Archives
- Veil Torn
- The Resurrection Power of Jesus
- What Does Faith Do?
- GOD CAN TURN EVIL INTO GOOD
- CHARACTERISTICS OF ZIPPORAH
- THE CHURCH IN SARDIS - II
- GOD'S PROMISES IN THE FACE OF FEAR
- CHURCH AT SARDIS
- CHURCH IN PERGAMUM
- FEAR NOT O LAND
- CHURCH IN THYATIRA
- The Church of Smyrna
- The Church of Ephesus
- Works of the Lord
- Magnificent God
- God who breaks barriers
- Hebrew Midwives
- The wilderness way
- 2023 - Promise Sermon
- Expansion of Borders
Veil Torn
Our Lord Jesus came into this world, led a holy life, gave his life and resurrected for the entire mankind. The primary reason why he did all that is because he wanted a connection between man and God. When we believe in Christ, there is no separation as will have a good connection with the Lord. Usually, parents will hold the hands of their children or carry their children when they walk. They do not want to lose their child and that is the reason they ensure they are always connected to their children. Similarly when Jesus went missing when he was very young, he did not tremble that he lost his parents. He kept doing the work in the temple and he was fulfilling the will of his father. But when he was crucified, Jesus knew he was carrying the sins of the world which separated him from the father and which is why he said 'My Lord why did you forsake me?'. Today, we need to understand that Jesus gave his life in the cross not as a sign of separation but he connects us with his father. Good Friday is about balancing the sadness we feel in Christ’s suffering with the joy that comes with the hope of Christ’s resurrection. When Jesus was living in this earth, he acted a very good example for all of us. He showed us how we should fulfil the will of the Lord at any given time. Today, the Lord has called us to lead a faithful life which fulfills the will of his father. Even during the time of crucification, he surrendered by saying “not My will but Yours”.
The entire life of Jesus that went through suffering, death and resurrection were all fulfillment of Messianic prophecies. There are totally 322 Messianic prophecies recorded in the old testament - all pointing to the life, character, beginning, end, ministry of Jesus the Messiah. In his entire life span, Jesus was seen doing a lot of good deeds and helping people but even during the time of his death, many miracles took place. Let us meditate one such miracle and learn the spiritual meanings.
Mark 15:37,38 'And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last 38 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom'
This passage records the last moments of Jesus in this earth. We can see the veil of the temple was torn into two from top to bottom. This experience of veil that is torn is a supernatural miracle took place at the time of his death. Those times the temple of the Lord is divided into the below segments :
- Court of the Gentiles (Outermost area – open to everyone including non-Jews)
- Court of the Women
- Court of Israel (Men)
- Court of the Priests
- Inside the Temple - The Holy Place (Entered only by priests)
- The Most Holy Place / Holy of Holies
The entire design of the temple depicts the separation between God and man - with access becoming more restricted the closer on gets to God’s presence. We can understand that veil acts as a partition between man and God. This veil was the separation between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place - design given to Moses by God in Exodus. FOr thousands of years this was the manner in which the temple was structured where only very limited number of people can venture into the temple. But after the death of Christ Jesus an important change was made to the layout of the temple on this day. The veil of the temple was torn into two from top to bottom. This is a sign of the miracle worked by the Lord in the calvary. Let us meditate the meaning of the veil torn and how it blesses us today.
1. Divine Pursuit
Romans 5:7,8 'For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us'.
After the death of Jesus, Paul clearly differentaites the love of a man and the love of God. We read in this passage, that God demonstrated his love while we were sinning in this earth. We have received this revelation of love because of the blood that he has shed in the cross. We can see a blessing of divine pursuit in this context. While we are doing wicked things and commiting the acts of sin in thsi earth, the Lord has loved us and that is the reason we have received a salvation of the Lord. We are receiving an experience where Lord is pursuing us to strike a relationship with man.
