Important Details - Matthew 27:51-53

Some events are forever etched in your memory. Often they are events of either great joy or great sorrow. You probably have any number of different moments you will never forget.

Your wedding day

The days your children were born

The day of a terrible accident

The day of a traumatic death

The day you finally accomplished a dream or goal you’d worked for

We remember, often in great detail, these days of great importance to us. When we retell the stories of these days, we often can recount seemingly minor details about the day. But the reason we remember them is because to us they aren’t minor details at all. To us, they are actually quite significant.

Shortly after my daughter Grace was born, she came down with RSV. At two weeks old, RSV is very dangerous, and can even be fatal. She was admitted to the hospital, given breathing treatments, and monitored closely for any signs that she might be in danger. One of the details I remember vividly about that day was how the nurses had taped a Styrofoam cup, with the top cut off to look like a crown, to my sweet little girl’s head. Now the reason I remember this is not because she looked adorable (though she did!), but because of why that cup was there. It was there because the only place they were able to start an IV on my little girl was in her scalp, and so the cup was to keep her from pulling the IV out of her head (and to keep us from having to see it). I remember that little detail because of what it symbolized to me. It symbolized that my daughter was very sick, and I simply had to sit, wait, pray, and trust God.

In the account of the crucifixion, we see many of these seemingly minor details as well. The gospel writers include many bits of information that seem like they don’t really matter, but the writers included them because they saw great significance in these minor details. This evening I want to look at one detail that is mentioned in passing in Matthew’s account, and to examine why that little detail is actually incredibly important.

Miraculous Signs

Immediately after Jesus died on the cross, there were several miraculous signs that accompanied it. We see these in Matthew 27:51-53.

51At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, 52and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. 53They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

There are three different miracles mentioned in these verses:

The curtain in the temple was torn in two

There was an earthquake

Dead people came back to life

While each of these miracles is significant, I want to really focus in on one of those miracles tonight; specifically, the tearing of the curtain in the temple. This is one of those details that is easy to overlook because it doesn’t mean much to us. But to Matthew (and also the writer of Hebrews), this was a very significant occurrence that was symbolic of exactly what was happening at the moment Jesus died.

In the book of Hebrews, the author speaks at great length about what Jesus accomplished by his death and resurrection. Jesus changed everything. The old system of sacrifices, priests, and temple worship was superseded by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. He helps us to understand why this tearing of the curtain of the temple was so significant—it was symbolic of how Jesus changed everything.

Old Covenant Worship

In the time before Jesus, God instructed the Israelites to build a tabernacle in which they were to worship Him. Here is what the writer of Hebrews says about this,

That first covenant between God and Israel had regulations for worship and a place of worship here on earth. 2There were two rooms in that Tabernacle. In the first room were a lampstand, a table, and sacred loaves of bread on the table. This room was called the Holy Place. 3Then there was a curtain, and behind the curtain was the second room called the Most Holy Place. 4In that room were a gold incense altar and a wooden chest called the Ark of the Covenant, which was covered with gold on all sides. Inside the Ark were a gold jar containing manna, Aaron’s staff that sprouted leaves, and the stone tablets of the covenant. 5Above the Ark were the cherubim of divine glory, whose wings stretched out over the Ark’s cover, the place of atonement. But we cannot explain these things in detail now. (Hebrews 9:1-5, NLT)

He chooses not to explain these things in detail, but we need to do so. The people to whom Hebrews was written would have been very familiar with temple worship (in fact, it was likely still going on at the time Hebrews was written), but most of us are not very familiar with it.

Under the Old Covenant, God commanded the Israelites to build a tabernacle, which was essentially a tent in which the people were to worship Him. As they wandered in the wilderness, and even in the early years of the Israelites living in the Promised Land, the Tabernacle served as a portable meeting place with God. It was the place of worship. Later King Solomon built a temple, which was to be a permanent place of worship. Its structure was based on the instructions given for the tabernacle. The temple was destroyed and later was rebuilt. During the time of Jesus, the temple was undergoing a major overhaul and expansion under King Herod. The temple complex got significantly larger, but the interior of the temple remained essentially the same as it was in the tabernacle God commanded the Israelites to build hundreds of years earlier.

