Saturday, April 30, 2022
Friday, April 15, 2022
Snapshots of Faith: The Veil
“And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.” Matthew 27:50-51
“And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed His last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing Him, saw that in this way He breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” Mark 15:37-39
The veil in the temple. From what I’ve read it was 45 feet tall (at one point extended to 60 feet) and four inches thick. That’s a substantial piece of fabric! I have volunteered backstage for community theater and have been seen professional theaters with the curtains that separate the stage from the audience and they are quite large and sturdy. But this veil was even bigger and thicker than any of those. Certainly tough to rip or tear. This veil was a barrier in the temple between the Holy of Holies (God’s dwelling) and the rest of the temple. Once a year the high priest, after much preparation, would go in and offer atonement for the sins of the people.
But then Jesus came to earth. He died and paid the price for our sins. When He died, the veil in the temple was torn in to two pieces. This incredibly large and thick cloth was ripped from top to bottom! Only God could have done that! Can you imagine being in the temple when that happened? Jesus’ sacrifice put an end to us having to be separate from God. A priest no longer had to offer sacrifices and act as the go between for God and men. Jesus now is the only mediator between us and God. (I Timothy 2:5-6a).
The barrier is gone. We can come to Him! Praise God for providing His Son as our atonement for our sin.
“For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man[ Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for all…” 1 Timothy 2:5-6a
Photo from a theater in Milwaukee
Thursday, April 14, 2022
Snapshots of Faith: Maundy Thursday
Fear. Pain. Anxiety. Stress. Definitely things we have all experienced to some degree or another in our lives. None are things any of us of course enjoy.
I recall a time when I was very young being in the doorway of my bedroom and not knowing where my parents were in the house. I was scared. I tried to call for them, but I was so scared that all that came out of me was a whisper. There have been a few stormy nights the past several years that caused damage to trees and other items on our property. Those nights caused a lot of fear and prompted much prayer as we huddled in our basement.
Life has provided plenty of things for me to stress over the years. Job losses, financial worries, medical tests, moving to a new location, etc. have all caused their share of anxiety.
This past summer I injured my left knee. Not long after we moved to a two-story house, my right knee decided to join in the fun of being terribly painful. There was a stretch of several weeks I would cry when I got out of bed because the pain was so great in my knees.
This morning as I was reading a devotional and part of it referenced Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the night before His crucifixion. I have heard and read and seen various depictions of what we call Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. And sometimes something familiar can lose some of its “awe.” Today I started thinking about it a little more.
Jesus knew what was coming. He knew what was about to happen to Him. He knew why He was on this earth. He prayed for God to take away the unimaginable and unthinkable events that were about to take place. The Bible tells us that as Jesus prayed in agony, He was sweating blood.
I have never been so scared and in such agony that I sweated drops of blood. And no matter what physical pain I have ever experienced like my knee pain for example, it was nothing compared to what Jesus went through that night in the Garden. And I cannot even imagine what He went through as He was tortured and then nailed to a cross. Nailed. It’s irritating enough to get a splinter. Nailed to a wood cross until dead. The pain must have been unbearable.
We can probably never fully understand what Jesus went through those couple of days. Because of what He went through, Jesus understands what we go through in our lives. And He went through all of this because of His great love for us.
I am humbled and overwhelmed that Jesus was obedient to the Father and was willing to go through all of this for each of us. Praise Him for His great love!
“And he came out and went, as was His custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed Him. And when he came to the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ And He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’ And there appeared to Him an angel from Heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when He rose from prayer, He came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and He said to them, ‘Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation’.”
Luke 22:39-46
Tuesday, April 12, 2022
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