THE RENDING OF THE VEIL – Matthew 27:51

Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on July 7, 2019 under 2019 |

Bethany Bible Church Sunday Message; July 7, 2019 from Matthew 27:51

Theme: Jesus’ atoning death on the cross has torn the veil in two—and has opened up access to the throne of grace.

(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).

As we prepare ourselves to participate in the Lord’s Supper this morning, I ask you to turn with me to the 27th chapter of the Gospel of Matthew—and to the story it tells us of our Savior’s sacrifice on the cross.

Matthew tells us of our Lord’s trial, of how He was crucified, of how He was mocked by the Roman soldiers and the Jewish priests and the watching crowds, and of how He uttered the stunning words, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” He cried out those words because—at that moment—He was bearing the guilt of your and my sins as He hung on the cross. And then—beginning with verse 50—we read;

And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:50-54).

We’re told here about several things that happened when our Savior yielded His spirit to the Father and died for our sins. They are amazing things that I wish we could explore further. But the thing to pay attention to this morning is what it was that we’re told about in verse 51. “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom …”

From the standpoint of God’s great redemptive plan for humanity, the tearing of this veil is one of the most remarkable and important events to have occurred in all of history. That’s not an exaggeration. It was an event that had its beginning point in the very first pages of the Bible—in the story of the Garden of Eden. And the ramifications of it reach all the way to the end of the Bible—in the description we read of the New Jerusalem. It was an act that was meant to illustrate to the whole world how much had been accomplished for us by the death of Jesus on the cross.

And I believe that its significance can be summed up in the word “access”.

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When you and I need grace, ‘access’ to that grace—and to the Giver of it—is crucial.

Imagine that, somewhere in this world, there was a very wealthy and powerful person. I suppose that that’s not too hard to imagine; because there are already many such persons. But let’s suppose that you had a very great need of some kind; and that this particular wealthy and powerful person was the only one who could give to you what you needed.

Sometimes, persons like that are very hard to reach; aren’t they? You would have to go through many levels of contact before they would be able to hear from you. You’d have to be worthy of their time and attention. And even if they did give attention to you, they still may not be inclined to help you with your need. On your own power, it would be almost impossible for you to be able to reach them or persuade them. There would most likely be people on staff who would stop you if you tried. And even if they escorted you to this person, there still wouldn’t necessarily be any natural obligation on their part to do anything for you.

But what if this particular wealthy and powerful person knew you and told you that their door is always open to you. What if they told you that it wouldn’t matter what the need might be; because you are absolutely free to come to them for anything that you need—right past the security guards, right past the reception desk, right past the personal secretary’s appointment schedule. You are completely welcome at any time—completely accepted—because all the barriers to you have been removed. You were officially invited to come right into their presence freely and approach them for whatever you may need.

In other words, what if you had been given full access?

Now; you’d have to admit that if you had an invitation like that, it’d be foolish not to accept the offer. It would be foolish to try to go through some other, less effective methods to solve your problems or meet your needs. It would be foolish to turn the offer down because you didn’t feel that you were worthy enough to come. It would be foolish to try to make yourself worthy of the offer first—especially when, in fact, you could never make yourself worthy of it. The best thing to do in a case like that would be to trust that the barriers have all been removed, to accept the offer by faith, to take full advantage of the access you have been given, and to come boldly and confidently in your time of need.

Well; that’s what the rending of the veil in the temple—at the time of our Lord’s sacrifice for us—really means. It means that we now have complete access to the greatest Benefactor of all—the almighty God of the universe. We are now free to call Him our Father; and we are welcomed to come to Him for everything that we ever need. We never have to fear approaching Him. We never have to try to make ourselves worthy first. His Son—our Savior Jesus Christ—has died on the cross for all our sins; and He has completely paid the death penalty on our behalf. The way has now been opened for us to come to the Father through faith in Him and enjoy an unhindered fellowship with Him. We can now ask Him anything—and know that we are completely accepted and loved.

And the proof that God has given to us that this is so—the clear, visible proof of it—was the rending of the veil.

Jesus’ atoning death on the cross has torn the veil in two—and has now opened up complete access to the throne of grace. We may freely come into the very Holy of Holies—into the very presence of God. If rightly understood, the rending of this veil is one of the most remarkable things to have ever happened in all of human history.

And for those of us who have placed our faith in Jesus, what a great reason it gives us to celebrate as we come to His table today!

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Now; let’s answer some questions. First …

1. WHAT WAS THIS VEIL THAT WAS TORN?

This veil was a very important part of the long story of God’s plan to restore a relationship that had been lost. The roots of it go all the way back to the very beginning of the story of the Bible. It was a veil that was made necessary because of the sin of our first parents—Adam and Eve.

