Jesus is risen and Heaven truly rejoices at what Jesus has just done!
A lot of times we think about the resurrection of Jesus from the perspective of Mary, the disciples, and the others who followed Jesus. But today I want you to think about it from the perspective of God the Father Himself.
As we pointed out on Good Friday, this Passion of Jesus was God’s rescue plan that He’d begun after Adam and Eve rejected Him in the Garden. They broke our perfect communion with God, and it was God’s overwhelming desire to reunite us with Himself because of His unfailing and immeasurable love for us.
And now that is accomplished! Jesus suffered a horrible and torturous death, becoming the one sacrifice that frees us from the bondages of sin! What Satan tried to destroy in the garden, Jesus has restored in a way that can never be undone!
So what does this really mean? It means that the Cross of Jesus is now the key that opens wide the gates of Heaven, welcoming those of us who, like the prodigal son, find our way back to God. It means that we are no longer separated from Him, that we can now be reunited with the One who loves us more than we can truly understand this side of Heaven.
God’s will has been done. The chalice of His mercy has been fully poured out on His creation.
I think God the Father must’ve been ecstatic with joy! In human terms, I’d like to think God and all the angels were doing cartwheels in Heaven after what Jesus, the Son, had accomplished. And on the morning of the resurrection, His Joy was revealed in raising Jesus from the dead, giving life to the new Church that would take this great news to the world, busting down the gates of hell and snatching more and more people from Satan’s grasp!
Today is indeed a day of celebration! Praise God in Heaven for what He has truly given us!