It was then that Jesus knew He had completed all that His father had for Him and for our salvation, and so He committed His Spirit to His Father. (Luke 23:46) He cried out one last time, “It is finished” (John 19:30) and gave up His spirit.
At this very moment, the earth began to shake, rocks split apart, tombs opened, people were raised from the dead…The Roman officer and the other soldiers keeping watch at Jesus’ crucifixion were so terrified that it actually caused them to believe that Jesus was the Son of God. This man, whom just hours ago, they had beaten and mocked.
Why did the earth shake at this moment? Why did the curtain in the temple tear in two from top to bottom? The curtain in the temple separated the Most Holy Place from the rest of the temple and from the people, all of whom had sinned against God. It was considered the place where God’s presence was.
Have you ever gotten in trouble with your Mom or Dad? What about your friends or your sisters and brothers? How often do they get in trouble? And when your Mom or Dad catch you doing something wrong, how do they punish you? What are the consequences? Do they ground you or take your allowance away?
For the Jewish people, the consequence of their wrong-doing was separation from God. The curtain was a symbol of the separation between God and His people. Because God is Holy and Righteous and we are sinners, there could be no relationship between Him and us.
Their punishment was death. Only the High Priest was allowed to enter the Most Holy Place once a year. This was to offer the blood of a sacrificial Lamb to make atonement for the sins of the people, or to reconcile them to God.
But Jesus’ death opened the way into God’s presence. The shedding of His blood, for the sins of all who would believe.
Think about all the things you do wrong each year. Then think about all the things your friends and your brothers and sisters do wrong each year. What about the whole world? When the Jews sacrificed a lamb each year it was for the sins of everyone in their community. There are probably more people living right here in Katy, Texas than in the Jewish community back then. The blood of a lamb wasn’t enough to cover the sins of all the people in all the world for all time. But the blood of Jesus is. He is the one who took the punishment for all our sins. He is the only one who is strong enough, powerful enough, righteous enough to pay for the sins of everyone for all time.
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