Scripture: Matthew 27:50-51
Sermon: Good Friday 2025

In The Lord of the Rings, the Doors of Durin bars entrance into Moria. If you’ve read The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe, you know a mysterious wardrobe grants or prevents entrance into Narnia. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, it’s a three-headed giant dog that blocks entry to the underground chambers. A key feature of all these stories is a barrier between you and where you need to be.

In the nation of Israel, the most vivid instance of this barrier was the finely woven curtain hanging at the heart of the house of worship, separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. Priests were allowed to minister in the Holy Place regularly, but just once a year could the high priest pass through the inner curtain into the Holy of Holies and the presence of God. The veil guarded the entrance to the holiest place.

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. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split (Matthew 27:50-51). The curtain was hanging there for decades…centuries. It looked like it would hang there forever. Gorgeously embroidered in blue, purple and scarlet, the massive curtain hung in front of the mercy seat. For decades it had guarded the Holy of Holies. It was a loose-hanging four-inch-thick curtain that hung as a barrier between the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies.

It fulfilled a double function. On one hand, it was there to keep men out—a warning to sinful humanity that they must keep a safe distance from a holy God. On the other, it was there to shut God in. For behind that veil there was silence deep as death and a darkness black as night.

It had been hanging there for years, but suddenly, as recorded in Matthew, Mark and Luke, it was torn from top to bottom, as if by a pair of unseen, gigantic hands and the separation between God and man was ended.

When men compared notes later, they were startled to discover the rending of the veil happened at the precise moment that Jesus took His last breath on the cross and returned to His Father. Immediately, they connected the two events. It wasn’t a coincidence. The death of Christ outside the city wall and the rending of the veil before the Holy of Holies were connected.

How do we know this actually happened? There were eyewitnesses in the evening sacrifices which began every day at 3 p.m. This was the day leading to the Passover which began at the setting of the sun. No one would be late for this great day of preparation as people brought their Passover lambs to be slain by the priests.

The priests were busy preparing the sacrifices. Those who were working on the outer court and in the Holy Place before the curtain saw either the actual tearing of the veil or the immediate results. All at once, at the moment of Christ’s death, the veil that separated a holy God and sinful man was gone! The veil of separation that hung in the Tabernacle and later in the Temples of Solomon, Zerubbabel and Herod was no longer needed or effective. These eyewitnesses’ attention was suddenly drawn to the inner sanctuary. God in His perfect timing had witnesses there!

What was the effect of the torn veil on those eyewitnesses? After the Day of Pentecost a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith. One after another they kept turning to the Lord Jesus (Act 6:7).

Who tore the veil?Each of the Gospel writers believe that God did it! God is behind the drama. God caused the curtain hanging in the Temple to tear in two, from top to bottom. The critical part in this awesome event is the timing. It happened at precisely the moment when Jesus died. It wasn’t a coincidence. Remember the purpose of the veil was to keep sinful man from approaching a holy God. At the moment God’s perfect Lamb died, God struck the giant veil in a straight line downward completely through it. It was torn apart with the death cry of the divine substitute, It is finished!

“Finished!” “Done!” “Complete!” God is satisfied with the sacrifice of His Son for sin. The debt is paid. It was the cry of accomplishment and victory. With that shout, the veil is torn in two.

It’s as if God in person acts, as any devoted Jewish father would have done standing by his child’ deathbed. He rent His garments. The customary Jewish mourning gesture of a father was to tear his outer garment.

Because God tore the veil in two, we now have full and free entrance into the presence of God through His Son, Jesus. God threw open the Most Holy Place to every human being. The way is open now for all to come boldly to the throne of grace through the atoning death of Christ. The tearing of the veil symbolizes the substitutionary sacrifice of the Lamb of God. It was Jesus’ death that tore the veil. That torn veil stands for three wonderful truths. In each of them the death of Jesus is critical.

1. That rent veil reveals the loving heart of God. 

When Jews worshiped in the temple in the old days, they were sure there must be something behind the veil. But what? No one knew. Something awesome, they thought, and formidable. Something called the terror of the Lord.

Deliberately and fearfully, the Temple kept its shrouded secret. It was characteristic and symbolic that as you passed in from the outer court through the inner courts toward the center, the lights were progressively dimmed until the holiest behind the veil was in perpetual darkness.

When Jesus died and the veil was rent, sunshine came streaming in. It was an end of secrecy, and the loving heart of God was revealed.

Yet so many today are back where those Jews were before this happened, before the cross. They believe there’s something behind the world we see, some kind of a something behind this veil of sense. But what? That’s what’s difficult to determine. The lights grow dimmer as you near the center. A living mind, says one. An austere righteousness, says another. A heartless indifference, said Thomas Hardy.

Before the veil was torn, all wondered, “Who is God?” “What is He like?”

