The Torn Veil

Good evening. My name's Jim Crooks and I'm your guest speaker tonight at the Bible Teaching Service for Brunsfield Evangelical Church.

Very grateful to Graham for asking me to share in God's Word with you.

And when I asked him what topic it would be for tonight, he said it would be one of my own choosing.

So presently I'm reading a lot in the book of Exodus and the reading for today was actually about the veil of the tabernacle,

that portable temple that God designed and that he gave as a blueprint to Moses.

And the passage is about this particular veil and the curtain that was in there.

And I thought that we could usefully spend just a short time thinking about the significance of that,

even in our own lives, and apply some teaching to us.

So without any further ado, I just want to read the passages that were on my heart.

So Exodus chapter 26 is my daily reading for today.

Exodus 26 · chapter mention

And in it there is one verse of relevance and it says,

And the veil shall separate for you the holy place from the most holy.

Going into Hebrews chapter 10 we read,

Hebrews 10 · chapter mention

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,

by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain,

that is through his flesh,

and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

let us draw near with a true heart and full assurance of faith,

with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience,

and our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,

for he who promised is faithful.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some,

but encouraging one another,

and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Matthew chapter 27, one verse there, verse 51.

Matthew 27 · chapter mention

And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

From top to bottom.

So that's our readings,

and we're going to try and stitch all of these things together,

reading from Exodus,

and then in Hebrews,

and then in the Gospels in Matthew.

So, first of all,

just a little bit of background about the veil.

You'll have seen from the readings that we had

that the veil, or the curtain,

was in the portable temple called the tabernacle.

Eventually, when the Jews built a temple under Solomon,

then they did put a veil in there

between the two most sacred rooms in the temple.

But here in the tabernacle,

in the reading in Exodus,

first of all,

was that a veil went in to divide two rooms,

let's see,

at the heart of the tabernacle.

In the very heart of the tabernacle,

the place reserved for the presence of God,

that was called the holiest of all.

And it was a room that was ten cubits cubed.

A cubit is from your elbow to the tip of your finger.

But ten cubits cubed.

But the room that preceded that

was the holy place,

not the holiest of all,

but the holy place.

And in that room,

they kept things like the menorah,

the lampstand,

a table of bread.

There were twelve loaves in it,

and it was changed every week.

And they also had an altar of incense.

And it was there that the priests

went in to worship God.

So there was the holy place,

and then a veil,

and then the holiest of all.

And the veil was there

to separate the two rooms.

Now, the words that are used in Exodus 26

include the word for veil,

but also include a word for a screen.

And if you like,

the meaning of the words is

one is to cover,

to keep in,

to surround,

and the other is to separate.

So if you're looking

towards the holiest of all,

then you were separated from it

by this screen,

this veil.

And if you were inside

the holiest of all,

you were contained within it.

So we've got the idea

that there is something

to be contained in,

and there are other things

to be kept out.

And into the veil

there were woven cherubim.

Cherubim were angelic creatures,

and we first read about them

in Genesis in chapter 3.

Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden,

and you may remember the story

of how they disobeyed God's instruction,

and they took of the fruit

of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

And as a result of that,

they broke their communion with God.

And because all of humanity,

if you like,

were in the loins of Adam,

they were all to be born from Adam.

He was our representative head.

And because he sinned,

all of humanity

were separated from God.

And God cast them out of the garden

because of their sin

and their disobedience.

And at the entrance to the garden,

so that they couldn't enter in again,

God appointed two cherubim.

And the cherubim served as a guardian

to the garden.

So they kept what was in there

holy and separate.

And they, if you like,

preserved the holiness of God.

But also they prevented others

from breaking in.

They were guarding there.

So there was this whole idea

of separation.

And the cherubim were woven

into the veil of the tabernacle.

And it was another picture

of separation between God and man.

It must have been a beautiful sight,

this screen.

But the principle that was involved

was that of separation.

And in fact,

as God gives the instruction

to his people of ancient times,

that was the key word

to understand the whole priestly ministry.

that there was to be a separation

between that which is clean

and that which is unclean.

Between that which is holy

and that which is profane.

And there was a separation

between God and man.

And yet God provided

the system of worship

so that man could come into

the presence of God.

and could only come in,

of course,

with blood of sacrifice.

So reading the Old Testament

and discovering all of these things

is very important for us

to think about

our own relationship with God.

God in his holiness

and we in our sinfulness.

And how that a sacrifice

and blood has been provided

so that we can go into

the presence of God.

And that's where we're going

with this teaching.

But when I was in Romania,

I used to go to Romania

quite a lot.

I was in the Patriarchal Cathedral

in Bucharest.

