Veil Of The Temple (part 1)

Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit.  Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. – Matthew 27:50-51a  (NET)

Though the passage above comes from Matthew’s Gospel, this event is also recorded in the Gospel of Mark.  There, the author records that “Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed His last.  And the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom” (15:37-38).  In addition to Matthew and Mark, this event is also mentioned as part of Luke’s narrative of the life of the Christ, sharing that “The temple curtain was torn in two” (23:45b).  This is a very significant event, however, any recounting of what apparently is a significant happening in the minds of the synoptic authors and their communities, is absent from the Gospel of John.  All three synoptic Gospel writers are sure to include this event, because the tearing of the veil, from top to bottom.  Why?  It is because of the probability that the tearing of the veil is linked to the entire narrative of the Hebrew Scriptures. 

Of course, the author of the Gospel of John takes his own unique approach to telling the story of Jesus than that which was taken by the Matthew, Mark, and Luke, and it stands alone as something entirely different from the other three.  John, in some respects, appears to have been written for the widest possible audience, as the ranks of Christians from many nations had grown significantly by the time that it was said to have been composed (late 1^st century).  The wider audience, possibly composed of more Gentiles that Jews, may not have been in a position to grasp the overwhelming significance of what it was that had taken place when the veil, as reported by the rest of the Gospel accounts, was torn. 

Though these issues are always un-settled and up for debate, Matthew is generally perceived to be directed towards a primarily Jewish audience, while it is thought that Mark wrote to a specific audience that was largely non-Jewish.  Naturally, these are broad generalizations, though some of the language adopted and stories employed tends to bear out these positions.  However, the specifically Jewish terms employed in Mark suggest that Mark’s audience was a mixed audience of both Jews and Gentiles, thus providing a basis for making mention of the tearing of the temple veil.  Luke, together with Acts, was specifically written for a Roman ruler named Theophilus, but clearly, as it draws so heavily from Mark and employs a not insignificant amount of Jewish terminology and ideas, it is probable that its wider dissemination had a mixed but predominantly Jewish audience in mind as well.   

When something is mentioned so many times, and especially when it is mentioned as a component of the telling of the climactic event of all of history, it should be paid a great deal of attention.  Thus, those that seek to align themselves with Jesus and His way of mission, should make ever attempt to understand it as best they can.  So what is it that makes this veil so significant?  Why bring it up?  Why mention it in the way that it is mentioned, which is specifically in connection with Jesus’ death?  With this presentation, the veil of the temple seems to be given an exalted place in the telling of the Gospel of Jesus.  Is it deserved?  Well, not only do the Gospel authors include this information in the telling of their stories, but the Scriptural observer is first introduced to it in the book of Exodus. 

When the Creator God was said to be giving Moses the extraordinarily detailed instructions for the building of the tabernacle, a large number of curtains, or veils, are mentioned.  For one curtain in particular, the Creator God of Israel said, “You are to make a special curtain of blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine twisted linen” (Exodus 26:31a).  Furthermore, Moses was “to hang this curtain under the clasps and brink the ark of the testimony there behind the curtain.  The curtain will make a division for you between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place” (26:33).  Apparently, this veil was of particular importance to Israel’s God, and as will be seen, the veil (or curtain) repeatedly finds itself as part of the narrative of the Scriptures.  Therefore, it can be understood to be part of God’s covenant faithfulness and His plan for mankind and His creation.