The Torn Veil

One of my early understandings in the Navy was that the Admiral’s door meant no entry. PERIOD. You didn’t cross the threshold without approval. His office was even in a special security area that required authorization just to be in that area. Even with such authorization, no matter how important you may have thought your business merited seeing him, you did not enter. Only the Executive Officer, the second in command, had full access to the Admiral, so you could at least convey any message for the Admiral through him. The Executive Officer could counsel you on matters of policy, intervene with the Admiral in your behalf, or even help you through a difficult situation. It was always a good idea to be on the good side of the Executive Officer.

This scenario had obvious, strong parallels to our human condition…at least before Easter. God was believed to reside in the innermost sanctuary of the Temple, a very special place called the Holy of Holies. There was a large veil separating that area from all other human access areas, even the area immediately outside the Holy of Holies, where only the priests were authorized to enter. The Veil represented human sin, which separates us from God, since sin cannot exist in the presence of Holy God. At the time of Jesus’ death, the Veil was 60 ft high, the height of a 6 story building, 45 feet wide, and as thick as a man’s extended hand, about 4 inches. Just for perspective, the first century historian, Josephus, reported it was made up of 72 squares and would take 300 priests to lift it. It was so strong, a team of horses pulling on both sides of the curtain would be unable to rip the curtain apart.

Like the Admiral’s door, the Veil meant no one entered into the Holy of Holies through the Veil without authorization. And once a year, the High Priest was allowed to enter to offer a sacrifice for Israel’s sins. The sacrifice of animal’s blood was only temporary, so it needed to be repeated annually. Before His human birth, Jesus would have been like the Executive Officer, having full access to the Father. With his human birth, Jesus became our Advocate, teaching us the will of the Father, exercising His power to heal and forgive, able to intervene for us with the Father, and help us in difficult situations. But His role changed at the Crucifixion.

If we look deeper at the Crucifixion, it wasn’t just about Jesus’ dying on the Cross, a necessary event before placing Him in the tomb, prior to His Resurrection. There were a number of events that began happening at the Crucifixion. From noon to three, a deep, eerie darkness covered the land, usually an omen of something bad about to happen. It was God’s wrath on sin being poured out on Jesus, the payment for humankind’s sin.

There’s a story I like that illustrates what was happening on that Cross. It takes place in Russia before it was organized into its numerous tribes. The largest tribe had a great chieftain who was strong, powerful, and unmatched. Someone kept stealing among his tribe, but the thief was unknown. The chieftain first set the punishment at 20 lashes, but when the thief continued, the chieftain finally raised it to 50 lashes. This was significant because no one could survive 50 lashes but the chieftain himself.

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," "Prepare to strike" he commanded. As the soldiers raised the whips, he cried, "Stop!"

Coming down off his throne, he uncovered his own back and wrapped his large body over hers, and then ordered, "Proceed with the punishment!" We can see the meaning of this story as what Jesus did for us on that Cross.

As Jesus nears death, He cries out in a loud voice, as if to regain the attention of His Father, who could not bear to watch His sinless son in such suffering, ‘Father, Why have you forsaken me, why have you left me to die on my own? It was perhaps the first time in His life Jesus felt separated from His Father, alone, helpless, forsaken.

Meanwhile, in the Temple, the lamb chosen as the Lamb of Sacrifice for the sins of Israel was being prepared for the annual sacrifice. At exactly 3 PM, as required by the Passover observance, the sacrificial lamb was killed. And, at that same moment, Jesus, the Lamb the Father had sent to be the Lamb of Sacrifice for the world, gave up His spirit in death. The ground shook, and the massive Temple Veil was torn from top to bottom, as if the Hand of God had reached down and tore that veil as easily as if it had been a piece of paper. With the sin debt permanently paid, God and His creations were once again reconciled. The prodigals forgiven, welcomed by the Father. The lost sheep returned home by the Good Shepherd. There was no longer a need for the Temple Veil, the physical representation of separation.