I was on an official visit

in my capacity

as Assistant Principal

of a college

and we were meeting

with other colleges out there.

but we had an official tour

of the Patriarchal Cathedral.

And as we went in,

the guide was explaining

about the iconostasis,

that barrier, if you like,

that's presented

just behind the altar.

On that screen,

there were various icons

and it was gilded

and precious stones.

But you'll see just behind

the two men in the middle

that there was a gateway.

And there was a curtain over that.

And I remember our guide saying,

do you know,

if we're very fortunate,

we will catch a glimpse

of the Patriarch

doing some priestly activities

behind that curtain.

And you know,

it was just

too good an opportunity

for me.

And I had to explain

what had happened

in Judaism,

how that there was

a curtain,

a screen,

a veil,

a barrier,

but that when Jesus died,

as we've read,

that barrier was removed

and the way into

God's presence

was clear and plain

and available

for everyone

who wanted to come to God

through the Lord Jesus Christ.

We had an interesting conversation.

But what had happened

basically in the early church

is that those who couldn't

leave the Jewish religion behind

when they became Christians,

they wanted to take

so much of Judaism with them.

They're called the Judaizers.

And the Judaizers

had a great influence

in the early church.

And out of the early church,

of course,

both Catholic

and Orthodox movements

began

and they retained

some of the features

of the tabernacle

and the temple.

And sadly,

the screen is one of them

so that only

the priests

can go behind the screen

and administer

in the presence of God.

But as we'll see,

this is a great shame

because what happened

was that the screen

of the tabernacle

and temple

was torn literally

and symbolically

or figuratively

to show that the way

into the immediate presence

of God

was available

for all.

So,

why was it torn?

Part of Matthew's narrative

in his Gospel

includes,

of course,

the preparation

for Calvary.

And we've been remembering

that just last weekend

at Easter time.

But

underpinning

all of Matthew's Gospel

is this journey

that Jesus

is taking

from his earthly ministry,

well,

right from

his nativity

through to

his adolescence

and then

into his earthly ministry

and he's journeying

towards the cross.

And

the death

of the Lord Jesus

is part

of that narrative.

And

it is

an expected

death

and even

the Lord Jesus

says,

and Matthew

records it,

the Son of Man

is about

to be delivered

into the hands

of men

and they will

kill him

and he will

be raised

on the third day.

We also know

that the death

of the Lord Jesus

is understood

by Matthew

as being

necessary

and he includes

the words

of the Lord Jesus

or the statement

about him.

From that time

Jesus

began to show

his disciples

that he must

go to Jerusalem

and suffer many things

from the elders

and chief priests

and scribes

and be killed

and on the third day

be raised.

Matthew

also tells

us

that

in the words

of the Lord Jesus

that his death

was to be

vicarious.

That is

not on

behalf of

Jesus himself

but on

behalf of

us.

And the Lord

Jesus says,

the Son of Man

came not to be

served but to

serve

and to give

his life

as a ransom

for many.

And so

when the narrative

reaches

is the crisis

of Calvary

and the Lord

Jesus

is crucified

on the cross.

The expressions

used by Matthew

and the other

gospelers

are very brief,

very terse

because the narrative

has been building up

to that point.

But as we read

there were

some unexpected

things that happened

at Calvary

and so

we read

in Matthew's

narrative

from Matthew

and 27

verse 51

and we

read that

that the

behold

the

curtain of the

temple was

torn in two

from the top

to the bottom.

But Matthew

uses this device

to introduce

something that

is a surprise.

he uses the

word

behold

and it's

in the same

kind of way

that we would

say

and do you

know what

happened next?

And as he

presents the

death of the

Lord Jesus

he wants to

present a

very unusual

detail

and that

detail is

about the

about the

curtain being

torn in two.

Behold

the curtain

of the temple

was torn in two

from top

to bottom.

Matthew uses

that little

word

behold

when he

introduces

surprises.

