A Torn Veil

"The Veil is Torn"

The torn veil to which I'm referring in this blog's namesake is referencing the moment when Jesus gave up his spirit on the cross, and "At that moment the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and there was an earthquake, with rocks splitting apart." (Matt. 27:51)

To most, the veil ripping is seemingly insignificant after reading about an epic earthquake and rocks splitting in half and whatnot, and if you continue reading the next verse, it says that holy people who had been dead came back to life in their graves! So how is a little curtain tearing in two uphold more importance than an incredible miracle like the dead raising?

As it turns out, this little curtain was a very big deal.

The word used here for "veil" in the original Hebrew text is parokhet, which means curtain, but specifically it refers to the one in the temple that divided the Sanctuary (or holy place) from the Holy of Holies (or the most holy place) where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. The only person allowed to enter the Holy of Holies was the high priest, and that was only once a year on the Day of Atonement when he would go atone (or make amends) for the sins of the entire nation with a blood offering. On top of it all the high priest would have to fast, pray, purge, offer sacrifices and separate himself from society for the week beforehand, following a rigorous set of laws written specifically for that preparation, and if he performed anything incorrectly or forgot a step he would be sentenced to death.

Extreme, much?

Maybe.

You have to understand that when a person enters the Holy of Holies he is entering the very presence of God. At the time, the high priest was the chosen mediator between God and the rest of the people, and if anyone besides the high priest entered the Holy of Holies they would die instantly because God cannot look upon sin, His eyes are too pure to see evil (Habakkuk 1:13). The veil was put up to make it clear to man that he can't carelessly or irreverently come into the presence of God. 

Because the holiness of God is not something to be trifled with.

So with that said, we have the veil: God and all his glorious presence on one side, God's people, full of sin, on the other, and the only way through was with a lawfully clean blood offering. For hundreds of years this was the procedure. This was the norm.

But then something happened.

Jesus.

The fulfiller of over 400 prophecies. The Raiser of the dead. The Healer of the sick. The Miracle Worker. The Prophet. The Anointed One. The Messiah. The Lover of the people. The Word made flesh. The King of the Jews. The Lion of Judah. The Son of God. The Jewish Man with no sin...

The lawfully clean blood offering.

Broken, beaten, and dripping with blood, He was hung up on the cross for everyone. Not just one nation, but all of them.

And suddenly the veil was broken.

The Holy of Holies was exposed.

And God's people, now coated in the blood of His Son - the only righteous man who ever lived - for the first time could step into the presence of God boldly, without lawful pretense. (Hebrews 10:19-20)

His blood was enough to cover everyone's sin - past, present, and future. 

And now, instead of seeing a people full of sin, when God's eyes are upon us He sees the blood of His Son. He sees the righteousness of Jesus. He sees the conqueror of evil. He sees the irrevocable blood contract that was signed at the cross.

Why?

Because He loves us.

It's irrational, I know, for a God so perfect to be in love with a people so imperfect. But since when has God been rational? He creates us, gives us everything we could ever need or hope for, and what do we do? Turn our backs on Him. Over and over and over again. It happens countless times in the Bible.

But every time He comes back and waits outside our door like a lovesick prince wooing an oblivious princess - waiting for that one moment, that one glance from us that takes His breath away.

"With just one glance, with one bead of your necklace you have carried my heart away!" (Song of Solomon 4:9)

Then He gives us the ultimate gift - His beloved Son - to die for everything we've ever done wrong or will do that's wrong, just so we have the access to His presence and complete freedom from the powers of darkness. We can now step into the Holy of Holies and have relationship with the Lord, rather than laws. Freedom, rather than strife. Life, rather than death. Eternal salvation, rather than condemnation. Joy, rather than pain.

So this torn veil is more than just ripped fabric.

It represents a whole new kind of freedom.

A whole new kind of love.

An entrance to the Holy of Holies, not just once a year, but for the rest of eternity.

And I think that's pretty rad.