Luke 23:45
while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.
English Standard Version (ESV)
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The tearing of the temple veil wasn't just a dramatic symbol; it signified that the ultimate access to God, previously restricted to the high priest once a year, was now universally open to everyone through Jesus' sacrifice. This single event declared the end of an era and the beginning of a new covenant where God's presence is no longer confined to a physical building but made available directly to all who believe.
As Jesus hangs on the cross, a supernatural darkness falls over the land for three hours, signaling the cosmic significance of His suffering. At the moment of His death, the thick curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place within the temple is torn in two, a dramatic sign that access to God is now open to all through Christ.
The sky itself reacted to Jesus' death. What does this dramatic eclipse tell us about who Jesus truly is?
As Jesus hung on the cross, the natural order seemed to break. Luke records that the sun's light failed for three hours, plunging the land into darkness. This wasn't a normal eclipse; it was Passover, a time of full moon when an eclipse is impossible according to natural law. This unnatural darkness was a cosmic sign, a declaration by God himself that something monumental and terrifying was happening. It was as if creation itself was in mourning, or perhaps recoiling in shock at the Son of God being forsaken. This event underscores the profound significance of Christ's death – it wasn't just a human tragedy, but an event that shook the very foundations of the world.
A thick curtain in the temple tore in two. What does this dramatic, symbolic act reveal about Jesus' sacrifice?
The tearing of the temple veil was a powerful, visual metaphor. This curtain, incredibly thick and heavy, separated the Holy of Holies – God's innermost presence – from the rest of the temple. Only the High Priest could enter, and only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, with great ritual and sacrifice. When Jesus died, this veil ripped from top to bottom, not by human hands, but by divine power. This act declared that the barrier between humanity and God, established by the Old Covenant and its sacrificial system, was now abolished. Jesus, through His perfect sacrifice, had opened a new and living way into God's presence for everyone who believes. We no longer need a human mediator or an annual ritual; we can approach God directly through Christ.
Understand the original words
katapetasma · Greek Noun
In the context of the crucifixion, this signifies the veil that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place in the temple, representing the barrier between a holy God and sinful humanity. Its tearing symbolizes the removal of that barrier through Christ's sacrifice, granting access to God.
The dramatic, supernatural events accompanying Jesus' death—the darkened sun and the torn temple veil—signified a cosmic shift, marking the end of the old sacrificial system and the opening of a new way to God through Christ.
c. 30 AD— this verse
Crucifixion of Jesus
Jesus of Nazareth is crucified by order of Pontius Pilate, the Roman prefect of Judea. This event is the central point of Christian theology.
c. 30 AD
Supernatural Darkness
A preternatural darkness covers the land for three hours during Jesus' crucifixion, an event noted by multiple Gospel accounts as a miraculous sign.
c. 30 AD
Temple Veil Torn
The thick veil separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Jerusalem Temple is torn in two from top to bottom at the moment of Jesus' death.
c. 30 AD
Earthquake and Tomb Openings
A great earthquake shakes the land, splitting rocks and opening tombs. Some of the bodies of saints are raised after Jesus' resurrection.
This passage directly parallels the darkening of the sun, emphasizing it as a supernatural sign accompanying Jesus' death and fulfilling Old Testament prophecy.
Matthew 27:51This verse describes the tearing of the temple veil, which happened concurrently with the sun's darkening, symbolizing the removal of the barrier between God and humanity through Christ's sacrifice.
Exodus 26:33This describes the original function of the temple veil, separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place, highlighting the profound significance of its tearing at Jesus' death.
Amos 8:9This Old Testament prophecy foretells a supernatural darkness on the sun at noon on the day of judgment, which is directly fulfilled by the events described in Luke 23:45.
Hebrews 9:3This passage explains the symbolic meaning of the inner veil in the Old Testament tabernacle, reinforcing the theological implications of its rending as a pathway to God being opened.
pooleLuke 23:45: "And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst."
See Poole on "Luke 23:34"
calvinLuke 23:44-49: "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour."
- Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over the whole land [280] till the ninth hour. 46. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? 47. And some of those who were standing by, when they heard it, said, He calleth Elijah. 48. And immediately one of them ran, and took a spon…
The tearing of the temple veil wasn't just a dramatic symbol; it signified that the ultimate access to God, previously restricted to the high priest once a year, was now universally open to everyone through Jesus' sacrifice. This single event declared the end of an era and the beginning of a new covenant where God's presence is no longer confined to a physical building but made available directly to all who believe.
As Jesus hangs on the cross, a supernatural darkness falls over the land for three hours, signaling the cosmic significance of His suffering. At the moment of His death, the thick curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place within the temple is torn in two, a dramatic sign that access to God is now open to all through Christ.
As Jesus hangs on the cross, a supernatural darkness falls over the land for three hours, signaling the cosmic significance of His suffering. At the moment of His death, the thick curtain separating the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place within the temple is torn in two, a dramatic sign that access to God is now open to all through Christ.
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c. 30 AD
Centurion's Confession
A Roman centurion, witnessing the events surrounding Jesus' death, declares, 'Truly this was the Son of God!'
"while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two." — The tearing of the temple veil wasn't just a dramatic symbol; it signified that the ultimate access to God, previously restricted to the high priest once a year, was now universally open to everyone…