During the times of Adam and eve where they began to sin, the Lord knew it yet he came to speak to them in the cool of the day. From the very begining the Lord came looking for his children. In the scripture, we see the Lord came down to speak with many people. The Lord visited Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Hagar, Moses, Joshua, Samuel, Solomon and Elijah. The visitation of Lord or the visitation of the angel of the Lord is recorded over 25 to 30 times in old testament. Even in our lives, the Lord is someone who will come looking for us. We do not have to search for him. The Lord will come looking for them who are unworthy. The ultimate final act of God’s pursuit of humanity is the veil that was torn. The Lord who has created the heaven and earth, who has the authority over all the creatures of this earth has come in search of us. We read in Psalms 8:4 'What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of
man that You visit him?' It is a great privilige for all of us.
We read in Mark 15:38 'Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.' This incident is recorded in the books of Matthew, Mark and Luke. The Jewish sources claim, the height of the veil was about 60FT tall and 30FT width which is thick as a human handbreadth. For a man to tear the veil is a very difficult task but due to the divine intervention it was torn from top to bottom. Our Lord Jesus has torn the veil for all of us and made a new way for the entire mankind to come closer to the Lord. Usually, we visualize Jesus as someone who is powerless and weak shedding blood. Despite of all the sufferings and bloodshed, he showcases his great power and miracle.
This good Friday, along with remembering the sufferings of Jesus, we need to remember the power of Jesus. The outstretched arm of the Lord will reveal his power and it will do its work in our lives. The divine pursuit came from the torn veil. The power of the Lord will work to bring in blessings in the family, to strengthen us to fight and go forward in our lives. The God’s power will be revealed in removing hindrances and will create divine connections.
2. Divine Payment
John 10:17,18 “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father.”
In this passage, we see the Lord gives up his life for the mankind. He willfully gives his life and makes the sacrifice. The veil was torn at the very moment the Lord died on the cross. Therefore, for the veil to be torn there is a price involved. The Lord Jesus made a divine payment. In spiritual life, if we need to get deliveerance from something, we need to pay a price. Same way, the Lord has paid the price for our sins and saved us. We read in Romans 6:23 'For the wages of sin is death'. The penalty of sin was fully paid and settled by the Lord by giving up his own life. Anselm said “The debt was so great, that while man alone owed it, only God could pay it” If we give our life, we cannot wash the sins of the entire mankind. But the Lord has made that sacrifice and paid the price to save us.
During those times in the temple, the people can enter inside when they make a sacrifice in the day of atonement. This was the tradition that was followed and they sacrificed the bull or a goat. And then they need to sanctify themselves, only then they can enter into the temple once in a year. But our Lord Jesus has paid the full price which permits the access to the entire mankind to enter into his presence. The hindrance was removed and we were granted access to the presence of the Lord permanently. The Lord has not made the payment in EMI form but he settled it once in for all. When he paid the full price, he said 'It is finished'. The divine payment gave us an unlimited access to his presence by which we can get closer to the Lord. The price is not paid by the man but by God. The divine payment tore the veil from top to bottom. Until then the veil represented separation, now represents liberation. From this day separation will turn into liberation this Good Friday. Our Lord God can change our separation from Him, His Word, holiness, purity, church, family, success, health. This will liberate us
into blessings and goodness.
3. Divine New Path
Hebrew 10:19,20 'Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh.'
The veil that was torn leads to a path of promise. The Lord was created a divine new path where we will have a relationship with our Lord Jesus. Earlier, the people of Israel were observing a lot of traditions and customs. They were under impression that following all these practices will bring them blessings and free them from sins. But now the Lord has given us a love relationship. Through this relationship many things like doing the ministry. fruits of the spirit will be bloomed. The Lord has not created a small hole in the veil through which we can peep into it. Instead he torn it into two, which eliminated the interference of high priest. When the veil was torn, people inside the temple witnessed he miracle and saw the most holy place directly and they did not die.
In the divine new path, the Lord is asking only one sacrifice which is by submitting our bodies as a living sacrifice to the Lord. There is no requirement of blood altars in the church because the Lord has opened a new path. This new path was created through Jesus’ death on the cross. Let us choose to walk in that new path today - new path represents freedom, joy,
access to God. As we remember the cross we remember the veil torn through which we have Divine Pursuit, Divine payment and divine new path. Amen.
