Salvation: A Veil of ProtectionSample

I am fascinated by the connections between the Old and New Testaments concerning these stories of veils. According to Exodus 34:29–35, after Moses talked with God on Mount Sinai, Moses had to wear a veil because the reflection of God’s presence upon his face was too spectacular for the people to see.

Also in the Old Testament, before Jesus, the temple veil was in place to keep the holiest inner sanctuary separate from the people. Jewish stories explain that this veil was as thick as a man’s hand. The high priest alone entered that inner area to approach the Ark of the Covenant only once a year, wearing sacred linen garments. In each of these Old Testament situations, a covering protected the people from overwhelming situations with God, who was inside the veil. God’s glory was so powerful that humans could not handle being in His presence without being frightened or overcome. The veil kept sinful humans from destruction because the wage of sin was death. The veil left us on the outside. Then, God’s Son came and changed the narrative.

The New Testament authors explain that Jesus spent time as God on earth, Immanuel, God with us, but humans still lived on the other side of the veil. However, when Jesus was crucified, the veil in the temple was torn from the top to the bottom, which fascinates me. No one could claim that a human had ripped the veil because it was out of reach, too tall, and too thick for a person to rip it. The New Living Translation of Mark 15:37–39 records the event.

37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

The power of Jesus removed the veil by tearing the hand-thick fabric from the top to the bottom. Top down. I’m so thankful! The death and resurrection of Jesus replace the purpose of the Temple veil because He is now the sacrifice for sin; He is our direct access to God, so we can now “see and reflect his glory,” as we learned in yesterday’s reading.

How does knowing that you have direct access to God through Jesus’s death make you feel? How have you seen and reflected God’s glory through the leading of the Holy Spirit?

Join me tomorrow to look at how Jesus fulfills promises about our protection.