“And Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up the spirit. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.” — Mark 15:37-38
Entrance Restricted
To understand the weight of Mark’s words, we have to look back at the old system described in Hebrews 8-9. Under the Old Covenant, the Temple was divided into sections, but the innermost room — the Most Holy Place — was strictly off-limits.
The Law was clear: only the High Priest could enter that room, and he could only do so once a year on the Day of Atonement. He never entered without the blood of a sacrifice, which he offered for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people. The thick veil stood as a physical blockade, a constant reminder that sin had created a chasm between the Creator and the created. Access was restricted, temporary, and dependent on the blood of sacrificial animals.
A Divine Intervention
When Jesus “gave up the spirit,” the spiritual landscape of the universe shifted. The veil didn’t just wear out or fray; it was “torn in two from the top to the bottom.”
This wasn’t an act of man, but a merciful act of God. By tearing the curtain from the top down, God signaled that the era of the “once a year” sacrifice was over. As Hebrews 10 explains, Christ entered the heavenly sanctuary once and for all, not with the blood of goats or calves, but with His own blood. The barrier that kept us out was taken away by the perfect sacrifice of Jesus — by His death on the cross to atone for our sins.
The Invitation to Enter
The author of Hebrews explains the practical “so what” of this miraculous event. Because the veil is torn in two and opened, your relationship with God has changed from one of distance to one of acceptance and intimacy.
“Therefore, brothers, having boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way that He has consecrated for us through the veil — that is to say, His flesh — and having a high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” — Hebrews 10:19-22
Takeaway
• The Sacrifice is Final: You no longer need a yearly sacrifice; Jesus’ blood is sufficient forever.
• The Access is Constant: You don’t have to wait for a special day or a special person to intercede for you. Jesus is your High Priest. He intercedes for you with His shed blood
• The Way is Open: You are invited to boldly “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.”
The torn veil means that atonement for your sins has been made by the sacrifice of God’s Son. You have access to the Father through faith in the blood of Jesus, shed for you on the cross. God now accepts you and receives you into His presence through faith in Christ Jesus, your crucified and risen Savior!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we praise You for the miraculous moment the veil was torn from top to bottom, forever destroying the barrier that kept us from Your presence. We are deeply grateful that we no longer stand at a distance, but can now enter the holiest place with boldness through the “new and living way” consecrated by the flesh and shed blood of Jesus. Thank You, Lord, that our acceptance is not based on our own merit, but on the perfect sacrifice of our High Priest who washed us clean and opened the way to come into Your presence. We draw near to You today with full assurance, resting in the finished work of the cross and the gift of constant access to Your grace. Amen.
[Scripture quotations are taken from the Barbour Simplified KJV, copyright 2022, 2025. Used by permission of Barbour Publishing, Inc. Uhrichsville, Ohio 44683. All rights reserved.]