THE TEARING OF THE VEIL
Matthew 27:45-46, 50-54
INTRODUCTION
A. HUMOR: Sometimes crazy things happen at church
1. Pastor Dennis Swanberg of Saginaw, Texas, told of a strange incident that happened on Easter Sunday. Water started dripping through the ceiling onto the choir. The air conditioning units in the attic were overflowing through the ceiling. Two men got up and climbed on the roof. Soon you could hear them walking across the ceiling joists of the sanctuary.
2. The Pastor said, “And then it happened. Whoosh! One of them came through the ceiling. He grabbed the ceiling joists and held on for dear life. The crowd gasped. The man’s mother recognized her son’s chubby legs and hollered out his name.”
3. The Guest Speaker looked at the pastor and said, “Pastor, are we having a healing service? Someone’s coming through the roof to get in!” The crowd roared with laughter. The man climbed back onto the roof.
4. At the end of the service, a first-time attending rancher came to shake the pastor’s hand. He said, “Pastor, I told my wife, “There’s no need for me to go to church; if I go, the roof will cave in. And sure enough, it did!”
B. TEXT: Matt. 27:45-46, 50-54
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 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, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
C. THESIS
1. Many mysterious things happened on the day Jesus died: it became dark at noon, an earthquake occurred, and tombs opened and Jewish saints came out of them.
2. But the most mysterious and ominous event that took place was that the veil of the Temple was torn -- from top to bottom -- by invisible hands at the very moment that Jesus gave up His Spirit. What did it mean?
I. WHAT THE VEIL SYMBOLIZED
A. PURPOSES OF THE VEIL
This veil was a large piece of material woven of blue, purple, crimson and white thread, and embroidered with cherubim. It was many layers thick and acted as a barrier or wall between the holy place and the holy of holies in the Jewish Temple. Ordinary priests could enter the first room of the Temple, but only the high priest could enter the holy of holies, once a year, on the Day of Atonement.
1. IT WAS FOR CONCEALMENT. The word “VEIL” in Greek (katapetasma) means "that which is spread out before."
2. It showed that the Knowledge About God – THE MYSTERIES – were NOT YET REVEALED during the Old Testament period.
3. Mainly -- it's SYMBOLIZED THE SEPARATION between God and Man that existed until the blood of Christ eternally atoned for sin.
B. DESCRIPTION OF THE VEIL
1. 60 feet long and 30 feet wide
2. As thick as the Palm of a man's hand.
3. Made of 72 squares, which were joined together.
4. Ancient document -- "took 300 priests to lift it."
C. PART OF MOSAIC COVENANT
1. When God gave the people of Israel the Sacrificial system to atone for their sins, He gave them a Temple, a Priesthood, and proscribed animal sacrifices that could temporarily (Heb. 10:4) cover their sins.
2. On a special day, called the Day of Atonement, the High Priest was to enter the inner sanctuary of the Temple, the Holy of Holies. He waved a censor and sprinkled blood for his sins and the sins of all Israel (Leviticus 16:12-13).
3. During his visit in the Holy of Holies, there was the imminent danger of death, due to failure in some aspect of the high priest’s atonement or personal sin. Some sources say that he went in with a rope around his foot, so that if he died, his body could be retrieved, since no one else was authorized to enter the sacred precinct.
4. The Blood of Bulls & Goats could never take away sin. WE KNOW, BECAUSE THE VEIL -- the symbol of separation between God & man – WAS NEVER TAKEN AWAY! No matter how great the sacrifice, or how many, the veil remained between God and man.
D. TEMPLE EVENTS ON THE DAY JESUS DIED
1. Our Lord Jesus died at about 3 p.m. just before the Passover sacrifices were due to be offered. There must have been thousands of priests on duty. Josephus said that the population of Jerusalem swelled to more than two million as Jews made pilgrimages to the Temple for the annual celebration.
2. The Temple must have been jammed with multitudes with their lambs. The High Priest and his associates were preparing for the evening sacrifice. Within the holy place, they tended the many lights of the golden candlestick, and some priests were busy before the inner veil which hung between them and the holy of holies.
3. At the exact moment Jesus was breathing His last breath on the Cross at Golgotha, Caiaphas the high priest was standing at his station in the inner court of the temple, preparing to offer the blood of a spotless Passover lamb.
4. At the very instant Jesus died the massive, fortified veil that stood before the Holy of Holies was suddenly split in half from the top all the way to the bottom! Remember, the Veil was as thick as the palm of a man's hand and it took 300 priests to lift it.
5. The sound of the veil tearing must have been deafening as it ripped, starting from the top and going all the way down to the floor. It was as if invisible, divine hands reached out and grabbed it, ripping it to shreds.
6. Only God could have torn that veil; no man could have done it! Have you ever tried to rip a Houston phone book? It would be more difficult to rip than that.
7. Imagine the priests seeing and hearing the veil tearing! Then an earthquake shook the Temple and city. Josephus said the middle lamp of the candlestick in the holy place went out and both Josephus & Tacitus say that the Great Temple Gates supernaturally opened by themselves.
8. I suspect that the priests were so struck with fear and horror that they fled from the holy place, fearing sudden death.
II. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TORN VEIL
A. THE OLD COVENANT WAS ABOLISHED & THE NEW COVENANT BEGUN
1. This miracle meant that the whole system of types, shadows, and ceremonies that was the Mosaic Law had come to an end! What began when Moses went up Mount Sinai ended when Jesus went up Mount Calvary!
2. The veil never ripped when Jesus was beaten or crucified, but only when He died. That’s because “a will is in force only when somebody has died” Heb. 9:16-17. But the moment Jesus died, the New Covenant, promised in Jeremiah 31:31, was put into effect.
