And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
Matthew 27:50-52a NIV
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open.
The curtain of the temple hung between the two primary rooms of the temple. The outer room was accessible by all of the priests in their daily service to God. But the inner room, or most holy place, was restricted to the high priest. And that only once a year on the day of atonement. On that occasion the high priest would take blood into the most holy place and sprinkle it on the mercy seat, making atonement for the sins of the people. This mercy seat, where the blood was sprinkled, represented God’s presence on earth. So this curtain that divided the two rooms served to restrict access to God.
The Curtain Was Torn
But at the moment of Jesus’ death, that curtain was torn from top to bottom. Matthew tells us the direction of the tearing to indicate that God had done it. God had removed the barrier that kept us from coming into his presence. And Matthew includes this detail here to show that Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross, as an atoning sacrifice, had accomplished what the annual sacrifices could not. The way into God’s presence was now open to all people.
Brother – I thank you for your candor and willingness to “blog” – these are bitesized nuggets to digest. Considering this post, a question arises – I wonder if this has bothered you as well: How did Matthew know the veil was torn in two from the top down? Did he anticipate this and have someone watching? (Unlikely). Did he have someone in the temple who would have reported this to him (he was after all a disciple of the “charlatan”)? Wonder what your thoughts are? Have been?
I have actually never given any thought as to how Matthew might have known this. I wonder if Acts 6:7 is the answer to your question. There were many priests who became followers of Jesus. Some of them may well have known about what happened that afternoon and shared it with the church.