A torn curtain

In the usual observance of Lent, we usually don't remember this tiny detail -the temple curtain being torn. Maybe because we just think of nice and frilly curtains adorning our windows, seldom torn, and if ever, only around the bottom by playful children. But Matthew (27:51), Mark (15:38) and Luke (23:45) recorded this event. When Jesus died, the temple veil was torn in two from top to bottom. Oftentimes we fail to appreciate the significance of this event.

Accidentally torn curtain edges seem trivial. But the curtain veil, separating the Holy of Holies (the earthly dwelling place of Yahweh in that dispensation) from the Holy Place, is far from ordinary. Whether in the portable tabernacle made by Moses in the desert, or in Solomon's temple in Jerusalem, God himself provided the intricate design and specifications. Solomon's temple was 45 feet tall. The first century Jewish historian Josephus records that Herod extended the temple's height to 60 feet, with the veil four inches thick. It was ripped from top to bottom the very moment Jesus died -which could only have happened as ordained by God himself.

The designs of the tabernacle and temple show us the reason which is far more important than the apparent impossibility of that event. The veil separates the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Israelites; the presence of God from sinful man. Only the High Priest may enter to offer sacrifices and atonement for the sins of the people (and for himself), and only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. It tells us that no matter who we are and how we do well, our sinful nature is rejected from God's holy presence. "For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God," (Romans 3:23).

All the rituals of the sacrificial offerings of the old covenant were but foreshadows of the ultimate sacrifice and redemption made by Jesus through dying on the cross. The tabernacle veil and temple veil separate man from the presence of God, and through which only the High Priest can enter to make atonement for our sins. May we not lose sight of the significance of the curtain veil torn into two by God himself when Jesus died. The Book of Hebrews tells us "We have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,…since we have a great priest over the house of God…" (10:19-21).

The torn curtain actually gives us the ultimate truth and hope, that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish, but have eternal life. It is the excellent picture of God's love for man, allowing those who accept him, to be reunited to him. It should not be remembered as a season for tears or sorrow but for us to rejoice. The torn curtain shows us that Jesus is the reason, the only reason, to live.