The three hours of darkness are gone. The rocky mountain of Golgotha, for a moment, stood stunned. That darkness vanished with the loud cry of “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” He drank the hell intended for all the elect. Shortly after, the sun shone brightly. Like those who cry out every second in the unquenchable fire, He spoke in a soft, parched tone: “I thirst.” They gave Him sour wine through a sponge; as soon as His mouth was refreshed, He cried out with a shout of triumph: “It is finished!” Then, in complete satisfaction and confident serenity, He dismissed His spirit with the words, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.” At that point, His head dropped. There was no life left in the body of the Son of God. Jesus of Nazareth was truly dead. The feet that walked hundreds of miles are unmoving; the hands that blessed millions with a healing touch are still; the lips that spoke like no other man’s are silent. If we were to place modern medical instruments upon Him, there would be no pulse, no respirations, no blood pressure, and no brain waves. The monitor would show a straight line. He is dead.
As soon as the mouth of the Son of God—the mouth that created worlds—became silent in death, the eternal Father, Jehovah, came forth to speak. He speaks in a language peculiar to Him: a mysterious, forceful, and eloquent language. It is the language of miracles. It is God’s forced intrusion upon the world to disrupt natural laws, a disruption only He can create. In doing so, He spoke to those present and speaks today to us regarding the profound significance of His Son’s death.
Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record the miracle of the renting of the veil. Matthew adds two other miracles: the earthquake that rent the rocks and the opening of the tombs. This morning, we look at the Father’s first announcement regarding His Son’s death. What does the death of Christ mean?
The Form of the Message
“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” (Matthew 27:51)
The words are simple, but the reality is profound. The veil was torn from top to bottom—not from the bottom up. To understand this, we must understand what the veil was. The Old Testament temple had three divisions: the Outer Court for all Jews, the Holy Place for priests, and the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was separated from the Holy Place by a thick cloth veil.
This was not a thin, transparent curtain. It was likely the thickness of a man’s hand and extremely heavy; it reportedly took 300 people to hang it. The Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the Covenant and represented the immediate, holy presence of God. Only the High Priest could enter, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement.
He had to prepare with elaborate rituals, cleansing, and sacrifices. He entered with blood, wearing bells on his hem and a rope tied to his waist. If he died in the presence of God, the bells would stop ringing, and the other priests could pull his body out without entering themselves. The veil was a constant symbol that free access to God was not yet possible. As Hebrews 9:8 says, “The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest.”
Now, transport yourself to the scene. The temple was filled with people, and the Holy Place was crowded with priests performing the evening Passover sacrifices. Suddenly, without warning, that massive, heavy veil split down the middle from the top to the bottom, laying bare the inner sanctuary. All the priests could see inside—the very place they were told for centuries would bring death to anyone who entered. They saw it, and yet they lived.
What God is Saying
While Jesus was being made sin for His people, He drank the cup of God’s fury. He cried out in abandonment, but once the cup was drained, He cried in triumph, “It is finished!” The Father’s hands, which held the cup of wrath as the Judge of the world, now reach into the temple in Jerusalem. Those hands catch the left and right sides of the massive veil and rip it apart. God is saying: “Because My Son has drained the cup and fully atoned for sin, the way into My presence is now secure.”
Hebrews 10:19-20 explains:
“Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.”
The Father speaks through the rent veil, confirming: “Yes, it is truly finished.”
The Application of the Rent Veil
1. A Word of Instruction The splitting of the veil was the first official act of dismantling the entire Levitical system. If you want to destroy a car, you don’t start with the mirror; you destroy the engine. The Holy of Holies was the “engine” of the Old Testament religion. By laying it bare, God announced that the system of animal sacrifices and human mediators was over. In 70 A.D., this was culminated when the temple was physically dismantled, stone by stone. Any system today that tries to re-establish a human priesthood or a separate “holy place” is a rejection of the perfect work of Jesus Christ.
2. A Word of Invitation To the unconverted: what do you need to be right with God? You need nothing but Christ and His “veil-rending virtue.” The hands that held the cup of judgment are now free to invite you in. Your hindrance is not the magnitude of your sins, but a refusal to come through the way of the cross.
3. A Word of Boldness To the child of God: this is the basis of our liberty. When you go to prayer, imagine those same hands that tore the veil now outstretched to you. We do not come trembling like the Old Covenant priests, worried we might die. We come with holy boldness. As Hebrews 4:16 says, we draw near to obtain mercy and find grace. Does your manner of coming to God magnify the message of the rent veil, or are you still living behind a curtain of fear?
Years ago, I had books filled with “object lessons” for children, using buttons or spoons to teach truth. At the moment Jesus died, God gave the world the most dramatic object lesson in history. He took the most important barrier in the world and tore it asunder.