Passage: Mark 15:38

The Big Idea

The moment Jesus died, the massive curtain in the temple, the one that separated sinful people from the presence of God, was torn in two from top to bottom. God did it. He tore it right down the middle, all the way through, opening the shortest possible way to His mercy seat. Sinai brought law, darkness and death; Calvary brought grace, an open door and life. Now we have boldness to enter God’s presence by the blood of Jesus. Wow! Look what happened!

The Temple and the Veil

“And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom” (Mark 15:38).

What was the temple?

The place God established for people to meet with Him and have a relationship with Him.
Every detail of it was a hint pointing to that purpose.

What was the veil?

It was made of fine twisted linen, pure and spotless, a picture of Jesus.
It was woven with blue, purple and scarlet, the colors of heaven, royalty and sacrifice, all pictures of Jesus (Exodus 26:31).
It hung in front of the Most Holy Place, where the ark of the covenant and the mercy seat had been, where God dwelt among His people.
It protected the people from being consumed by God’s holiness. In the same way, Jesus had a body that veiled the glory of God, so that He could bring God near to us, even while we were sinners.
Jewish tradition describes the temple veil as enormous: a handbreadth thick, so heavy it took hundreds of priests to handle it.

Why was there a veil in the first place?

It was a built-in lesson: sinful people are barred from the presence of God.

Why? Because of sin. God is holy. We’ve sinned, so we aren’t holy. And the holy can’t allow the unholy into its presence without ceasing to be holy.

A clean room can’t allow germs inside.
A pure water source can’t allow contamination.
A wedding dress can’t have a stain.

But God loves us, so He provided a way to meet with us anyway. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest could enter God’s presence, but only with the blood of a sacrifice (Leviticus 16; Hebrews 9:7).

Torn

From top to bottom

God did it.
No human could tear a curtain that size and thickness.
No human could rip it from the top, many feet in the air, down to the floor.
If people had made the way to God, it would have been torn from the bottom up.
It was torn from the top. It’s as if the hands of God reached down, took hold of it and ripped it open, declaring that the death of His beloved Son has satisfied every righteous claim, and that He now sets before us an open door into His presence.

Down the middle

There’s no side entrance to God.
This was the way straight to the mercy seat, the shortest way possible.

All the way through

It was torn completely from top to bottom, not a thread left holding.
“It is finished.” The work was complete.
The Lamb of God had been sacrificed, and no other work needs to be done.
Every obstacle was removed, every thread of separation cut.
All of God’s mercy is available to anyone who comes through the blood and body of Jesus Christ.
God offers grace to every sinner through this sacrifice.
There’s salvation in no other name (Acts 4:12).
You don’t need another priest to go in for you. Simply call on the name of Jesus, and you’ll be saved (Romans 10:13).

Four Signs at Golgotha

Matthew adds that when the veil was torn, the earth shook, the rocks split, and tombs were opened, and many saints who had died were raised (Matthew 27:51-53).

In Scripture, earthquakes, like darkness, often signal the presence of God.
The power to raise the dead belongs to God alone.
Both signs pointed ahead to Jesus’ own resurrection, which also came with a great earthquake (Matthew 28:2), and they showed that life after death is possible only because of His victory over sin at the cross.

So God’s presence at Golgotha was displayed in four remarkable miracles: darkness over the land, the veil torn in two, an earthquake that split rocks, and the raising of many saints.

Sinai vs. Calvary

Compare that with Mount Sinai, where God’s presence was also displayed.

At Sinai:

An earthquake and thick, stormy darkness (Exodus 19:16-18; Hebrews 12:18-21).
The Law was given, and with it came the need for a veil to keep people at a distance.
The Law came with penalties.
And when the people broke it with the golden calf, about three thousand people died (Exodus 32:28).

At Calvary:

Grace was given.
The veil was torn.
The Lawgiver Himself bore the Law’s penalty.
And fifty days later, at Pentecost, about three thousand people were saved (Acts 2:41).

The Law brought death; the Spirit gives life (2 Corinthians 3:6).

“Behold!”

Jesus died, and this was the very next thing that happened.

Matthew introduces it with the word “behold”: “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two” (Matthew 27:51). The Greek word idou is hard to translate because it carries so much feeling: shock, amazement, wonder. Today we might say, “Wow! Look at this! Can you believe it?”

Matthew wrote years after the event, and he was still amazed: “Wow! Look what happened next!”

Why This Is Amazing for Us Today

Hebrews tells us that because of the blood of Jesus we can now walk boldly into the Most Holy Place, by a new and living way He opened for us through the curtain, His own body. And since we have a great High Priest over God’s house, let’s come near with sincere hearts and complete confidence in faith, our hearts cleansed from a guilty conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let’s hold tightly to the hope we confess without wavering, because the One who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:19-23).

Wow! Look at this!

Confidence to enter: into God’s very presence, the mercy seat.
By the blood of Jesus: the only way.
A new way: not the old way, hard and dependent on your performance.
A living way: not the dead way, depending on our own dead efforts, like trying to lift a dead man out of a grave. Jesus simply makes us alive!
Through the curtain, His flesh: the torn veil pictures His torn body.
A great priest: Jesus Himself is our High Priest.
Let us draw near!
With a true heart, in full assurance of faith: not hesitant, not wondering if we’re welcome.
Hearts sprinkled clean and bodies washed: a cleansed conscience.
He who promised is faithful: it all rests on His work and His faithfulness.

Wow! Look what He’s done!

Grace Takeaway

For centuries, a thick curtain said, “Keep out; you’re not holy enough.” The moment Jesus died, God Himself tore it from top to bottom, straight through the middle, with nothing left hanging. The way into His presence is wide open, by the blood of Jesus. You don’t have to stand outside wondering if you’re welcome. Draw near with full confidence. Wow! Look what happened!

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What Happened to the Veil?