Posted on 04/02/2010 8:43:27 PM PDT by Charles Henrickson
“Torn Curtain” (Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:19-25; Luke 23:44-46)
At just about the time that Jesus breathed his last, something very unusual happened not far away there in Jerusalem. “The curtain of the temple was torn in two,” our text in Luke 23 tells us. Matthew and Mark, in their gospels, likewise report this occurrence, and they add the fact that the curtain was torn in two “from top to bottom.” Now that’s strange, isn’t it? What does Jesus dying have to do with the curtain of the temple being torn in two? Was it just a coincidence? Or is there some connection? What does this “Torn Curtain” mean?
You’re probably going to guess that this torn curtain is significant, and you would be right. Why else would the gospel writers include this in their narrative, unless it was significant? And it appears to be divinely significant, that God’s hand was in it. Thus the timing to coincide with Jesus’ death, and thus the fact that the curtain was torn from top to bottom. Yes, this is God’s doing. But what is the significance?
We really can’t answer that question until we know something about the temple and its curtain. What purpose did the temple serve? What purpose did that curtain serve? Let’s find out.
The temple, and its portable predecessor, the tent called the tabernacle--the temple was the Lord God’s dwelling place on earth. Now the whole heaven cannot contain God, but God chose to make himself known and to dwell among his people in the temple. The temple was the place of God’s presence, his holy presence in the midst of his people Israel, to govern and guide them, to preserve and protect them, to hear their prayers, and to forgive their sins. The temple was where sacrifices and offerings were made, sacrifices for sin, sacrifices for guilt, whole burnt offerings, grain offerings, peace offerings--the list goes on and on. Lambs and bulls and goats were offered up, day after day, year after year. The courtyard of the temple was more like a slaughterhouse, like a bloody butcher shop. But these were the sacrifices that the Lord had provided for Israel, as a means for having their sins forgiven, so that this sinful people could continue to live in the presence of their holy God.
This all happened at the temple, and it was the priests, the Levitical priesthood, that oversaw this work. You see, from among the tribe of Levi, there was one family, the family of Aaron, from whom came the long line of the priests. And from among all the priests--starting with Aaron himself, and then passing down through his sons--there would always be one High Priest, who would be in charge of it all and would have special duties.
And this brings us to the layout of the temple and the role of the curtain. The temple was constructed in such a way that the front part of the building was called the Holy Place, and beyond that, farther back, was the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies. And the curtain separated the two areas. To draw an analogy, it would be like you come into this church building, and most of the space here is the nave, and at the end of that, railed off, there is this special area called the chancel. Holy Place, Most Holy Place, that sort of thing.
Now in the front part, in the Holy Place, there were several furnishings—the altar of incense, the golden lampstand, and the table of the bread of the presence. These were in the Holy Place, and any number of priests, whoever was on duty at the time, could enter that part of the temple.
But beyond the Holy Place, as I say, was the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies. Within the Most Holy Place, there was only one item, and that was the ark of the covenant. The ark of the covenant was kind of like a box or a trunk, overlaid with gold. The top, the lid, was called the mercy seat. Also on top, on either side, there were two cherubim with outstretched wings--attendant angels, if you will, there at the Lord’s royal throne. That’s really what the ark was--God’s throne, the place where he was enthroned as king, present to bless his people. And the Holy of Holies, then, was his royal throne room.
So can you envision it? You come into the temple--well, you couldn’t, but the priests could--and the first area you enter would be the Holy Place. Beyond that is the Most Holy Place, and it was the curtain, the curtain of the temple, that separated those two spaces.
Holy Place, Most Holy Place, with the curtain of the temple separating the two. But who could enter the Most Holy Place? Who could pass through the curtain? Could the ordinary priests go in there, into the Most Holy Place of God’s presence? No. Do that and you die. No, only one person, the High Priest, could enter that room, and then, only once a year. That was on the Day of Atonement. Ah, now we’re getting closer! Now we’re getting at the significance of the torn curtain. Just wait, we’re almost there.
The Day of Atonement--Yom Kippur, it’s called in the Hebrew. That is the one day of the year when, in addition to all the countless other sacrifices offered throughout the course of the year--on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would offer up one comprehensive sacrifice for all sin, committed by all the people. He would take the blood of the sacrifice and pass through the curtain and enter the Holy of Holies and approach the ark of the covenant, the place of God’s presence. And there the High Priest would take the blood and sprinkle it on the ark, specifically, on the well-named mercy seat. For this is how the Lord would show mercy on his people, forgiving their sins, all of them, even the ones they were not aware of. One all-inclusive sacrifice to cover all their sins for the whole year. That is what took place on the Day of Atonement, when the High Priest passed through the curtain.
