Access Granted
“The tearing of the veil granted full access to the Holy of Holies, and to God Himself. We no longer had to be represented by priests once a year. We could now access God anytime, anywhere, anyhow. The beauty of the torn veil has moved me to tears over and over in my walk with God. I could not be more grateful for anything than I am for that torn veil and access to my Heavenly Father.”
“Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last breath. And the veil in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” Mark 15:37-38
Access Granted
When I was 19, I was very lucky to be the Sports Editor for the University of Oklahoma Student newspaper, The Oklahoma Daily. I was a young woman among lots of young men on the sports desk, but I truly loved it. Afterall, I got to cover OU football.
I went to an away game at Texas A&M with a couple of guys on the sports desk. After the game, the guys went into the locker room to interview players. This was in the mid-1990s when women had just gotten the right to go into locker rooms, too, to do interviews. But I wasn’t interested in doing that, so I stood about 100 yards away from the locker room entrance to wait on the guys.
I’d been standing there for a few minutes when an OU security guard approached me. He said, “Ma'am you need to turn around. There are naked men in there and you don’t need to be looking at them.” I was shocked and turned away.
But as I stood there, I grew increasingly angry. First, I didn’t WANT to look at them, and that is why I didn’t go in. Second, I had the right to go in and interview them if I wanted to, just by showing my press pass.
My access had been denied to the players. My 19-year-old self wasn’t sure how to handle it, so I just accepted it. My response today would certainly be different.
When we are denied access to something, it can make us feel cold, left out, hurt, frustrated, and even angry.
I have been reading through the Bible and have mostly been in the Old Testament. There is a lot of discussion and instruction about the Holy Temple of the Lord, the central aspect of Jewish life and culture. The Temple was where Jewish people brought their sacrifices in order to stay on good terms with God.
God was the ruler of their faith and lives. God had many rules for His followers, and frequently offered judgment and punishment to those not living according to His laws.
Inside the Temple was a large veil that separated the rest of the Temple from the Holy of Holies, the earthly dwelling place for God. The veil was 60 feet high, and priests were the only ones allowed to pass through the veil to offer atonement for their sins. And they could only go into the Holy of Holies once a year to offer the atonement on behalf of all of Israel.
In plain terms, the veil separated Israel from God. Almost all of God’s people were denied full access to God. Only priests had access, and just once a year. God’s people must have also felt cold, left out, hurt, frustrated, and even angry at times. Their distance from God seemed to make them more likely to sin, without His presence being with them directly. A lot of the Old Testament is about what His people did that wasn’t pleasing to Him.
As Good Friday approaches, I have been reading the Gospels in preparation for the mourning of Good Friday and the joy of the resurrection three days later. Mark 15 describes Jesus’ crucifixion. Jesus cried out to God in His last moments.
“Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last breath. And the veil in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” Mark 15:37-38
The veil was torn.
Access was granted to the Lord the moment Jesus paid the price on the cross.
The tearing of the veil granted full access to the Holy of Holies, and to God Himself. We no longer had to be represented by priests once a year. We could now access God anytime, anywhere, anyhow.
The beauty of the torn veil has moved me to tears over and over in my walk with God. I could not be more grateful for anything than I am for that torn veil and access to my Heavenly Father.
The redemption of our sins is just the beginning of our walk with the Lord. That 60 foot tall veil torn from the top, reminds each of us that God is with us. That He will never leave us or forsake us.
Glory to God in the highest for sacrificing His perfect son for me. And praise Jesus that He is risen and that I can talk with him all day everyday. Praise God for His love for me. Praise God for His goodness. Praise God always.