The basic structure of the inside of the tabernacle/temple was this. There was a large room called the Holy Place. In this room there were several lampstands (menorahs), a table with sacred loaves (or cakes) of bread that were changed out each week, and there was also an altar of incense (which was in the first room but was a significant part of the second room as well). Common people were not allowed to enter this room, only priests. Even for priests, it was a unique honor. Priests had to be selected to serve at the temple in the Holy Place. Most would never get a chance to set foot in this room. A priest selected to serve in the Holy Place would consider that the highlight of his career. So, the Holy Place of the temple was a very special place, accessible to only a select few.

The second room inside the temple was even more special. It was called the Most Holy Place, or the Holy of Holies. This room was built essentially inside the Holy Place, but it was set off by a heavy curtain. Inside the Most Holy Place was one primary object: the Ark of the Covenant. The Ark was symbolic of the very presence of God. It was essentially a chest in which God had instructed the Israelites to store a couple of very important artifacts, and it was covered with a lid that had two angels on it whose wings hung over the center. The center portion of the lid was called the Mercy Seat, and this was the place that symbolized God’s very presence. Just outside the Most Holy Place was the altar of incense, so when incense was burned, it created a cloud that would fill the Most Holy Place. All of this was richly symbolic and was intended to point people to God.

While the Holy Place was only accessible to priests, the Most Holy Place was accessible only to one person—the High Priest. And the High Priest of Israel was only able to enter the Most Holy Place once a year, on the Day of Atonement. The curtain was in place to keep things separate, and to keep people from even trying to get a peek at the Most Holy Place. The idea was very simple: since this was where God resided, anyone who entered it in an unworthy manner would surely die.

The purpose of the Day of Atonement was for the High Priest to enter into God’s presence in the Holy of Holies and offer a sacrifice to pay for (atone for) the sins of the people. But before he could enter, he had to offer many sacrifices and go through many ritual cleansings in order to deal with his own sin. This process began the entire week prior to the Day of Atonement. He would spend all week making sure he did not defile himself. When he would enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement, the people would wait with bated breath for him to come back out of the temple alive, as they knew the penalty for coming before the Lord in an unworthy manner was certain death.

So hopefully you have a sense of how the Most Holy Place was incredibly significant in the Jewish religion. You can almost imagine the horror of the High Priest and the other priests serving in the temple on that day when there was a terrible earthquake and they saw the curtain separating these two rooms tear in half. And this was not some flimsy little curtain. It was a thick, heavy, and enormous woven curtain that would have been incredibly difficult to tear. The force required to tear this curtain would have been frightening, but the effect of the curtain being torn was even more frightening! Imagine how they felt when they saw the Ark of the Covenant exposed for everyone to see. In their minds, this would have been a tremendous dishonor to the Lord. But what they failed to realize was that it was symbolic of what the Lord had been planning all along.

What It Symbolized

We can understand why this would have been an event that was impressed onto the minds of all Jews. This would be a day that would live in infamy in the minds of the Jews at that time. But the reason Matthew records it is not because he was scarred by the event, but because it symbolized what Jesus’ death and resurrection had accomplished.

Again, the writer of Hebrews helps to shed some light on the subject for us.

6When these things were all in place, the priests regularly entered the first room as they performed their religious duties. 7But only the high priest ever entered the Most Holy Place, and only once a year. And he always offered blood for his own sins and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. 8By these regulations the Holy Spirit revealed that the entrance to the Most Holy Place was not freely open as long as the Tabernacle and the system it represented were still in use.

9This is an illustration pointing to the present time. For the gifts and sacrifices that the priests offer are not able to cleanse the consciences of the people who bring them. 10For that old system deals only with food and drink and various cleansing ceremonies—physical regulations that were in effect only until a better system could be established. (Hebrews 9:6-10, NLT)

Here, he foreshadows his conclusion, which is that the system of sacrifices and temple worship was insufficient and was a temporary illustration and ritual that pointed toward a more complete sacrifice that would be offered in the future, forever changing the way people came to God. That perfect sacrifice was Jesus Christ. When Jesus died, he did what no priest could ever do—He offered his own life as a sacrifice to pay for the sin of the people. Unlike the priests under the Old Covenant, Jesus wouldn’t have to return to perform the sacrifices again in a year—His sacrifice was good once and for all.

