Lesson Two • The Veil
Devotion #2: The Holy of Holies Opened
Mitchell Holmes
When I say the word veil (or curtain), what comes to mind for you? Perhaps those words make you think of a wedding veil – a thin piece of fabric that covers the face of the bride on her wedding day. Maybe the word curtain makes you think of the thin pieces of cloth that hang in front of the windows at your house that can be drawn to block out sunlight. While both are accurate depictions of these words, the passage that we are going to talk about today speaks of a veil or curtain that blows these away, some might even say this veil or curtain was cut from a different cloth.
Matthew 25:51 says, “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” This curtain was not some tiny bit of fabric. In his commentary, Kent Hughes says, “This curtain was the grandest of the thirteen curtains in the temple. It was woven with expensive yarns from Babylon in blue, white, red, and purple with representations of cherubim.” This massive curtain would have been the width of a man’s hand and extravagantly decorated. Its purpose was to block the Holy of Holies from sight and prevent entrance except on the one occasion per year that the High Priest would be allowed to enter to offer a sacrifice for the sins of himself and the people. For many years, I imagined this veil or curtain to be a thin piece of material that was more symbolic than practical, but please do not misunderstand what an ornate and practical piece of the temple that this was. Without this curtain, the Holy of Holies would be exposed to the world.
At the death of Jesus on the cross, God performed the second miracle, tearing in half the barrier of entry to the Holy of Holies. Gone was the Old Covenant. The New Covenant was at hand; God’s presence, the Holy of Holies itself, was open to any man that would come to Jesus. No longer was there a need for a priest or sacrifices. Jesus was and is the perfect sacrifice that removed the barrier of sin for all who would put their faith in Him.
If you are reading this and you have not placed your trust in the One who paid the price for your sins, I encourage you to turn to Jesus today. Repent of your sin, and thank Him for what He willingly put Himself through on the cross for your sake. Repent and believe.
If you are reading this and you have placed your trust in Christ, I want to challenge you with a thought and a question. Please realize that before the sacrifice of Jesus as the final and perfect Passover lamb, in order to be connected to the presence of God, you had to go through a priest. However, because of the sacrifice of Jesus, and the miracle that followed in the tearing of the temple veil, we have permanent and instant access to God’s presence. Are you taking advantage of that fact? Are you taking it for granted? How often are you kneeling at the feet of the Father in worship and adoration? Romans 12:12 tells us to “Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.” Are you?