Today, we return to our study of Mark 15 where the narrative was focused on the very reason the Lord Jesus came to this earth: to give His life as a ransom for sinful mankind. As we come back in, the Lord Jesus has been on the cross since the third hour of the day which was nine o'clock in the morning. He had just spoken His last words and it was three o'clock in the afternoon.
In v.38 of today's passage we read, "Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."
At the moment the Lord Jesus cried out His last words, according to Matthew, a powerful earthquake shook the ground strong enough to split the rocks. Then, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom. In the temple the veil separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple: It was there to keep sinful man away from the holy God. This veil was sixty feet high, and four inches thick. No man could have gotten up to the top of the veil without scaffolding. In fact, it took three hundred priests to hang it in the first place.
The tearing of the veil which happened at the moment of the death of the Lord Jesus dramatically signified that His sacrifice provided forgiveness to all mankind for our sins. It now means that all who trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross has access into God's presence. The tearing of the veil is a proven fact of history. In fact, there are several independent historical testimonies that bear witness to it including Tacitus, Josephus, and the Jewish Talmud.
The veil in the Temple had long been a constant reminder that sin prevents mankind from entering into the presence of the holy God. On the day the Lord Jesus was crucified, God spoke an unmistakable message of acceptance. This is very important, because the message of the whole temple system was to keep sinful man away from the holy God. Through the cross of the Lord Jesus, God offered fellowship where there had been only separation in the past. It is only through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross that we may enter into a personal relationship with God.
In v.39 of today's passage we read, "So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, 'Truly this Man was the Son of God!'"
The tearing of the veil which happened at the moment of the death of the Lord Jesus dramatically signified that His sacrifice provided forgiveness to all mankind for our sins. It now means that all who trust in the finished work of the Lord Jesus on the cross has access into God's presence. The tearing of the veil is a proven fact of history. In fact, there are several independent historical testimonies that bear witness to it including Tacitus, Josephus, and the Jewish Talmud.
The veil in the Temple had long been a constant reminder that sin prevents mankind from entering into the presence of the holy God. On the day the Lord Jesus was crucified, God spoke an unmistakable message of acceptance. This is very important, because the message of the whole temple system was to keep sinful man away from the holy God. Through the cross of the Lord Jesus, God offered fellowship where there had been only separation in the past. It is only through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus on the cross that we may enter into a personal relationship with God.
In v.39 of today's passage we read, "So when the centurion, who stood opposite Him, saw that He cried out like this and breathed His last, he said, 'Truly this Man was the Son of God!'"
This centurion was a commander of a hundred Roman soldiers, making him a career soldier and a hardened killer. Yet the cross of the Lord Jesus brought him to a new awareness that day; an awareness of the reality that he was watching unfold. The holiness of the Lord Jesus was unmistakable that day to that commander, and, once he realized the identity of the Lord Jesus, he worshiped Him as God.
In Luke's account, Luke wrote, "He glorified God." Hardened by so many crucifixions, the Centurion and his soldiers were numb to the pain, emotions, and verbalizations going on around them. They were "just doing their job." But as the hours wore on, things began to change. This so-called “criminal” in the middle was different. He did not curse them. He spoke kindly to the other thieves, He made arrangements for His mother’s care, He cried out to His Heavenly Father, He had a look of love in His eyes even for those causing Him great pain. He retained control of His life right up until the very end. As a result, the Centurion put two and two together, and he came to faith in the Son of God.
In Luke's account, Luke wrote, "He glorified God." Hardened by so many crucifixions, the Centurion and his soldiers were numb to the pain, emotions, and verbalizations going on around them. They were "just doing their job." But as the hours wore on, things began to change. This so-called “criminal” in the middle was different. He did not curse them. He spoke kindly to the other thieves, He made arrangements for His mother’s care, He cried out to His Heavenly Father, He had a look of love in His eyes even for those causing Him great pain. He retained control of His life right up until the very end. As a result, the Centurion put two and two together, and he came to faith in the Son of God.
When Mark began his gospel, he wrote, "the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God." In today's passage the Centurion said, "Truly this man was the Son of God." This was the first time in the entire gospel of Mark that any human being ever said those words. Mark waited until the cross to have someone say those words. The Father said them several times, and, demons said them. But no human said those words until now. Heaven said it and hell said it, and finally, a Roman Centurion said it. "Truly this man was the Son of God."
