Patti Burris

Matthew 27:50,51

⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. ⁵¹ At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split.

I never really thought about the significance of God rending the Temple curtain in two. I read something the other day that made me really think about what the rending of the curtain means to us as Christians. According to http://www.thefreedictionary.com rending means to tear or split apart or into pieces violently. This is what God did with the Temple curtain at the time of Jesus death. Why?

Hebrews 10:19,20 gives us a clue:

¹⁹ Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, ²⁰ by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body…

The curtain was placed in the Temple to keep the unclean and unsanctified from having direct access to the Holy of Holies (the inner sanctuary of the Tabernacle, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept). The only person who was allowed in this room was the High priest and only on Yom Kippur. In Leviticus 16:2 God tells Moses that He appears in the cloud over the atonement cover. God appeared in the Holy of Holies and no one on Earth was holy enough to approach God.

At Jesus’ last breath the curtain was torn in two. Why? Because Jesus took the place of that curtain through His obedience and death. When we have faith in Jesus and we believe that He died for our sins, we have open access to our Father in Heaven. No longer is there a curtain keeping us from God. We can have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place because of Jesus.

I know how much God loves me. If He didn’t, He never would have given me access to the Holy of Holies. I can run to my Abba Father day or night and He will hear me. He gave us open access to Him because He loves us.

If you are hurting right now or dealing with a difficult situation, RUN to our Abba Father, our Heavenly Father. God tore the curtain down for YOU. He loves you and has given you access to Him. Tell Him whats on your heart. He is waiting for you!