In Hebrews 10, we read exactly how Jesus’ sacrifice changed things forever.

19And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. 20By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. 21And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:19-22, NLT)

Here's the significance of the tearing of the curtain: the way to God has been made available to everyone! Because of Jesus, the wall that separated us from God has been torn down. Before Jesus the only way people had access to God was through a human intermediary (the High Priest), but now Jesus has made it possible for us to go directly into the presence of the Lord without fear of being destroyed, because He has dealt with our sin once and for all.

This is wonderful news for us, and it is the reason Matthew includes this detail in his account of Jesus’ death—because it symbolizes how everything changed because of Jesus! This change in our relationship with God, this completely new way of relating to Him is what we remember and celebrate when we take communion, and it is the reason we gather to remember the events of Good Friday. Because of what Jesus did, the door to Heaven is open to everyone, even you and me.

Conclusions

All of these facts about the change between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant are interesting, but if they don’t impact our lives in any way then there really is very little point in our studying them. So let’s look at what this means to us practically.

First, it reminds us that our sin is a real problem. The reason for the sacrifices under the Old Covenant, the need for priests, and for the separation from God was not because God wanted to establish a bunch of onerous rules, but because He wanted to remind us of an important point: our sin breaks our relationship with Him. All sin is rebellion against God. It is a way of trying to take God off the throne and install ourselves there instead. Such an attitude makes a relationship with God impossible unless we deal with that offense. That’s what Jesus does.

The message of the gospel is not that God loves us so much that He will simply overlook our sin. It is that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus into the world to deal with our sin. Until we admit our sinfulness and our need for forgiveness and a savior, we will remain separated from God. You must understand and confess your sin before you can be forgiven of it.

Second, it reminds us that the gospel is for everyone. This is the great news of the torn curtain. Access to God is not limited only to priests, preachers, or people we deem good enough. Through Jesus we all have access to God. Some people misunderstand this and say, well that means I don’t need to go to church. It’s true that you don’t need a pastor or some church leader to grant you access to God. But it’s also true that God has given us the church, not to save us, but to encourage us, help us grow, and for us to help others grow. The church doesn’t save us, but it does help us become the people God wants us to be.

Here’s the important part though. There are many people who believe they aren’t good enough to get to Heaven. They believe they aren’t even good enough to set foot in a church. They believe God could never love them because of who they are. While it’s true that you aren’t good enough to get to Heaven on your own merits, the torn curtain reminds us that everyone can have access to God through Jesus. Everyone is welcome in our churches. It’s not about us being good enough, it’s about trusting in what Jesus has done for us. No matter who you are, no matter what’s in your past, the way to the Lord is open to you through Jesus Christ.

Third, it reminds us to live with gratitude and worship. When we look at the cross, we have conflicting emotions. On the one hand we are so grateful for what Jesus has done for us. We look at the cross and we see a love greater than we can fathom. But on the other hand, we look at the cross and feel grief and shame, because we know our sin made that sacrifice necessary. The cross reminds us that our sin carries with it a great price.

But the right response to the cross is not to sit around and feel bad for Jesus. Jesus chose to offer himself as a sacrifice for our sin, and He did so for a reason. That reason was to restore our relationship with God. So, the right response to the cross is for us to live in a way that honors the Lord and follows Him. Because we see His great love for us, we can have confidence that He will not lead us astray. We can be certain that when He tells us how to live it is because it is what’s best, not because He’s mean. We can be confident that even when life is difficult and doesn’t seem to make sense, we can rest in the truth that God loves us and will never abandon us. He has paid too great a price to simply turn His back on us. This demonstration of God’s love is the reason we call the day Jesus was killed Good Friday.

Tonight, I hope the day of Jesus’ death on the cross is forever etched into your memory. But do not fall into the trap of only seeing the suffering of that day. Also see what Jesus accomplished. Even as Matthew recorded all the details of the agony of the cross, he remembered to include little details like the curtain being torn in two because He remembered what the cross was all about. It was about restoring our relationship with God, dealing with our sin once and for all, and forever opening the way to Heaven to us through Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus, everything is different. And that’s a reason to celebrate, to remember, and to live for Him.