So for

instance

in the

narrative

of the

nativity

an angel

appears

and warns

the holy

family

not to go

to Egypt

because

Herod was

plotting

to kill

the children

and then

when the

Lord Jesus

comes to

be baptized

Matthew

uses another

behold

there was

a voice

from heaven

and exactly

the same

is used

in Matthew

17

there it's

another voice

well it's

the same

voice from

heaven

it's the

same one

God

the Father

but it's

the record

of a

voice from

heaven being

used

and then

the Lord

Jesus

uses it

as well

in his

own words

as he

ends

his

earthly

ministry

and he

says to

his

disciples

behold

although I'm

going away

do you know

what happens

next

I am with

you

always

and so

Matthew

uses this

to if you

like accent

to highlight

that's what

is going to

happen here

is something

that's very

significant

and this

tearing

of the

temple

curtain

is very

significant

he includes

the detail

that it's

torn

from top

to bottom

that it's

a very

deliberate

act

that something

that may

have been

required

like a

covenant

a promise

a legal

contract

has been

torn

into

from the

top

to the

bottom

and it

implies

that God

himself

has torn

the veil

that the

veil which

he instructed

to be made

for the

tabernacle

and which

he instructed

to be made

for the

temple

is now

done away

with

it's rendered

obsolete

and it is

torn

in two

it's not

just a little

bit torn

but it is

torn up

if you like

and it is

completely

separated

that the

both sides

of the

curtain

now hang

listlessly

and redundantly

on both

sides

of the

entrance

into the

holiest of

all

and what

God is

demonstrating

is that

in the

death

of the

Lord

Jesus

this

planned

sacrifice

of the

son

of his

love

that this

is a

significant

world event

and that

there is

the turning

of history

about

on this

pivot

and to

symbolise

that

the

temple

curtain

was torn

in two

so it's

not just

that there

is a

literal

tearing

but there

is a

symbolic

doing away

with barriers

that there

were between

God and

man

that which

had to be

contained

within

that which

had to be

held out

has been

done away

with

and now

God

stands in

all his

majesty

and his

glory

in all his

grace

and his

mercy

and he

is saying

I'm

available

to everyone

and that

is the

theological

significance

so I

just want

to do

highlight

two

lessons

around

that

simple

principle

and the

lesson

first of

all

is simply

that when

Matthew

records

this

tearing

of the

temple

then

Matthew

is

demonstrating

that the

heavens

are now

open

for God

to declare

that Jesus

was the

Son of

God

just as he

did as he

tore aside

the heavens

in chapter 3

verse 17

and in

chapter 17

verse 5

of Matthew's

gospel

so now

God

tears

aside

everything

that stands

in the

way

and he

declares

that the

Lord Jesus

was the

Son of

God

and that

he was

making

sacrifice

on behalf

of God

and the

curtain

is permanently

opened

and so

standing

at the

cross

not in

the temple

but standing

at the

cross

here is

the voice

of a

centurion

not the

voice of

God

himself

but the

voice of

a Roman

centurion

not a

Jew

but a

Roman

and he

says

truly

this was

the

Son of

God

and God

has spoken

fully

and finally

in his

Son

and in

the death

of his

Son

God

reveals

completely

and beautifully

all his

love

and he

reveals

his very

heart

and he

reveals

everything

that he

desires

so although

the Lord

Jesus

and his

life

are of

great

significance

to us

in the

gospel

and that

there's a

build up

to this

point

here we

have the

full

demonstration

of the

love of

God

the God

who so

loved the

world

that he

gave

his

one

and only

Son

the second

lesson is

just simply

this and it

was really

taken from

our reading

in Hebrews

that in

Jesus'

