The Passion: The Veil Is Torn — Cursed on the Tree for Us
Study The Word
Mark 15:37–39
And Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost. And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God…
Deuteronomy 21:22–23
And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled.
When Jesus cried with a loud voice and gave up His spirit, something extraordinary happened in the temple. The veil of the temple was torn in two — from the top to the bottom. Not from the bottom to the top, as if a man had torn it. From the top to the bottom, as if God Himself reached down and ripped it apart. And that veil was not a thin curtain. Historical accounts tell us it was thick, heavy, massive. No human hand could have torn it. But God tore it. And when He tore it, that old priesthood, that old administration, that old system of approaching God through animal sacrifices and human priests — it was over. It was finished. The sign was given. The physical, visible sign that everything had changed.
καταπέτασμα katapetasma veil – the inner veil of the temple that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place; the barrier between God and man
Think about this: that veil represented the separation between God and man. It was the barrier. Nobody could go beyond the veil except the high priest, and even he could only enter once a year, on the Day of Atonement, and only with blood. But when Jesus died, when He gave up His spirit, God tore that veil. The barrier was removed. The separation was destroyed. Access to the presence of God was now open — not just for the high priest, not just once a year, but for every believer, at all times, forever! Hallelujah! That is what the tearing of the veil means. You now have bold access to the throne of grace. You can come boldly before God at any time because the veil has been torn by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
And when the centurion — this Roman soldier, a Gentile, a man who was not part of the covenant of Israel — when he saw how Jesus died, he declared, “Truly this man was the Son of God.” The very first confession of Christ after the crucifixion came from a Gentile. How prophetic is that? The veil is torn, and a Gentile confesses Christ. The old system is over, and the door is now open for all nations. Incredible!
κατάρα katara curse – an execration, a curse, an imprecation; the state of being under divine judgment
And now the Torah gives us another prophetic detail. Deuteronomy 21:22–23 says that if a man is hanged on a tree, his body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but he shall be buried that same day, “for he that is hanged is accursed of God.” And the Apostle Paul connects this directly to Jesus in Galatians 3:13: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree.” Glory to God! Jesus was made a curse for us. He hung on the tree. He bore the curse so that the blessing of Abraham could come upon us. And Joseph of Arimathea came, and the body of Jesus was wrapped in linen and buried that very day — fulfilling the Torah to the letter.
λυτρόω lytroo redeemed – to release on receipt of ransom, to redeem, to liberate, to set free by paying a price
So you see it? The veil is torn — the old system is over and access to God is open TO ALL who come to Him by Jesus Christ. Jesus is made a curse on the tree — so that every curse is broken over your life. His body is buried that same day — fulfilling the law of Moses perfectly. Every single detail, from the law, from the prophets, from the psalms, was fulfilled in the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. As Jesus Himself said, all things must be fulfilled which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Him. And they were. Every single one. That is our gospel. That is our faith. That is what the crucifixion accomplished. Haha! Truly, this man was the Son of God!
Pray The Word
Heavenly Father, I thank You that the veil was torn from top to bottom so that I can come boldly before Your throne of grace. I thank You that Jesus was made a curse on the tree so that every curse is broken over my life. I thank You that every prophecy was fulfilled perfectly in Christ, and I stand in the fullness of His finished work, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Speak The Word
The veil is torn and I have bold access to the presence of God! Christ has redeemed me from the curse of the law, being made a curse for me. Every curse is broken. Every barrier is removed. I come boldly to the throne of grace. I am redeemed, I am free, and I walk in the blessing of Abraham because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross, in the name of Jesus Christ!