Matt 27: 45-56

⁴⁵From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi,^[c]lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"^[d]

⁴⁷When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."

⁴⁸Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

⁵⁰And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

⁵¹At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. ⁵²The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son^[e] of God!"

⁵⁵Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

What stood out to me the most from this passage is how the curtain in the temple was torn in two. The curtain that stood as a physical symbol of mankind's separation from God due to sin has become no longer necessary as Jesus atoned for our sins. For me, this portion of the passage ignites a sense of wonder as if I'm looking into out onto the ocean. It's magnificent and so beautiful just looking at the surface but you have this sense that there's so much more beneath the surface and all around. I guess the ocean may spark different feelings for different people just as this passage would and different people may have different reasons for liking or disliking the ocean.

Though there is so much more to this passage and even in verse 51 alone, I like this verse because the torn curtain means that I am no longer separated from God because Jesus has suffered and died on the cross. In fact, I don’t need anyone –whether a priest, teacher or prophet to take me to God or to bring God to me because Jesus has made the way. However, I am very thankful that God brought into my life priests, teachers and prophets to speak and teach this truth to me.

When I feel the burden of my sin, I do feel separated from God. And I still have the habit of thinking, “what can I do?” to fix the wrong I’ve done or “who can help me?” be righteous for I cannot seem to be able on my own. This verse reminds me that there is nothing I can do to make my wrongs right and that’s why Jesus had to die on my behalf. There is no need for me to seek out anyone on whom I can depend on their righteousness or wisdom to bring me to God because only the righteousness of God's only Son tore open the curtain that separated the Holy from the unholy. Jesus has already done all there is to be done and because He shed His blood for me on the cross, I myself can approach the throne of God.