Because they had sinned—and because we who are born from them are also sinners—our access to a holy God was denied to us. After they sinned, Adam and Eve themselves were driven out of the Garden of Eden. They were cursed for having disobeyed God. The fall of humanity made it necessary later in history—after God had brought the children of Abraham out of their bondage in Egypt—for God to commanded Moses to make this veil as a very important part of the tabernacle. In Exodus 26, God gave this command to Moses:

“You shall make a veil woven of blue, purple, and scarlet thread, and fine woven linen. It shall be woven with an artistic design of cherubim. You shall hang it upon the four pillars of acacia wood overlaid with gold. Their hooks shall be gold, upon four sockets of silver. And you shall hang the veil from the clasps. Then you shall bring the ark of the Testimony in there, behind the veil. The veil shall be a divider for you between the holy place and the Most Holy. You shall put the mercy seat upon the ark of the Testimony in the Most Holy. You shall set the table outside the veil, and the lampstand across from the table on the side of the tabernacle toward the south; and you shall put the table on the north side” (Exodus 26:31-35).

This tabernacle—sort of a tent-like, portable ‘temple’—was made, first, with a large court area. And within this court was a small tent-like structure. This structure was called the Holy Place. Within it were things like the table of showbread, and the lampstand, and the incense that was constantly kept burning by the priests. But then, within this structure—this Holy Place—there was yet another place called the Holy of Holies. (In the Book of Hebrews, it’s called “the Holiest of All”; and in Exodus, it was called “the “Most Holy”.) Within this Holy of Holies was the ark of the covenant—where God’s holy presence was established to the Jewish people. And the veil that we’re reading about today—the veil that was torn—was the veil that separated everything else and everyone else from the Holy of Holies and the ark that was within it.

That veil, you see, was necessary because of sin. It was what kept fallen and sinful humankind separated from the presence of a holy God. It was one very large veil that essentially said, “Access denied.” No one could ever pass through it, except only once a year—on the Jewish Day of Atonement. The high priest was permitted to pass through that veil—only on that annual holy day—to make the offering of blood, for the atonement of his people, before the ark of the covenant. The Bible tells us about it in Hebrews 9; where we read;

Now when these things had been thus prepared, the priests always went into the first part of the tabernacle, performing the services. But into the second part the high priest went alone once a year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the people’s sins committed in ignorance; the Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was still standing. It was symbolic for the present time in which both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make him who performed the service perfect in regard to the conscience—concerned only with foods and drinks, various washings, and fleshly ordinances imposed until the time of reformation (Hebrews 9:6-10).

This veil, then, was a very significant thing. It was a part of God’s holy tabernacle. And even though it highlighted God’s separation from sinful man, it was a thing that also taught us about God’s grace; because God still permitted the high priest to pass through once a year to offer blood for the atonement of God’s people.

But that veil was a symbol of an important spiritual reality. It hung in the tabernacle to tell the world that full and free access to God was denied to fallen humanity … until the blood of a sufficient sacrifice could be offered.

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Now; there’s a story in the New Testament about a priest who went past that veil. His name was Zacharias. The priestly duty had fallen upon him to bring the offering of blood past the veil on the Day of Atonement; and while he was in the process of doing so, the angel Gabriel met him behind that veil—within the Holy of Holies—and told him that he would have a son who would be the one who would announce the Messiah and turn people’s hearts to Him.

That was an announcement about the birth of John the Baptist. John was of the priestly tribe of Levi; and it was his priestly job to announce that Jesus is “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”. And it was Jesus’ sacrifice for us—the shedding of His blood on the cross for us as the true sacrificial Lamb—that provided the all-sufficient sacrifice for us that resulted in that veil being torn in two.

Look again at Matthew 27. Here’s another question we need to answer about this veil:

2. WHEN AND HOW WAS IT TORN?

In verse 50 we’re told that it was torn after our Lord Jesus cried out with a loud voice on the cross and gave up His spirit. The tearing of this veil—the veil that separated sinful humanity from a holy God—was torn in two at the time when our Lord yielded His life for our sins. What a picture! And notice also how it was torn. It wasn’t torn from the bottom to the top—as if it were something that human beings might have done. It would be a horribly evil thing for any human being to dare to tear apart the veil that separated a holy God from sinful humanity. Rather, we’re told in verse 51, “Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” It was something that God Himself did when Jesus yielded His life on the cross. As the two parts separated and fell from one another, the way into the holy presence of God would have been clearly opened and exposed.

