In the Beginning

God knew.
He had to know. He knows everything.
He knew the moment He breathed life into man that this man would break His heart.
He knew the intimacy that He shared with Adam and Eve would eventually be severed, and that their descendants would wander far from Him.
He knew.
He created them anyway.
And as He wove the earth together, He devised a way to lead them back.
A way that would cost Him dearly. The life of His Jesus.

He knew what man's choice would be.
Imagine the hosts of heaven standing watch as the Devil wraps himself as a serpent and finds his way to Eve.
Imagine the anticipation as the heavens wait for her choice.
Perhaps they all leaned toward her...silently pleading with her to turn away.
To deny the offer. To believe what God had told her.
Perhaps one of them whispered, "Believe God. Don't let this serpent deceive you."
Yet, she reached for the fruit and made her choice.
As Adam neared, perhaps once again the heavens leaned forward.
"Don't do it. Not you too. We watched Him lovingly weave you together. He took such care as He knit your heart. You Don't Really Want This."
And Adam closed his eyes and took a bite.

In the beginning, God knew.
Sin, death, destruction, evil.
He knew we would be separated from Him.
Our choices every day sentence us to a life apart from Him.
Yet, He wrote His book with our redemption in mind.
Isaiah speaks God's words, "Fear not, for I have redeemed you. I have summoned you by name. You are mine."
The Fall of Man was just the beginning.
The Redemption of Man...the rest of the story.

We celebrate Christmas as the beginning of our hope for salvation.
Jesus' birth began our trip back to Him.
But His birth is inconsequential without His death.
His death paid the price for our sins.
His death should drive us to our knees in brokenness.
He was forsaken by the Father...bore every sin ever committed and ones that have yet to be committed...so that God could look on us and not forsake us...so that our sin would not be held against us...so that His precious creations could find their way back to Him.

And three days later, the empty tomb would reveal that His death didn't just pay for our sins, but conquered death itself.
The plan set in motion at the beginning of time revealed.
The serpent loses. God wins.
Sin and death conquered with the death and resurrection of this perfect sacrifice.

The celebration of Easter.
The plan unfolds in the most unlikely of ways.
God's Son on earth being nailed to a cross by the very sinners He seeks to save.
Perhaps the same heavenly hosts leaned toward their Heavenly Father and asked,
Can we save Him? Give us the command and we will save Him.
And God turns His eyes from His Son as the sins of the world pour out on Jesus.
This is my will. He's doing the saving. He's saving those who hammer his hands. He's saving those who hurl insults. He's saving those who betrayed Him. He's the Savior they don't know they need. This is my will.
And God's head turns away and Jesus bears the full weight of the sin of man without His Father.
Every sin ever committed poured out on Him.
The perfect Lamb sacrificed.
The veil torn.
I wonder if God whispered-with us in mind-as Jesus hung on the cross,
"Welcome Home."