2nd of 3 GOOD FRIDAY Devotions for April 14, 2006

To Jerusalem with the ComPassionate Christ
Day 45 – Noon

 

The Curtain Rent

 

The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.  And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"  Mark 15: 38-39

 

In the temple, a heavy curtain separated the inner sanctuary from the ’holy of holies.’ Only the Chief Priest could go beyond that barrier, and then only once a year. God’s Spirit was thought to dwell in that holiest of places, for anyone other than the Chief Priest to venture there would mean instantaneous death, so they thought. When the Greek armies had conquered Israel some centuries before, they had deliberately desecrated the temple and won the hatred of devout Jews. A sincere Hebrew would defend the holy of holies with every last breath.

 

As Jesus died, and as the crowds of bewildered people milled about in the streets, looking at the sky and wondering what portent it contained, the temple curtain was torn in two. From top to bottom it split, and not by any human agency. That, and the darkness over the land, must have terrified those who served in the temple on that day. But what did it signify? The writer of the letter to the Hebrews tells us that the rending was a divine object lesson, to show us that the way to God was no longer confined to the select few, but open to all who will follow Christ (Hebrews 9:7-8).

 

A Roman centurion was the first that we know of who joined these incredible events with the death of the Galilean rabbi. It could not have been a coincidence that the sky should darken and the curtain tear at the moment of this man’s death. There had to be a connection; there was. The Roman unbeliever saw it first: "Truly, this man was the Son of God."

 

Prayer
Dear Lord, the joy to know that I have direct access to You – to talk to anytime I want!  What a deal – and paid in full by a price that only You could pay.  Help me never to ignore the great advantage, advocate, and friend I have in You.  Amen

 

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