why does the dove not come then, nor is the Father's voice heard? And indeed, the gates of heaven were not opened in baptism but in the passion, for not even the Baptist entered heaven until after Christ's passion.
Why therefore are the heavens then opened when in reality they are not opened? Why do we say we are beloved in Him when we are not fully beloved regarding the payment of punishment except when Christ has died, through whose death all our debts are paid, the price of our iniquities is paid, and therefore heaven then opened, not before? And indeed on the cross, the Word of the Lord testifies to the opened heavens, saying to the thief: "Today you will be with me in paradise," because evidently on that day the gates of paradise opened.
Therefore the Sun and Moon are obscured and cover the heavens while Christ suffers, when in reality heaven was then being opened. But in baptism, when the heavens are not opened, they are seen to be opened.
The response that pleases my mind is drawn from that word: "The heavens were opened to Him." Where it is indicated that as much as was from Christ's merit, they then opened—for so great was that merit, so great the humility, that the Father could scarcely restrain Himself from opening the heavens to Christ immersing Himself under the waters. The Father could scarcely restrain Himself from opening the kingdom of life to Him who was burying Himself alive under water. Therefore from Christ's merit the heavens were then opened.
But because it pleased Christ to spend Himself and overspend Himself—it pleased Christ, I say, not only to fulfill all righteousness before God but also before men, that men through the cross might see their crimes redeemed—therefore the heavens were not then truly opened, although they were shown to be opened. But on the day of the cross, the heavens are not shown to be opened because that day was a day of wrath, a day of the Lord's vengeance, on which He took vengeance for our sins in His Son. For thus Isaiah 63: "The day of vengeance, the year of redemption" is called. For the vengeance of God's justice against our sins in Christ brought the year of eternal redemption.
But if you persist and press why the heavens are opened to the baptized one when they seem closed to the dying one, I respond to you from the same text. The text says: "Behold, the heavens were opened to Him." But when the Lord dies, He says: "Today you will be with me in paradise." Therefore when He is baptized, another is said to open the heavens to Him. For He Himself is not said there to open, but that the heavens were opened to Him. But when He dies, He Himself opens not to Himself, to whom they were already opened, but to all, even to thieves, for He says: "Today you will be with me."
Therefore so great was the height of that passion that it was not fitting that the heavens should be said to be unlocked by the Father's hand, but that He Himself who was suffering, He Himself with His own hand should open heaven, should promise heaven to whom He wished. And indeed, if He promises and gives to the thief, how much more confidently do those trust in the promise to themselves who have striven through life to serve God in truth?
Add also another thing. Answer me, I pray: which heaven do you believe more excellent—Christ's body or this heaven we behold adorned with stars? Clearly you will respond: Christ's body. If therefore so noble a heaven is torn and opened in Christ's passion, do not inquire nor require the opening of another heaven. For where greater things are opened, it was not necessary for lesser things to be opened.
Moreover, that you may understand that with Christ's flesh torn, the heavens also were divided, hear Paul in Hebrews 10, where he compares three veils mutually covering God. The first veil is the heaven which covers God's glory. The second is the veil of the temple which covered the ark and the holy of holies. The third is Christ's flesh covering His deity. Now, just as in the passion the flesh was torn, so also the veil of the temple was split, and consequently much more were the heavens opened. Glory to Him who through His flesh gave us entry into heaven!
CONTINUE
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