What Can Christians Learn from the Fact the Veil Was Torn at Jesus’ Death?

Contributing Writer
What Can Christians Learn from the Fact the Veil Was Torn at Jesus’ Death?

God sent his only Son to die and rise from the grave, blazing a path to eternal life for all who would believe. Upon Jesus’ death on the cross, many miraculous things occurred. One notable thing is the veil was torn in the temple.

In the Temple, a thick veil hung in the doorway to the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of Covenant was supposed to reside. The Holy of Holies symbolized God’s presence within the Israelites.

What did it mean when the veil was torn? What can Christians today learn from this event?

Which Gospels Say the Veil Was Torn When Jesus Died?

The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke all detail the veil being torn, a noteworthy occurrence.

In the Gospel of Matthew, the narrative unfolds this way:

“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.” (Matthew 27:50-51)

This description emphasizes the event’s dramatic nature, portraying it as directly resulting from Jesus’ death on the cross.

Mark’s Gospel provides additional insights:

“And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (Mark 15:37-38)

Mark’s account reinforces the emphasis on the veil being torn at the precise moment of Jesus’ death.

The Gospel of Luke captures the pivotal moment as happening “while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, ‘Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!’ And having said this, he breathed his last”’ (Luke 23:45-46). Notice that Luke places the tearing of the veil just before Christ’s death.

While Matthew doesn’t give a specific time, he and Mark seem to place it right after Jesus’ death, while Luke places it just before the death. However, these are mere moments apart. There would be no way two thousand years ago for people to have the exact events recorded to the second. Witnesses would have pieced together how closely the two events happened from multiple testimonies. However, both are revolutionary moments.

What Else Happens on Good Friday When the Veil Was Torn?

While the precise timing may not be specified in all accounts, carefully examining the narratives provides a glimpse into when this significant event occurred.

Along with an association with the death of Jesus, all three Gospels bear witness to Jesus crying out in a loud voice. Luke gives us Christ’s words, speaking to God, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” As with all of God’s actions, he acts with agency and intention. Jesus’ life wasn’t taken from him. He gave it willingly. Even in his death, he chooses to sacrifice himself.

The veil tearing is one of many meaningful events during Good Friday.

Matthew records quite a few. Before his crucifixion, the guards crowned Jesus with thorns (a symbol of a curse), and they divided Christ’s clothes among them. During the horrific execution, the Romans would place an accusation above the criminal. Pilate had placed a sign writing “This is Jesus the King of the Jews” in several languages on Jesus’ cross.

God darkened the sky for six hours until Jesus’ death. Once he breathed his last, several things occurred. With the veil tearing, the earth quaked, and rocks were split. Saints’ graves were opened, and after Jesus’ resurrection, these men and women of God walked among the living.

When the centurion guarding Jesus experienced the earthquakes, he declared Jesus was the Son of God.

Many of these signs fulfilled Old Testament prophesies. However, the Old Testament doesn’t ever prophecy the temple veil tearing. So, given that three Gospels highlight this event, what made it so critical?

What Did the Veil Protect in the Temple Before It Was Torn?

In the Old Testament, particularly in the book of Exodus, detailed instructions were given to Moses to construct the Tabernacle. In this portable sanctuary, the Israelites could worship and commune with God. This blueprint carried over into the construction of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem.

The Holy of Holies, or the temple’s innermost chamber, housed the Ark of the Covenant, representing God’s presence among His people. The veil acted as a physical and symbolic barrier, shielding the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple.

The Holy of Holies and the Ark of the Covenant held God’s manifest presence. That holy presence needed to be separate from the people. Only the high priest, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement, was allowed to enter the Holy of Holies to make atonement for the people’s sins. The priest underwent extensive cleansing and preparation to enter beyond the thick curtain. A legend exists that the Israelites would tie a rope around the high priest’s ankle before he went in since God might strike him dead.

Approaching the veil without showing respect would lead to God’s judgment. Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu died after they offered the wrong incense. In David’s time, God killed a man who touched the Ark during transport.

Hence, the veil’s purpose was to revere God’s holy presence. The veil served as a tangible reminder of God’s awe-inspiring nature and the need for a mediator (the high priest). It underscored the separation between a holy God and sinful humanity.

These narratives indicate why Jews revered the Holy of Holies, even in Jesus’ day. God was merciful, loving, and compassionate. But he was also seen as a threat—someone you didn’t want to anger. Hence, the veil was extremely thick.

The veil tearing would have horrified people.

Interestingly, by Jesus’ period, the Holy of Holies in the Temple didn’t house the Ark of the Covenant. Several theories exist about its location and who took it. Regardless, by the time Jesus entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the Ark had been missing from the Temple for centuries.

God’s presence had come in a different package.