Such heartfelt, personal questions…Is he the kind of god to whom it’s worth my while to pray? Is he a god who knows anything about it when things in my little corner of the world fall to pieces and my heart is broken? Is he a god who can lay some hand of healing upon me when I’m stressed, tired and rushed? Is he a god who knows anything about the miseries of humanity and all the heartache of the world? Above all, is he a god who can give me hope and a new beginning when I’ve done something that makes me hate even myself? Has he got anything to give me courage and forgiveness when I’m feeling wretched, miserable and so ashamed?

These are the questions many struggle with yet find only an impenetrable veil. The only answer is in an old rugged cross. Jesus sacrificial death answers the questions. His death rends the veil.

It goes beyond words. It gives us something words can’t give us because it’s an act, an accomplished fact towering over the wrecks of time. You can’t prove love by words. Even if you wrote love poems like Shakespeare or Elizabeth Browning, you couldn’t prove love. But an act of love, a deed proves love! Words can’t prove love. True love is always an action.

Even God couldn’t do it by words alone. Over and over again God had told of His love, but they couldn’t prove His love. God sent His prophets to give His words to us, but not even the words of God burning on these men’s lips could do it. God sent Jesus, preaching the Sermon on the Mount, challenging and appealing to humanity in words they’d never heard before to trust God’s love for everything…and even that couldn’t do it.

Then, when it seemed that the last word had been said and God Himself could do no more, suddenly, from top to bottom—not from the bottom upward, which might have been a mere act of human ingenuity, but from top to bottom, an act of God—the veil was rent. And the heart of God was laid bare.

The death of Jesus shows the heart of a loving God. It’s not words, it’s an act of love where we can beat all of our doubts to pieces. It takes us past the secrecy and darkness and lets the sun shine in upon the mercy seat, because God’s heart is love.

2. That rent veil opens up a highway to God. 

Hebrews 10:19-20 says that “Since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh.”

“We have” speaks of privileges. Look up “privilege” in the dictionary and you learn: “An advantage held by one person or group of people” and “An opportunity to do something special or enjoyable.”

Did you know that it’s a great privilege to be a Christ-follower. We have certain advantages, privileges given to us by God. Hebrews 10:19 says we have the right to enter God’s presence boldly with confidence.

What celebrity or famous person would you like to have the privilege of meeting? There’s no one alive for me today that I’d really like to meet but I’d love to have met Abraham Lincoln. What a man of character and courage. My favorite memorial in D.C. is the Lincoln Memorial. I could stay there for hours.

What would it be like to go to the White House and talk to President Lincoln, to go in his office, walk in and be greeted by the President. To have him say, “What can I do for you?” To know he has the power to grant my requests. Meeting Lincoln would be such a privilege, but it’s never going to happen. Even if I was alive back then, it probably wouldn’t have happened. I don’t have any standing to schedule a meeting with the President, then or now. That privilege doesn’t belong to me.

Yet, in the eyes of God I have the privilege through the blood of Jesus to boldly enter God’s throne room. It’s what Hebrews 10 means when it says Jesus opened a way for us through the curtain. By His death on the cross, Jesus tore down the wall between God and us. Now we can go directly to God anytime, claiming the blood of Jesus as our ground for admission. We have standing through Jesus’ blood to enter the throne room of heaven. 

Compared to the old system that kept everyone out, this is truly a “new” way. Because Jesus rose from the dead, it is a “living” way.

I am a personal friend of God’s own Son. I am a member of God’s own family. I am a citizen of heaven. That gives me standing and privilege. This privilege is given to every blood-bought child of God. It’s not just for special ones. It’s God’s gift to all who trust Christ. We have the privilege of an audience with God…anytime and anywhere. As often as we like.

Search the Internet and you’ll find various lists of the most influential people in the world. Names like Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Jeff Bezos, Oprah, Princess Catherine, and a host of people that I’ve never heard of.

Personally, I didn’t bother to look for my name on that list. It’s not there. As we often hear, “No problem. No worries.” Folk on that list have advantages from an earthly standpoint that I’ll never have. When they talk, people listen. They can go where I can’t go. They have access to the best of everything this world offers, things like tickets to sold-out events, the best seats in the finest restaurants, rooms in any hotel in the world. Their words are quoted by the media. It’s how our world rolls.

But I have something so much better and so do you if you’re a Christ-follower. I have instant access to the throne of God. That means I can come anytime, anywhere, as often as I like, for any reason at all. My Heavenly Father will not turn me away. It’s wonderful to have that kind of access.

Now here’s the amazing part, we have rights greater than those the world counts as V.I.P.s. We have an All-Access Pass to the throne room of heaven. It doesn’t get better than that. The cross opened the road for all sinners who’ve trusted in Christ’s sacrifice. If there’s any day, we should remember that it should be on Good Friday. When we think of all the ways we’ve blundered; when look at the chaos of our God-forgetting days, we must remember that the greatest thing about that open road through the veil is that it’s been opened by the death of the Savior. It’s the sinner’s highway.

