Jaw-dropping Jewels about Jesus
Rarely does Jesus, God the Son, do exactly what we expect of Him. It seems odd that He so frequently surprises us, given that He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 makes this absolute statement: “Jesus the same yesterday, and today, and forever.” Still, though He is blessedly consistent in His goodness, Jesus does unforeseen things. Even when He does what is expected, He does not always do it in the way that we anticipate. Let us join with Jesus on a jaw-dropping journey. (I will be using this opening paragraph for each of the brief messages in this series. The following material will change daily.)
At the moment of Jesus’ death on the cross outside the walls of Jerusalem, a surprising event occurs within the city: “And the vail of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom” (Mark 15:38). This curtain separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. Only the High Priest could enter into this sacred place – and only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. Every day, though, priests would see this curtain, which was thickly woven and was more like a tapestry than what we think of as a curtain or drape today. It was also huge. Scholars debate the exact size of this veil in Herod’s Temple, but most agree that it was at least sixty feet in length. As Jesus dies, this sturdy divider was ripped supernaturally “from the top to the bottom.” This is not the work of men; even if men had tried something like this, they would have been prevented by the guards at the Temple. This dramatic event spotlights the fact that the glory of God no longer resided in the Holy of Holies. Rather, God Himself, God the Son, reveals the glory of God by dying for sinful mankind. One result of this tearing of the Temple tapestry is found in Acts 6:7c: “A great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.” The religious aristocracy rejects Jesus and condemns Him to death; but He continues to reach out to them, and some believe in Him for eternal salvation. Every act of God is similarly purposeful, including His current acts in our lives.