When the pain and agony were over and the crucifixion had resulted in the death of our Savior, a most notable miracle occurred. “And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom”. (Mark 15:37-38). There were five other miracles that happened at the same time. In addition to the veil being torn, Matthew records: the earth shook, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the dead from those tombs came out and entered the city. (Matt 27:51-53). Luke records darkness over the land for three hours because the sun was obscured. (Luke 23:44-45). The God of Heaven was certainly the source of all these wondrous and amazing events and each one was meaningful in its own right, but one was much more significant than the others.
The tearing of the temple veil from top to bottom at the exact moment that Jesus died on the cross had great meaning and importance then, but has so much more significance and consequence for Christians today. Let us notice six reasons that we should honor and magnify the name of CHRIST for “Parting The Veil For Us”
¨ When Jesus parted the veil, He showed all men for all times that His sacrifice and His blood were a sufficient atonement for our sins. From Hebrews 9-10, we learn that the blood of bulls and goats could no longer do anything for sins under the New Law and New Covenant. It was necessary to have a perfectly sinless sacrifice to appease God’s wrath for sin. “But when Christ appeared as a High Priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hand…and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption…How much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?” (Heb 9:11-14).
¨ As Christ parted the veil, He broke down the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles, allowing Him to be the Savior of ALL men. In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul reminds the Gentiles of where they once stood in the flesh – without Christ, aliens, strangers, having no hope, and without God in the world. Their race was certainly in a sad predicament. But Jesus parted the veil for us all! “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For He is our peace, who hath made both one and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us”. (Eph 2:13-14). These two verses clearly show that our salvation distinctly rests on the foundation of the parting of the Temple veil when Jesus died.
¨ Parting the veil demonstrated that faithful, yet frail humans are no longer unfit for the presence of God and can have free access to Him with confidence and boldness. The book of Hebrews presents this comforting argument in several passages: 2:17-3:2; 9:24-25; 10:1-4; as well as the aforementioned Heb 9:11-14. However, no verses are as plain and meaningful to you and me as Heb 4:14-16. “Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. HALLELUJAH! WHAT A SAVIOR
¨ The moment Jesus parted the veil and entered the Holy Place, He showed that the ONLY way to the Father was through or by Him. “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith”… (Heb 9:19-22a). After Jesus told His disciples of His upcoming betrayal and death, He attempted to comfort and console them by making this same point. “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me”. (John 14:6).
¨ At the parting of the veil by the Lord, He brought forgiveness of sins to faithful followers of God under the Old Law. Whether serving under the Law of Moses or under God’s law for the patriarchs, there was no forgiveness of sins for any of those men and women. Not even for all the examples of faith listed in Hebrews chapter 11. One chapter earlier, the writer gives the reason. “For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect…But in those sacrifices there is a reminder of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins”. (Heb 10:1-3). Only the blood of a perfectly sinless human could atone for our sins and take them away; and that is exactly what Christ accomplished when He died that day and parted the veil. Hebrews 9:15 ties all these thoughts together quite well. “And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance”.
¨ When Christ came to the earth, sacrificed Himself, died, and parted the veil; He gave testimony that He would return one day to judge the world, for salvation. This final point or reason to acknowledge that our Savior is everything He claimed to be and is worthy of our honor and adoration, is a serious warning and call to action for each of us. “He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this, the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation”. (Heb 9:26b-28).
After spending some serious time considering the parting of the temple veil at Jesus death, I believe I now realized the full benefit of this miracle for all mankind. Let’s make sure we grasp it and find its personal relevance in our own lives. Remember, Christ’s return is sure and His judgment is certain. Let us live faithfully for Him each day and eagerly wait for His return to take us home to live eternally with Him in glory.