B. JESUS WAS THE PERFECT SACRIFICE
Heb. 7:27-28, “He sacrificed for their sins once for all when he offered himself….the Son, who has been made perfect forever.” Heb. 10:10, “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.” Heb. 10:14, “For by one sacrifice he has made perfect forever those who are being made holy.” (Heb. 5:9; 9:12). WHAT MADE THE BLOOD OF JESUS SO PRECIOUS?
1. IT’S “THE BLOOD OF GOD” Acts 20:28.
a. At the conception of Christ, Mary supplied the human side of the gene pattern, but the Holy Spirit miraculously created the male side the be the genes of God.
b. This quality gave His blood infinite power to atone for the sins of the countless billions of humans at one stroke. Thank God for the marvelous blood of Jesus!
2. HIS WAS INNOCENT BLOOD
a. Five times the Bible declares that Jesus lived a sinless life during his earthly life. This means that when Jesus suffered for us on the cross, His blood was untainted by sin.
b. He was capable, since without sin Himself, to absorb the sin of others. This would not have been possible without his innocence.
3. ACCEPTABLE BECAUSE APPOINTED BY GOD
a. There was no other sacrifice that was precious enough to outweigh all the sin in the universe, except that of God’s own Son. Isaiah 53:11 says that when God the Father saw “the travail of his soul”, that He was “satisfied.” Praise God!
b. As Peter put it, “There is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” – but the name of JESUS!
c. A Calcutta paper carried the story of how a Hindu came to the house of a missionary for an interview. In the course of the conversation, he said: "Many things which Christianity contains I find in Hinduism; but there is one thing which Christianity has that Hinduism has not." "What is that?" the missionary asked. His reply was striking: "A Savior!"
d. That’s why Buddha can’t save you, nor Islam, nor Hinduism, nor Confucianism – because God made His Son Jesus the Savior of the World! “No one comes to the Father except through Me” Jesus said, in John 14:6.
4. HIS SACRIFICE WAS NOT AN AFTER-THOUGHT OF GOD
a. Peter said (vs. 20), “He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake.”
b. The Book of Revelation tells us that Jesus is the Lamb “slain from the creation of the world” (Rev. 13:8).
C. REMOVAL OF SIN & THE SIN NATURE
1. Our Lord Jesus Christ “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.” He took away the sin of the world, and so the veil was torn in two. Where sin is gone, the barrier is broken down. Pardon and justification alter our relationship with God. We are reconciled to God.
3. Next is the REMOVAL OF THE SIN NATURE.
a. Walter Beckworth of was a famous lion trainer. One time he tried to change the nature of some lion cubs by feeding them only milk. When they were 10 months old, something happened which shot down his theory. His wife called him and said, "Look at the Cubs."
b. He looked out the window to see a donkey eating some grass and the milk-fed young lions stalking toward it. Suddenly one lion pounced, threw the donkey to the ground, and sunk its fangs into its jugular vein.
c. We’re no different from those lions. We MUST have a change to our basic nature. Praise God, He provided that!
D. THE IMPARTATION OF A NEW NATURE
1. When God’s Holy Spirit came out of the Holy of Holies, He came out to come into us and give us a new nature!
Paul said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (5:17).
2. The very second that Jesus died, the veil was instantly torn in two. For thousands of years God had waited to be restored to the people he loved, and now, God could again fellowship with his creatures. God wasted no time! Paradise, once lost, was now regained through the sprinkling of the blood of Christ.
3. We now have free access to the presence of God! We can now walk again with the Voice of the Lord in the Garden of Eden. Everything we lost in Adam we’ve now regained in Christ! The rending of the veil means that the way into the holiest was now laid open to all believers.
4. Will you remain outside? We are called to fellowship with God. We are called to intercessory prayer. There’s no question about your prayer being heard when it’s offered in Jesus’ name. Our boldness arises from the perfection of His sacrifice.
5. Don't let the devil tell you that there’s any sin which can separate you from God, because there's not! If we have confessed our sins, then nothing can separate us from God's love!
III. 3 MESSAGES OF THE TORN VEIL
A. OUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN! (if you’ve repented)
That’s the testimony of the torn veil! There was no more separation between God and man because of Jesus’ sacrifice.
B. GOD LOVES YOU!
1. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” John 15:13.
2. From all eternity God has wanted to be with you; that’s why Jesus had to die. God loves you!
C. FEAR IS BANISHED FOREVER
1. “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” Rom. 8:31-32.
2. We don’t ever have to be afraid again. How great is the love God has for us and will allow NOTHING to keep us out of heaven. Praise God!
CONCLUSION
A. ILLUS.:ANCIENT RUSSIA CHIEF & MOTHER THIEF
1. In the time before Russia was organized there were numerous tribes. The largest tribe had a great chieftain who was strong, powerful, and unmatched.
2. Someone kept stealing among his tribe. The thief was unknown. The chieftain first set the punishment at 20 lashes. When the stealing continued, he raised it to 40 lashes. When the thief persevered, the chieftain finally raised it to 50 lashes. This was significant because no one could survive 50 lashes but the chieftain himself.
3. Finally the thief was caught. It was the chieftain's mother! No one thought he would punish her. But he had her brought before him. "Strip her back," he commanded. "Tie her," "Bring the whips," "Prepared to strike" he commanded. As the soldiers raised the whips, he cried, "Stop!"
4. Coming down off his throne, he disrobed and wrapped his hulking form over hers, and then ordered, "Proceed with the punishment!"
5. Such is what Jesus did for us on Calvary!
B. ALTAR CALL
1. Two things any priest had to do before he might enter: one was, to be sprinkled with blood, and the other was to have their “bodies washed with pure water.” This we have received in symbol in our baptism, and in reality in the spiritual cleansing of regeneration.
2. Invitation To Salvation.
3. THE LORD’S SUPPER served.