What Did It Signify When the Veil Was Torn?

The veil tearing has many implications.

Firstly, it signifies the disappearance of barriers between God and humanity. Jesus’ life and teaching brought God into loving contact with humanity. Immanuel (“God with us”) enters the world to transform all things. This transformation would happen through a personal relationship. We could not get to him, so he must come to us. And God did through his Son.

Greg Laurie captures the drama of this scene, including a crucial detail about how the curtain ripped:

“. . . When Jesus died on the cross as a sacrifice for our sins, that heavy curtain was torn from top to bottom. It was not ripped from bottom to top, as though a man were ripping it. Instead, it was ripped from top to bottom, because God was ripping it.

God was saying, ‘You no longer are on the outside. You can come in. My Son has made a way for you.’

The apostle Paul explained how we can now draw near to God:

Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, 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. (Hebrews 10:19–22)

The veil was torn. Jesus is now our Intercessor. We don’t have to go through a person to reach God anymore. We don’t have to go through rituals anymore. Instead, Jesus made a new and living way for us to reach God.

Jesus paid it all. And that is so important to remember.”

Excerpted from “No Longer on the Outside” by Harvest Ministries (used by permission).

Jesus also taught people to call God by the name of Father. While the Old Testament gives some context for seeing God as a parent, whether father or mother, inviting people to address God as Father shook their perceptions. Many orthodox Jews wouldn’t write or say God’s name for fear of breaking the commandment against using his name in vain. Here, Jesus taught us to call God and call him by a personal, loving name.

These things all reveal God’s heart to remove the barriers between us and him. In Jesus, our sin is forgiven. We are reborn and brought into peace with God. The torn veil symbolizes direct access to God for all believers through Christ’s atoning work.

Secondly, the torn veil marks the Old Covenant’s end, and a new era’s inauguration. The elaborate rituals, sacrifices, and the high priest’s mediator role are replaced by Christ’s once-and-for-all sacrifice. Hebrews 10:19-20 encapsulates this shift: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.”

J.C. Ryle summarizes how earth-shattering this shift was for people in Jesus’ day:

“Of all the wonderful signs which accompanied our Lord's death, none was more significant than the rending of the veil in the temple. The midday darkness for three hours must have been a startling event. The earthquake, which broke apart the rocks, must have been a tremendous shock. But there was a meaning in the sudden rending of the veil from top to bottom, which must have pierced the heart of any intelligent Jew. The conscience of Caiaphas, the high priest, must have been hard indeed, if the tidings of that rent veil did not fill him with dismay.

The rending of the veil proclaimed the termination and passing away of the ceremonial law. It was a sign that the old dispensation of sacrifices and ordinances was no longer needed. Its work was done from the moment that Christ died. There was no more need of an earthly high priest, a mercy seat, a sprinkling of blood, an offering up of incense, and a day of atonement. The true High Priest had at length appeared. The true Lamb of God had been slain. The true mercy seat was at length revealed. The figures and shadows were no longer needed.

That rending of the veil proclaimed the opening of the way of salvation to all mankind. The way into the presence of God was unknown to the non-Jewish peoples - and only seen dimly by the Jew - until Christ died. But Christ having now offered up a perfect sacrifice and obtained eternal redemption, the darkness and mystery were to pass away. All were to be invited now to draw near to God with boldness and approach Him with confidence by faith in Jesus. A door was thrown open, and a way of life set before the whole world. May we all remember this! From the time that Jesus died, the way of peace was never meant to be shrouded in mystery. There was to be no reserve. The gospel was the revelation of a mystery that had been hidden from ages and generations. To clothe religion now with mystery is to mistake the grand characteristic of Christianity.” 

Adapted from The Gospel of Matthew by J.C. Ryle (Chapter 27).

Through Christ, we have direct access to God. He is now our high priest. Through the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit, we possess Christ within our hearts. Something even more holy than the Holy of Holies or Ark of the Covenant resides within us now—God himself. Not only is Christ in us, we are in him, which brings us into heaven at the right hand of God.

This glorious New Covenant leaves the Old Law behind, fulfilling the reconciliation God desires. What good news!

The torn veil on Good Friday is a powerful symbol of everything that Jesus changed. The men who wrote the Gospels never imagined an event would happen. However, in hindsight, the event made perfect and necessary sense.

Peace.

Photo Credit: © Getty Images/fcknimages

Britt MooneyBritt Mooney lives and tells great stories. As an author of fiction and non -iction, he is passionate about teaching ministries and nonprofits the power of storytelling to inspire and spread truth. Mooney has a podcast called Kingdom Over Coffee and is a published author of We Were Reborn for This: The Jesus Model for Living Heaven on Earth as well as Say Yes: How God-Sized Dreams Take Flight.


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