death

and in

his

broken

body

symbolized

by the

torn

curtain

as well

that this

is the

means by

which

anyone who

would have

access to

the presence

of God

must come

must come

to Christ

must come

to Calvary

must have

their sins

dealt with

there because

Jesus as the

Lamb of God

has presented

the blood of

the sacrifice

in the holiest

of all

and his

sacrifice has

been accepted

and the way

unto God

is forever

made clear

and there is

no more

sacrifice for

sins

there is

nothing

that humanity

can do

to earn

God's

favour

God in

his mercy

and his

grace

provided

the

Lord

Jesus

and his

sacrifice

on Calvary

has given

full satisfaction

to a

holy God

and so the

writer to the

Hebrews as he

goes on to

explain the

significance

of this

access to

God

he says

that we

can have

confidence

to enter

the holy

places

and so he

encourages us

with what

I've called

at another

time

a salad

sermon

because it

always begins

with letters

he says

letters

draw near

to God

do you know

we ought not

to be flippant

about this

at all

but what

was a

privilege

that was

not granted

to millions

upon millions

throughout all

of human

history

access was

only granted

to one

person once

a year

and with

the blood

of a

sacrifice

the high

priest

in Israel

he alone

could go

behind the

curtain

once a

year

but now

that curtain

is done

away with

our high

priest

is there

permanently

for us

interceding

for us

and because

he is there

because he

has taken

away the

curtain

then we

can draw

near

to God

I

usually

describe

prayer

as one

of the

most

portable

items

in all

of the

world

you don't

have to

carry it

with you

in some

kind of

special box

or in

beads

or in

any

artifact

but you

carry it

in your

heart

and anywhere

you are

in the

world

and at

any time

of the

day or

night

and in

any

circumstance

we can

pray

to God

we can

draw near

to God

he is

permanently

forever

near to

us

and for

we who

have come

to know

forgiveness

of sins

at Calvary

and have

professed

faith in

the Lord

Jesus

Christ

we have

this means

to draw

near to

God

at any

time

and in

any

place

and so

we're

encouraged

to do

that

just this

week

one of

the young

brothers

that I

walk

alongside

when he

was talking

about

confessing

sin

and

seeking

God's

help

to know

victory

in his

life

he said

then what

do we

do

Jim

then what

do we

do

and of

course

all I

could say

was

well we

are in

the presence

of God

and we

abide

there

we need

to take

time

to know

the presence

of God

with us

to be

silent

before him

not always

to be

making

requests

but in

that

position

that

place

of

quiet

solitude

and silence

and serenity

before God

to give in

to the

worship

that we

must feel

and just

to be

in his

presence

we're also

encouraged

to

let us

hold

fast

unwaveringly

let us

hold

unwaveringly

to our

confession

of faith

because there

is one in

the heavens

who represents

us

one who

is there

all of

the time

because we

can avail

ourselves

of his

presence

and his

help

at any

place

and in

any

time

then we

have

grace

to help

in time

of need

we profess

our faith

to a

watching

and a

listening

world

and in

silence

and sometimes

with speech

we are in

the presence

of God

to gain

all the

strength

that we

need

for daily

living

and to

live

consistent

lives

before

him

and then

we're also

encouraged

to do

let us

stir one

another

up to

love

and good

works

now the

old rendering

of that

in the

King James

version

of my

youth

was

let us

provoke

one another

well let's

provoke one

another to

love and

to good

works

but the

meaning is

made much

more clear

here isn't

it

stir one

another up

we've not

to provoke

one another

but we've

to stir

one another

up

to love

how do

we stir

love

well we

stir up

love by

loving people

first and

then we

encourage them

to step

out and

love others

not to

love us

back in

return but

for them

to love

others and

that is the

loving life

of the

Christian

of sacrifice

for others

and also

we are to

embark on

a life of

good works

of course

faith is

the gateway

to the

presence of

God

we can't

come to

God by

any other

means

we cannot

work for

his grace

and favour

in our

lives

but once

we come

by faith

our faith

must be

demonstrated

by our

good works

we must

show the

evidence

of the

revolution

that has

happened

in our

lives

and lastly

as we

consider

the torn

veil

and our

continual

drawing near

to God

then we

are to

also

meet

together

to

encourage

one another

in the

faith

that has

been so

difficult

hasn't it

during the

Covid

restrictions

but

things will

come back

to normal

but I

would certainly

hope and

pray that

things aren't

going to be

the old

normal

but that

we really

are enthused

by meeting

together

by corporate

worship

by fellowship

together

by loving

deeds and

loving language

that we will

be able to

use amongst

one another

and so

we've got

this principle

that we

have been

taught by

the torn

veil

veil

that it's

access to

God

completely

the coronavirus

has been

there and

there's been

no access

to all

kinds of

things

but that

never affected

our access

to God

nor can

anything

affect our

access to

God

and just as

we think

then about

that torn

veil

again

it's to

remember

that the

way into

the very

presence of

God

is

completely

free

and open

it's an

immense

privilege

and we

should avail

ourselves

of it

to draw

near to

him

to hold

fast

to

have

consistent

profession

of our

faith

to

demonstrate

love

for each

other

and to

reflect the

revolution of

God in

our hearts

by our

good works

and then

also to

be meeting

together to

encourage one

another in

the faith

may God

bless you

as you

enjoy the

presence of

God

let's briefly

pray

Father thank

you for

this incredible

design in the

tabernacle

and then in

the temple

and we thank

you Father

that it

comes right

through to

the gospels

and also the

epistles

we thank

you for

the unity

of the

book

and for

this

unintended

consequence

in some

ways

or coincidence

that there

is a

veil that

is to

be torn

and symbolising

the way

into God

is made

free

to all

that you

are accessible

by all

through the

Lord Jesus

and through

what he did

in Calvary

Father we

pray

that we

might use

this most

portable

of gifts

and that we

will pray

without ceasing

that we

will have

lives that

are

worshipful

we pray

that our

lives will

be

marked by

a closeness

to you

that we

will be

consistent

in our

profession

of faith

and we

have hope

through

the curtain

to be

one day

in your

immediate

presence

and we

thank you

Father

that we

will be

able to

stir one

another up

to love

and good

works

and as we

continue to

meet together

we pray

our Father

it will be

for your

glory

as we

encourage

one another

in our

faith

and we

pray for

your blessing

towards this

end

we give

you thanks

in Jesus

name

Amen

Thank you

very much

for listening

and I do

trust that

the Lord

will encourage

your hearts

as you

serve him

to draw

near

we have

confidence

to enter

the holy

places

God bless