Dr. John Duncan taught Hebrew in Edinburgh long ago. He was sitting one day at communion in a church. He was feeling so personally unworthy that, when the elements came around, he felt he couldn’t take them. He allowed the bread and wine to pass. As he was sitting there feeling absolutely miserable, he noticed a girl in the congregation who, when the bread and wine came around, also allowed them to pass, and then broke down into tears. That sight seemed to bring back to that old saint the truth he’d forgotten. In a carrying whisper that could be heard across the church, he was heard to say, Take it, lassie, take it. It’s meant for sinners. And then he himself partook of the elements.

3. That rent veil confirms hope in the face of death. 

Not only is the barrier removed, and the road opened, but the tearing of the curtain also means our hope of eternal life has been confirmed by God himself. We need no longer fear death. “We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:19, 20).

We have an anchor for our soul that can’t be moved. A large ship has an enormous anchor to hold the ship in place when storms roll in. An anchor that holds only in fair weather is worthless. An anchor proves its worth when the sea and wind threaten to move the ship. To hold the ship in place, the anchor must be firmly lodged on the ocean floor. If the anchor rests in sand, it won’t hold the ship in place. Hebrews 6 says that our anchor is firm because it’s lodged behind the curtain in the very presence of God.

We have an anchor that can’t be moved. The Lord Jesus, as our great high priest, opened the way into the presence of God. Because He can’t be moved, we can’t be moved.

What wonderful news for all who doubt and struggle with a sense of their own weakness and failure. Many Christians feel like the man in Mark 9:24 who exclaimed I believe. Help my unbelief. Down deep inside we do believe, we know that Jesus is our Lord. We love Him, imperfect though our love may be. But when we look in the mirror, our sins condemn us, and we remember with shame our countless failures, the broken promises, the harsh words, unkind deeds, and how we’ve failed those who trusted in us. If we think about those things, we soon begin to doubt that we’re even Christians. But we have a hope in the cross even our shame can’t erase.

If our faith depends on us, we’re in trouble. If our faith depends on Jesus Christ, if He is the anchor of our soul, we can rest well. Our anchor holds against any storm, even the storms of a guilty conscience.

That’s the deeper meaning of the tearing of the curtain. The Law that condemned us has come to an end, having been put to death by the death of Christ. When Jesus died, the Law of condemnation died with Him. So, There is therefore now no condemnation to those who believe in Jesus (Romans 8:1). The road to heaven is open to anyone, anytime, anywhere. We know that we have eternal life because Jesus paid it all!

It’s possible that you feel such a weight of guilt that you wonder if Jesus will receive you. Perhaps you think your sins are too great, so many that even Jesus can’t help you. Many feel that way. In truth we’d all feel that way if we got a clear view of how rotten our sins truly are. But there is a message for us from the torn curtain in the Temple. It’s Fear not! Don’t let your sins keep you away. God has opened the door to heaven. Come to Jesus and see how great His mercy is.

J. C. Ryle summarized the true meaning of the torn curtain in this one sentence: “Our sins may be many and great, but the payment made by our Great Substitute far outweighs them all.”

Do you believe that? Come see for yourself. Come to Jesus and see how great His mercy is. The cross reveals the great heart of God, and that heart is filled with love. When Jesus died on Calvary, the Father preached a sermon without words when He tore the curtain in two from the top to the bottom. It was the Father’s way of saying, You are welcome in my family. Let nothing keep you away. We may be great sinners, but Jesus is a greater Savior. Fear not! Trust in Him, even in facing death.

James Guthrie, the Covenanter, woke up in his cell on the morning of his execution. His servant was weeping, and Guthrie said to him, Stop that at once. This is the day that the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. When Perpetua was taken out into the arena to be slaughtered by the beasts, she said, This is my day of coronation.

Because of that torn veil, death is no longer the enemy. It’s no longer the killer of human hope and love. Don’t listen, even to your own heart, listen to the Father speaking in His Word. For the Christ-follower because of the torn veil, to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). Absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).

Let me close by telling one more powerful story. In December 1666, Hugh MacKail, a 26-year-old pastor was tried in Edinburgh. He was tortured and then sentenced to death to be executed for his faith. He was given four days to live and then marched back to the prison.

In the crowd on the street, many were weeping that one so young should have only four days more to live. But there were no tears in the eyes of this young hero of the faith. Trust in God! he cried to the crowd as he marched past. Trust in God. But then Mackail saw a friend on the edge of the crowd, and he shouted to him, Good news, wonderful, good news! I am within four days of enjoying the sight of Jesus, my Savior!

My friend, the veil is torn. We have immediate access to the Savior, but none of these three wonderful truths are valid for us unless we trust the Lord and accept Him as our personal Savior.

It was no minor tear of the curtain. The veil was bisected and could no longer function to keep people out of the Holy of Holies. We can now go immediately into the presence of a holy God.

But there is only one door and there is no other door. Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me” (John 14:6). Peter preached after Christ had risen from the dead and ascended into heaven, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).

Have you come through the only door? Have you committed your life to the Savior who died for you? If you haven’t, will you please come now by faith though the open door into God’s presence?

Jesus said, “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved” (John 10:9). Please enter that door by way of His cross!