Dear Explorer,
Today we'll focus on the time immediately after Jesus' death, but while His body is still on the cross.
Read Matthew 27:51-54
And
Read Mark 15:38-39
And
Read Luke 23:47-49
The curtain in the temple was torn in two. This was the very thick curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple.
What is the significance of that?
Remember when we first started this study, we learned about the Holy of Holies being a place that was shut off from the rest of the temple by this 4-6-inch-thick curtain that stretched from ceiling to floor. The only one who could enter was the High Priest and he could only enter once a year on the Day of Atonement. When he entered, he had to be carrying the blood of a lamb. The tearing of the curtain meant that now the Holy of Holies (God's presence) was available to anyone who wanted to approach Him. We don't need a priest to pray for us or offer a sacrifice for us to be able to speak to God. We can approach God at any time because Jesus paid for our sins.
Did you notice that Matthew reports that the curtain was torn from the top to bottom? What does that mean?
It means it wasn't torn by human hands! I believe that God Himself tore that curtain. It was too tall and too thick for any human to tear. That tear symbolizes the fact that God provides our salvation – not us! Again, this reminds me that religion is man trying to reach or find God. Jesus alone teaches that God comes to us and invites us in. He provided the way of salvation by paying for our sins. All we can do is accept it or reject it.
And this is the end of Jesus' time as a human being on earth. The earthly shell was dead. The BODY was hanging on a cross but was empty inside.
Where was Jesus' SELF?
Re-Read Luke 23:43
Where did Jesus tell the thief on the cross beside Him that He would be?
When Jesus' body died, His SELF went to Paradise.
Theologians debate about where He went from there. Some believe that He descended into Hell and preached to the prisoners there who were given a chance to believe in Him. Some believe He was preaching in Paradise to the Old Testament people who had trusted God to send the Messiah in the future. Some believe He went straight to Heaven. And some believe He stayed in the grave with His body. Until we get to Heaven, I'm afraid there's no way to know all the answers.
If you've experienced the death of someone you love, you can attest to the fact that while the BODY is there, the part you loved (the SELF) is gone. All that remains is a shell.
We, too, will shed our bodies someday. I'll be glad to get rid of this old broken one. We talked about the death of a follower of Jesus on Day 157. God promises His followers a new supernatural body when we get to Heaven. I'm looking forward to that!
What else happened at the time of Jesus' death?
An earthquake and the splitting of rocks so that the tombs were opened. Some dead people came back to life during this time.
What was the response of the Roman centurion who I'm sure had seen many, many crucifixions?