Let It Rip
Today's Verse:
And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. ~Mark 15:38
Have you ever driven your car onto the freeway system, and as you merged on the road, you or another rider said you were going to let the car rip? In other words, you were planning to accelerate and make the vehicle go at a fast speed. The term “let it rip” can also mean to do something with energy and enthusiasm. This morning, I want to use this familiar cliché to describe what happened when the veil in the temple rent in two when Jesus died on the cross.
We see the reason for the veil.
The veil was a required curtain that was made to separate the Holy of Holies from the sanctuary of the Tabernacle. Only the high priest could walk past the veil to sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the mercy seat that covered the Ark of the Covenant. If anyone other than the high priest tried to enter into the Holy of Holies, he risked being killed by God. The sight of the veil left everyone other than the high priest in awe and fear. The veil basically spelled out “do not enter” to everyone other than the high priest. As long as that veil was in place, it meant that the blood sacrifices being made were only temporary in nature and would have to be continued until God’s justice was satisfied.
We see the restriction in the veil.
The veil limited who could approach into the holiest of all places. The veil represented the sinfulness of every man and his inability to approach God on his own terms. It meant that the sacrificial system needed a perfect lamb offered who could take away the sins of the whole world. As long as that veil was in existence, it pointed back to the Mosaic Law and how it did not make any sinful Jew perpetually justified in the eyes of God.
We see the rending of the veil.
Something miraculous happened to that veil right after Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” As soon as Jesus gave up the ghost and He died, everyone in the city heard the sound of a loud rip. It was an inescapable sound and sight. No human hands touched it. God supernaturally ripped the veil into two parts. This thick veil ripped into two halves and fell on the floor beneath it. When this occurred it meant that God’s demands for sin were met and satisfied. Jesus' death satisfied the just demands of God. The veil would no longer restrict men from coming directly to God. Thank God when that veil ripped into two!
We see the removal of the veil.
When that veil was rendered in two, every believer could have access directly into the presence of God. The veil would no longer be a stumbling block to any man wanting to come to God through Jesus. As Paul said in Hebrews, we can enter into the holiest of places through the Lord Jesus. No longer would the blood of an unblemished animal need to be offered for sin. God’s perfect Lamb, the Lord Jesus, satisfied the righteous demands of God and made possible direct access. I imagine all of Heaven rejoicing as the veil started to tear. I imagine the cloud of witnesses and angels in Heaven saying, “Let it rip!”
Spurgeon said, “When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom so that big sinners like me might fit through.”
Let’s thank the Lord today that the veil was supernaturally ripped in two. Be thankful that Jesus is the only way. Be thankful that His blood gives you access through prayer into God’s presence.
Have a blessed God Morning!
Bible Reading Schedule: 1 Kings 8-9