Matthew 27:50-54
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
For some reason, I always thought of the veil at the temple as a small curtain type structure. Something like the blinds I have on my home window. But after further research, I’ve found that the veil was a thick, humongous structure that would have taken a miracle to split from top to bottom. But our God is a God of miracles isn’t He?
I don’t think any of us can truly comprehend the massive change it was for the people following the law of Moses for over 1,500 years, to suddenly be asked to abandon everything they believed for so very long. But that’s exactly what Matthew was conveying to us. The death of Jesus ushered in a new age; a new spiritual dispensation: The Dispensation of Grace.
The dispensation of grace started at the resurrection of Jesus Christ and continues today. It marks the most dramatic change in human history. The sacrifice of Jesus brought about a reconciliation of mankind to God. It opened the door for Jews and Gentiles alike to receive the blessedness of the promise of salvation. It established Jesus as the Christ, Messiah and Son of God. And, it required a total belief reboot for folk that had a long, long history of following Old Testament theology.
The profound significance of the tearing of the veil is explained in glorious detail in Hebrews. The things of the temple were shadows of things to come, and they all ultimately point us to Jesus Christ. He was the veil to the Holy of Holies, and through His death the faithful now have free access to God. The veil in the temple was a constant reminder that sin renders humanity unfit for the presence of God. The fact that the sin offering was offered annually and countless other sacrifices repeated daily showed graphically that sin could not truly be atoned for or erased by mere animal sacrifices. Jesus Christ, through His death, has removed the barriers between God and man, and now we may approach Him with confidence and boldness (Hebrews 4:14-16). For those of us receiving the benefit of these gigantic changes, we rejoice at the news. But can you imagine the difficulty for those that had kept the law for so many years? Many still haven’t accepted the Good News.
As we enter this new year, most of us have come to realize this is not just any regular updating of the calendar. There’s something quite different about this time in history. It’s not just Covid. It’s not just the government, racism, economy or culture. There’s something uniquely spiritual going on in the earth. God is gathering, uniting, positioning and conditioning His children in ways we’ve not experienced before. But isn’t that what God does best?
As much as the veil represented the highest form of religious decorum and holiness, it was also an impediment to access and fellowship with the Father. The veil supported a system of exclusion, priestly hierarchy and animal sacrifice. The sacrifice of Jesus changed all that. The elimination of the veil opened doors and opportunities never before experienced in the history of humankind. And the same God that open those doors is in the business of opening new opportunities for each of us.
The Church of Jesus Christ was founded to be one Church, one Lord, one faith and one baptism. This Church will be all that God intended it to be…with our concurrence or without it. As we note from the text, God moves to support the actions of His beloved Son. Jesus died, and God moved heaven and earth to open the way of salvation for every human on earth. And now Jesus lives, and God will move whatever He has to move to bring about the unity Jesus called for at Gethsemane.
Dear Children of God, there is a clarion call from the Lord to focus our attentions on Him. He’s doing things in our midsts. He’s ripping up strongholds, destroying idols, freeing the bound and renting the veil on the eyes of the spiritually blind. There’s no more excuses. No more hiding places. The veil is gone.