My friends, today, Good Friday, is our Day of Atonement. That, dear ones, is the significance of the torn curtain. Jesus fulfills what the Day of Atonement was pointing ahead to. For the blood of bulls and goats can never really atone for our sins. But the blood of Christ can and indeed does. The blood of bulls and goats had to be offered year after year after year, showing that it was never enough. But the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world--that is enough, more than enough. When Jesus does the job, there’s nothing left to do. The blood of the holy Son of God is all-availing, all-inclusive, completely comprehensive. His blood is the once-and-for-all sacrifice for all sin, the final, ultimate one. Thus the sacrifices of the temple come to an end, because they are no longer needed. And thus the torn curtain, torn in two from top to bottom.
Dear friends, Jesus Christ is our great High Priest, who enters into God’s holy presence with a sacrifice of far nobler worth than anything you or I could come up with. He passes through the curtain into the heavenly Holy of Holies. Indeed, Jesus’ body on the cross is the curtain we pass through to enter into God’s presence. With what Jesus has done, done for us on this Good Friday, as our great High Priest offering the perfect sacrifice, now we have access, now we have boldness, now we have confidence to enter into God’s presence ourselves. “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 in full assurance of faith.”
Yes, let us draw near, let us come boldly before God’s throne of grace and mercy, where we will find mercy and help in every time of need. Jesus has torn that curtain for us, and now we can enter in! God is not keeping you out; he is inviting you in! Your sins are forgiven, your conscience has been sprinkled clean, nothing is keeping you out! Let us draw near to God.
And in drawing near to God, through the blood of Christ, we also find ourselves drawing near to one another. Together we are a royal priesthood, appointed to a life of love and good works and dedicated service. And we live our life together as his church, as Christ’s holy people in this world. We have a high calling, made possible by our great High Priest, who tears down the barriers that keep us from God. Now we know what true love and mercy are, and so we can share that with one another. Christ opens up all sorts of new realities.
The curtain is torn, and now heaven itself is standing wide open. Christ has opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers. He himself has entered into that heavenly temple, that heavenly tabernacle, and you and I will follow him right on through. This is the sure hope we have as Christians.
Torn curtain. Torn in two, from top to bottom. What does this mean? It means sins forgiven, atonement made, once and for all. It means access to the throne of grace, belonging to a royal priesthood, and an open heaven ahead of us. All this, because of what Jesus, our great High Priest, has done for us on this Good Friday, our Day of Atonement.
It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.
Hebrews 9:11-14; 10:19-25 (ESV)
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God.
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 in 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.
Ping.
The curtain prevented the priests ministering outside of it from being exposed to the holy presence of the Lord at the Ark, which would be lethal. That is, until the sacrifice for all sin was made.
I believe there's more to it than just this.
The torn curtain also symbolized a dramatic transformation in God's plan -- in that He would no longer symbolically "relegate Himself" to the Temple in Jerusalem. The culmination of this transformation was made clear some years later when Jerusalem was sacked by the Romans and the Temple destroyed. As a result, there is no trace of the curtain, the Ark, etc.
Jesus could not have been a high priest. He was not of the right tribe.
Well, of course Jesus was not from the priestly tribe of Levi. He was from the tribe of Judah, being the Davidic Messiah. Nevertheless, Jesus is indeed our great High Priest, who offered the once-and-for-all sacrifice for all sin.
The Letter to the Hebrews calls Jesus a priest many, many times:
Hebrews 2:17
Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.
Hebrews 4:14
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
Hebrews 5:5-6
So also Christ did not exalt himself to be made a high priest, but was appointed by him who said to him, "You are my Son, today I have begotten you"; as he says also in another place, "You are a priest forever,after the order of Melchizedek."
Hebrews 6:19-20
We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.
And then Hebrews chapters 7, 8, 9, and 10 discuss Jesus' priesthood at length. See my sermon text from Hebrews 9-10 that I put with my original post. Chapter 7 specifically addresses the matter you raise, i.e., Jesus being from the tribe of Judah rather than the tribe of Levi.
Hebrews 7:11-16
Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levitical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchizedek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests.
This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become a priest, not on the basis of a legal requirement concerning bodily descent, but by the power of an indestructible life.
The point of all this is that Jesus has a superior, unique priesthood.
Yes, tying in to Jesus' eschatological discourse, one could see the torn curtain as portending the doom of the temple and Jerusalem, which would come in AD 70. But in this sermon, I was emphasizing the points the Book of Hebrews makes about Jesus passing through the curtain.
