Symbols of Grace: The Veil
Read Matthew 27:45-55
There hangs Jesus. Whipped. Naked. Beaten beyond recognition. And after 6 hours of being nailed to a tree, Jesus died. His lungs, finally depleted of all oxygen, gave out and Jesus suffocated to death. We are shown in scripture that Jesus was nailed to the cross and then died at the exact moments that the daily sacrifices were usually made in the temple (9am and 3pm). A new way to view such a horrific day.
The daily sacrifices of pure and unblemished animals on behalf of broken and sinful people to restore a relationship with God. Numbers 28:4 and Exodus 29:39 show us more information about these sacrifices, called perpetual sacrifices. The first lamb was offered at 9am and the second lamb offered at 3pm. This would be on behalf of Israel as a whole to God. And on this day, the sacrifice would not have to keep being repeated.
Jesus has died. And we see the world itself begin to act out upon the death of its creator. We see here in Matthew’s account that Jesus cried out with a loud voice when He died and, upon that, several things happened. The curtain dividing the Holy of Holies was split, an earthquake happened, rocks were split and those who had previously… expired… came out of their tombs. The very earth itself revolted in the death of its creator.
The Holy of Holies was the innermost part of the Temple. It housed the Ark of the Covenant (which held the Ten Commandments and other items) and symbolized the very presence of God. This was a place where there was very limited access. In fact only one person was allowed once a year, after extensive cleansing and purifying rituals, to go inside and offer sacrifices to atone for the sins of Israel. There was a great sense of danger associated with going in as, according to Jewish customs, approaching incorrectly could have catastrophic consequences.
This curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the other part of the Temple. The curtain was in place as a strict boundary to show people not to go past. It was roughly 40-60 feet tall and 4 inches thick. This was a big curtain. Its job was to separate the presence of God from everyone else who was not able to be in it (having not undergone the cleansing rituals prior).
When Jesus died this curtain was torn in two from the top down. This was a thick curtain and tall, so there was no person who could have been associated with doing so, which leads us to believe and see that it was a supernatural and symbolic picture. This curtain separated the presence of God from the rest of the people. This curtain represented the Law and the sacrificial system. And that was torn in two, from the top down. This appears to be seen as God reaching down and tearing it. At the moment of Jesus’ death, the final and best sacrifice was made leaving there to be no need for anymore sacrifices or a separation from God’s presence and His people.
There’s also something else that we see in Jewish customs. When there is a death or deep grief or sorrow over something, there is a custom called Kriah. This is a tearing of garments to symbolize the tearing of the heart or soul that is felt. It could also be seen here that this is a showing of a grieving father over the death of a son.
Regardless of which this seems to be (or maybe all of them), one thing we can see plainly is that at the death of Jesus, everything changed. God Himself became approachable for the beggar on the street outside the Temple. Sacrifices were no longer needed to be offered (and about 40 years after this, they would never be offered again). Everything changed when Jesus died and the earth itself felt the weight of that.
You are beloved by God. He wants you to draw close to Him… because now you can.
Prayer: Dear Jesus, thank you for making the greatest of sacrifices so that, at the moment of your death, even then we could begin the journey back to the Father. Father, thank you for chasing me all this way and continuing to see me as beloved.