Torn To Make Us Whole

I feel like the story of the veil tearing at Jesus' death has been a hot topic in my life right now, hearing it in various conversations and sermons in different circles of my life.

As a Christian in today's world it's so easy to grow numb to the power of the Gospel and the weight of what Christ did for us on the cross, and hearing this topic snapped me back to the reality of it all. A conversation I recently had about it resulted in physical chills at the talk of the significance behind the tearing of the veil.

First, let me include some historical and biblical background on the veil and its purpose:

For anyone who has not heard this story, this is a physical veil we are talking about. This veil hung in the tabernacle (Exodus 26:33) and separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place - the Most Holy Place housed the Ark Of The Covenant which was where the presence of God dwelled (Exodus 40:34; Leviticus 16:2). If you look at the tradition of that time, only anointed priests were allowed inside the Most Holy Place, after following strict religious ceremonies and dress (Leviticus 8). The priest could be struck dead if anything was done incorrectly or left out. That is powerful stuff. We are talking about entering the presence of God.

Fast forward to Jesus' life on earth - He was both fully God and fully man, living a perfect and sinless life. This qualified Him to be our ultimate and final sacrifice. At the moment of Jesus' death on earth, the veil "was torn in two, from top to bottom." (Matthew 27: 51 NLT) This was a physical representation of the separation between man and God being destroyed. Because Jesus gave up His life for us, we are now free to come before the Father. At this moment "the earth shook, rocks split apart, and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who died were raised from the dead." (Matthew 27: 51-53 NLT)

READ THAT AGAIN.

The consequence of Jesus' death on the cross was grace. It was forgiveness. It was love. It was fellowship with the King. Intimacy in our relationship with our God.

The veil tearing signifies our freedom to meet directly with God.

I encourage you to read through all of the accounts of Jesus' death in the gospels to understand in full the pain which Christ endured on our behalf. Free of charge, all in love.

- Matthew 27

- Mark 15

- Luke 23

- John 19

*also how incredible is it that God included four versions of the story of Jesus' life from the perspective of different men to highlight its significance. In the Bible when something is important it is repeated (such as when God was declared "Holy Holy Holy" - Revelation 4:8). There is nothing more important than the gospel - do. not. miss. it.

More on the veil and its significance here: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/veil-torn-jesus-cross/