Just because the writer of Hebrews asserts he is a high priest, doesnt make it so. A person has to be of the priestly tribe otherwise the New Testament is not in harmony with the "Old" testament. The writer of Hebrews apparently is not aquainted with the Talmud or Midrashim at the time of Jesus. Melchizedek has long been identified as Shem. Shem is the ancestral founder or progenitor of the Aaronic preisthood, which is eternal.
Ex 40:15 And thou shalt anoint them, as thou didst anoint their father, that they may minister unto me in the priest's office: for their anointing shall surely be an everlasting priesthood throughout their generations.
...."For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well."
There was never a change in the preisthood. As stated above the preisthood is forever and G-d commands us to never add or subtract to the commands.
Dt 4:2 Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the LORD your God that I give you. The writer of Hebrews doesnt have the right to change the laws of the preisthood.
And technically, He wasnt of the tribe of Judah either since he had no biological father. Tribal affiliation is never through the mother.
Well, that explains it, then. You apparently do not regard the New Testament as the inspired Word of God. Christians, however, do. And I am called to preach the Gospel of Christ.
For it to be the inspired word of G-d, it must be truth and be in harmony with the rest of G-ds word.
The writer of Hebrews makes several errors.
He claims a change in the priesthood based upon bad interpretation of scripture. He claims that Melchizedek had no father or no mother. As I mentioned before, it was well known by Jewish scholars (Talmud and Midrash) that Melchizedek was Shem, who clearly had parents. If Melchizedek was without father or mother this would be a greater miracle than Jesus's own birth. Yet, nowhere in the Tanakh is there any reference to this miracle nor a second eternal priesthood. Furthermore, the writer claims he was without genealogy. To be a priest, one has to be able to prove genealogy. There is a scriptural example priests being removed for not being able to prove genealogy. Ezra 2:62
Melchizedek is his Kingly title (King of Righteousness) as ruler and spiritual leader of Salem. There was nothing unusual about the tithe of Abram, in that at the time, Abraham was Abram. The writer of Hebrews makes an error in calling him Abraham. He was not Abraham at the time and he had not yet been circumcised and received the covenant. Therefore it was appropriate for Abram to tithe the King and spiritual leader of Salem. Who, also, was the spiritual forerunner of the Aaronic priesthood.
The the writer of Hebrews makes another error and misinterprets Ps 110:4. The passage does not imply that there is a seperate eternal priesthood apart from the Aaronic priesthood. King David was referring to himself and his eternal Davidic lineage, just as Melchizedek was a forerunner the the eternal Aaronic priesthood.
For the writer of Hebrews to create a new priesthood whole cloth out of thin air is the height of eisegesis and a clear violation of the principles of hermeneutics, namely the principal of critical interpretation.
Interpret the unclear in light of the clear. Every major, essential truth is taught clearly and many times. Never build a doctrine on an unclear passage.
Which is precisely what the writer of Hebrews has done. Nowhere else in Tanakh are there any passages to back up this second new eternal priesthood.
Jesus replied, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.”
Matthew 22:29
If I might ask, what do the Midrashic scholars base their identification of Melchizedek with Shem upon? It could be he was descended from Shem (all Jews were) but actually BEING Shem? I know of no Scriptural text supporting this. Please clarify.
In part the following:
Genesis 9:26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
Salem was the capital of Canaan.
Shem lived for more than 600 years and would have been alive at the time of Abraham. He would have out lived Abraham.
Abram was Shems Grandson.
10These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood: 11And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah: 13And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
And Aaron is Abrahams Grandson
Issac, Jacob,Joseph,Levi, Kohath,Amram, Aaron.
Shem ruler of Canaan, King&Priest (melchizedek)---->Aaron Priest (eternal priesthood ex 40:15) Direct lineage of the future eternal Aaronic priesthood.
Melchizedek,was Shem, son of Noah, a priest most high. (Pirke De rabbi Eliezar 9A.i)
And Melchizedek is Shem, son of Noah (Rashi, commentaries, Genesis 14:18)
And Melchizedek is Shem, Son of Noah ( Talmud, Tr. Nedarim 32)
Also, Jerusalem Targum, Genesis 14:18, Midrash 126b, Talmud Tr, 32b, Midrash Agada, fn 18, pg 30.
There are many Christian sources too that agree.
And who was Jesus addressing? Sadducees....
Jesus was 100% correct with this statement. Sadducees were a disaster for the Jewish faith and the Jewish people.
http://www.bsw.org/Biblica/Vol-81-2000/Melchizedek-Gen-14-17-20-In-The-Targums-In-Rabbinic-And-Early-Christian-Literature/276/
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