The torn Curtain

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:51–54 ESV).

 

Our reading today describes a very important element of the death of Jesus. At the moment Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn open “from top to bottom.” The temple was the place of God’s presence among his people. The innermost section was called the Holy of Holies. It was the most sacred of places within the Temple; it was the place where God’s presence was focused. A thick curtain separated it from the rest of the temple, and only one person, the high priest, could go into that room once a year, on the Day of Atonement, after going through an elaborate cleansing ceremony (cf. Leviticus 16).

 

In a sense, that curtain was a lasting reminder of the barrier God had used to keep Adam and Eve from the garden when they had fallen into sin. It wasn’t that God didn’t want people in his presence. The problem was that because of sin, no person could survive in God’s presence. God’s holiness and purity cannot mix with human sinfulness.

 

But Jesus’ death for our sake changed all that. The writer of Hebrews wrote: “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body…” (Hebrews 10:19). Jesus took away our sin by his death, opening the way for us to approach God again and enjoy life in him. The Holy Spirit now comes to us in the quickening of our spirit allowing us to respond to God and He restores our relationship forgiving our sin.

 

So many times I hear people tell me what they need to do to earn God’s favor and receive His presence. That is so far from the truth of Scripture. Everything necessary to receive the fulness of the presence of God has already been done. God has come to us because of the atonement that Jesus accomplished in His death, burial, and resurrection. You don’t need to go anywhere of do anything to have God’s presence and power; He has already given it to you. Enjoy Him! Rely on Him! Fellowship with your heavenly Father!