Three of the Gospels record the fact of the curtain in the temple being torn at the time of Jesus’ death. Matthew 27:51 describes it in these words: “At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.”
Of course, the curtain being referenced is the one covering the temple door to the Holy of Holies or the Most Holy Place. Only the High Priest could enter this room, which he did once a year. If his sacrifice of the blood of animals was accepted by God, he would return and present himself to the people. If not, he would be killed by God, which is why a cord was tied around his ankle. In this way his body could be removed from the Most Holy Place without someone who was unauthorized having to enter it illegally.
The writer of Hebrews understood the significance of the curtain being torn at the time of Christ’s death, and thoroughly explained it for those of us who would follow. This is what he wrote: “Behind the second curtain was a room called the Most Holy Place…but only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance” (Heb. 9:3 and 7).
Then, referring to Jesus, the writer of Hebrews went on to say, “He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. … For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence. Nor did he enter heaven to offer himself again and again, the way the high priest enters the Most Holy Place every year with blood that is not his own. Then Christ would have had to suffer many times since the creation of the world. But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself” (Heb. 9:12, 24-26).
The truth that is being taught in this passage is that Jesus shed His own blood, and did not enter the Most Holy Place in the temple (which was only a “copy of the true one”), but “he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.” As the passage says, “He has appeared once for all…to do away with sin.”
Therefore, when Jesus died on the Cross the perfect sacrifice for sin was complete. There was no longer any need for an earthly Holy of Holies. When Jesus cried out, “It is finished” (John 19:30), and the curtain was torn, it was God’s way of signifying that Christ’s mission was accomplished and sufficient for all time. The Bible states that the curtain, which was approximately 80 feet high and the thickness of a man’s hand, was torn “from top to bottom,” illustrating this miracle was performed by God Himself.
Hebrews 1:3 states that “after he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Thus, another important truth to emphasize is that because Jesus is alive and seated at the right hand of His father, we no longer need to approach God through an earthly priest. In fact, Hebrews 7:23-25 says, referring to the many High Priests that lived before Jesus, “Now there have been many of those priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.”
To sum it up, the miracle of the curtain being torn is very significant to us as believers. It points to the finished, sufficient, and complete work of Christ on the Cross. And it emphasizes the good news that Jesus is our living High Priest who has provided complete and open access to the Father for us who have accepted His death on the Cross for the payment of our sins.
And isn’t it great to know that “he always lives to intercede” on our behalf!