Jesus Opened the Way to God:

But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last. Then the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom. When the centurion, who was standing opposite Him, saw the way He breathed His last, he said, “This man really was God’s Son!”-Mark 15:37-39

I have been thinking a lot about the Passion Week and the Resurrection story in the weeks leading up to Easter. I have attempted to meditate on each of the accounts in the Gospels during the month of March. In Mark’s account of Jesus’s last words he records the death of Jesus and how His death opened the way to God. In verse 37 Mark records, “Jesus let out a loud cry” and died. Almost certainly it was the cry recorded in John 19:30, “It is finished!” Atonement has been made, and the work of salvation is done. As tangible evidence, “the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two”-and do not miss this-“from top to bottom”. This was God’s doing. The significance of the tearing of the curtain that separates the holy place from the holy of holies is rich in symbolic allusions.

1. It points to the complete, perfect, and altogether sufficient sacrifice for sins that Jesus has offered in himself on the cross. The sin that had created a barrier both spiritually and naturally between God and man has been atoned for.

2. It also points to the end of the Mosaic Covenant and laws, which have been fulfilled in Christ. The “old order” has passed away!

3. It points to the fact that God in all his glory is now freely and fully accessible to all men and women who come to him by faith in Jesus Christ. For centuries before the coming of Christ, God had confined the revelation of his glory and majesty to the Holy of Holies. Now he bursts forth to dwell no longer behind a veil in a house built with his wood and stone and precious jewels, but to dwell in the hearts of his people.

In conclusion, verse 39 reveals the point of Mark’s Gospel. On the lips of a Gentile Roman Centurion, we hear the confession, “This man really was God’s Son”. It was not one of His marvelous miracles or tremendous teachings that evoked this confession; it was His passion, His death. Like the centurion, Mark wants his readers to confess Jesus as the Christ. The question is, have you? Will you? It is a question only you can answer.