I have often tried to imagine that event in my mind. What might it have been like on the hill of Golgotha that day? The Lord Jesus would have cried out and given up His spirit. Everyone would have been stunned to hear His shout—and then the silence of His death. And then, the earth would have shaken. The rocks would have split. The graves would have fallen open. Everyone would have wondered what was going on. And then—off in the distance; just a short distance away—people on the hill might have been able to hear the sound of a great commotion going on in the temple, and the sound of terrified priests shrieking in horror. Perhaps the centurion would have sent some of his soldiers to find out what was going on. And then, the report would have come back that the veil in the temple had torn in two—as if by some unseen hand! The division that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies was gone! The most holy place of the temple was now exposed!

But if we look back up to the cross where Jesus died, we would know that it wasn’t a cause for dread. It was really a cause for great joy; because Jesus had paid the full debt for our sins. And now, the barrier between sinful man and holy God had been removed. Now, full access to fellowship with God has been opened up to all who will come to Him by faith in His Son.

Take a look at Hebrews 6. It’s there that we read these words:

Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us. This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 6:17-20).

Jesus—our High Priest of a greater order than that of the tribe of Levi—has entered into the Holy of Holies for us with His own blood. He has provided full atonement for us in His own sinless person. He did for us what no other earthly sacrifice could do. And we now have access to God through—as it says in Hebrews 10:20—

a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh (Hebrews 10:20).

What a cause for rejoicing the rending of the veil is to us!

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Now; just as we said earlier, this ‘tearing’ gives us access to a wonderful and gracious Benefactor who is wealthy beyond measure and powerful to provide for us all that we could ever need. The blood of Jesus our Savior has removed the barrier that would have otherwise kept us from access to Him. And now, we can freely come—in love and gratitude—to God for a full and unhindered relationship of love with Him.

This leads us to ask one more question about this veil:

3. WHAT DOES ITS TEARING MEAN?

Well; for one thing, the Bible tells us that it means that the wall of separation between us is taken away. It’s not only a wall that had separated sinners from a holy God, but it also separated the Gentiles from God’s covenant people. You might say that the veil was represented by the many ceremonies and rituals and regulations that had distinguished the Jewish people, and that had separated all Gentile people from the God of Abraham. But now, that wall has been torn away by our Savior Jesus Christ.

As the apostle Paul put it to believing Gentile people in Ephesians 2;

For He Himself is our peace, who has made both one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father (Ephesians 2:14-18).

Access! I love that word; don’t you? And this is because of another thing that the rending of the veil means to us; and that is that a complete sacrifice has been made for our sin. So long as that veil stood, it was a reminder that the ultimate, all-sufficient sacrifice for atonement had not yet been made. But when Jesus gave up His spirit on the cross, the veil was torn in two—signifying that the perfect sacrifice had been given … and that the veil was no longer needed.

As it says in Hebrews 9;

For Christ has not entered the holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; not that He should offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood of another—He then would have had to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now, once at the end of the ages, He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation (Hebrews 9:24-28).

And this leads us to one more thing that the tearing of the veil means. It means that we can now come boldly to the throne of grace for everything that we will ever need. There is now no longer any barrier. If we come with faith in Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for us, we may come freely—even boldly and confidently—into the presence of God our Father and present our needs to Him.

As it says in Hebrews 4:16;

Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

Or as it says in Hebrews 10;

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, and having a High Priest over the house of God,let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:19-22).

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Now; I said earlier that the implications of the tearing of this veil reaches all the way to the last few pages of the Bible—and to the glorious description we find there of the New Jerusalem.

If you’ll look with me to Revelation 21, you’ll see the outcome that God brought about by the sacrifice of His Son on the cross. In the picture we’re given of the New Jerusalem, you’ll see that there is no barrier. There is not even a temple. Instead, there is free, unhindered, joyful ‘access’ to God our Father with the light of the love of His Son shining fully upon His redeemed ones. The apostle John was given a vision of the New Jerusalem; and he wrote,

But I saw no temple in it, for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city had no need of the sun or of the moon to shine in it, for the glory of God illuminated it. The Lamb is its light. And the nations of those who are saved shall walk in its light, and the kings of the earth bring their glory and honor into it. Its gates shall not be shut at all by day (there shall be no night there). And they shall bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it. But there shall by no means enter it anything that defiles, or causes an abomination or a lie, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21:22-27).

This is what God has sent His Son to redeem us for! And now, the rending of the veil stands as an open invitation to us to step into this grace. It doesn’t matter what trial we may be experiencing, or what needs we may have, or what temptation we may be struggling with. Even when we fail horribly—even when we may have blown it terribly—we now have access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

So; as we come to the Lord’s table this morning, let’s come—as it were—through the torn veil. Let’s remember that the Lord Jesus has taken the guilt of all our sins upon Himself and has paid the death penalty on our behalf. Let’s remember that His blood has provided the all-sufficient atonement that is necessary for us to come before God our Father with complete holiness in His sight.

And let’s not hesitate at all to come into the fellowship of His unhindered love, and receive all the grace we need to live for Him.

EA