What Jesus Did : Mark 15:37-38 - Holy of Holies
by Phil Ware
Holy of Holies - Mark 15:37-38
Then Jesus cried with a loud voice and died. When Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. (ERV) Full TextKey Thought
The meaning of this event and its symbolism are powerful. The curtain in today's scripture was the one between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the Jewish temple. For the Jews, the Mercy Seat of God was in the Most Holy Place and only the High Priest could go before the Mery Seat on behalf of the people. The tearing of the curtain from top to bottom symbolized that the Cross of Christ opens up the way for us to go straight to the Mercy Seat of God—the place of ultimate forgiveness in the very presence of God. Jesus is the sacrifice for our sins that completely cleanses us and makes us right with God. Barriers no longer stand between us and God's grace and mercy. Jesus opened up for us the way to the very heart of God. As horrible as the humiliation of the Cross was for Jesus, it was even more glorious for us because it ushered in a new way (called the New Covenant) for God to deal with his people. (Please read today's associated Scriptures for more information.) What Satan, through evil men, had intended for harm, God used to bring great good. Jesus becomes our Savior and his sacrifice becomes the basis of our salvation.
Today's Prayer
Loving and sacrificial God, thank you for this gift too wonderful for words to describe and for paying the price that was too costly for us to pay. In Jesus' name I offer you my prayer and my life. Amen.
Today's Verses in Context
At noon the whole country became dark. This darkness continued until three o’clock. At three o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” This means, “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?” Some of the people standing there heard this. The people said, “Listen! He is calling Elijah.” One man there ran and got a sponge. The man filled the sponge with vinegar and tied the sponge to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to drink from it. The man said, “We should wait now and see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross.” Then Jesus cried with a loud voice and died. When Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. The army officer that was standing there before the cross saw what happened when Jesus died. The officer said, “This man really was the Son of God!” Some women were standing away from the cross, watching. Some of these women were Mary from the town of Magdala, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joses. (James was her youngest son.) These were the women that followed Jesus in Galilee and cared for him. Many other women were also there. These women had come with Jesus to Jerusalem.-- Mark 15:33-41 (ERV)
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