May the mumbling commence!
We have direct access to God – WIFI, if you will. That direct access is due to the work of Christ on the cross. The curtain that separated God from His people was torn away. God removed the curtain. Read from Mark chapter fifteen:
At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?" – which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."
One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.
With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"
Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there. (Verses 33-41)
Utterly forsaken and forlorn, Jesus cried out for God. It was the darkest of valleys. It is the forsakenness of all humanity from the beginning of time to the end. God could not stand to look on that sin. God could not stand to see His Son suffer so.
My heart is wrenched, knowing that I played a part in the suffering of Christ. He suffered for me and for you.
Mark records a great cry that came from Jesus as he died upon the cross. The curtain of the temple that separated the Holy of Holies was torn. No one went past the curtain except the high priest – and he only once a year, with fear and trembling. That curtain was removed. That curtain was torn in two.
The Greek for the verb for “torn” is passive. It is the divine passive, denoting the action of God in our world. The curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. No human could have accomplished this from the floor of the Temple. If a person had done it, it would have torn from bottom to top.
What does this removal of the curtain mean to us? It means that we now have direct access to God. We no longer need to have a human priest intercede for us. We have Jesus, the only high priest that we need (Hebrews 4:14ff). We can approach God without fear – as long as we accept the work of Christ for us. Relationship between God and His people has been fully restored!
Not only is there no longer any curtain, but there is also no longer any need for the veil to cover God’s glorious light – the light of the glory of God (2 Corinthians 3:7ff). In Hebrew, this light is called the Shekinah glory of the Lord. It is the light that Moses veiled for Israel after he spoke with God (Exodus 34:29ff). Now, we can see the glory of the Lord with no fear.
How can we do anything else but cry out with the centurion “Surely this man [is] the Son of God?” Let us cry out with joy and seek God’s light. Jesus is the light of the world. Accept Jesus’ work for you. Learn his ways and live in them. Life will never be the same again if you and I do.
We have direct access. But will you and I use it?
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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