Pathways to Purposeਨਮੂਨਾ

“At that moment, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split.” — Matthew 27:51 (NIV)

Within these 72 hours, everything changed.

If you take anything from today’s reading, read it again. Take it all in.

Matthew 27 recounts what is often called The Passion—Jesus’ trial, suffering, and crucifixion. Every time I read it, I find myself in awe, completely speechless. The weight of this chapter is overwhelming—prophecies fulfilled, imagery so vivid, irony dripping from the words of those who mocked Him, foreshadowing woven throughout. This was no impulsive event. From the beginning of time, since Adam and Eve, God had been preparing for this.

And in the darkest moment in history, we dare to hope. Because this day—the brutal death of the Son of God—was also the greatest day.

The Israelites longed for a Messiah who would come in majesty and power, who would overthrow Rome and restore their kingdom. Instead, their promised King was mocked, beaten, draped in a robe of red as a joke, crowned with thorns. The people shouted for His blood—“Let his blood be on us and on our children!” (Matthew 27:25)—and little did they know, His blood would be enough to cover them. Enough to cover all of us.

At the very moment Jesus breathed His last, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

This was the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies—the place where God’s presence dwelled—from the people. Even the priests couldn’t enter freely; only the high priest could, and only once a year. Exodus 26:33 tells us this curtain was meant to divide the holy place from the most holy place, signifying the separation between God and man.

But now, it was torn.

Not from bottom to top, as if by human hands—but from top to bottom. God Himself tore the barrier apart.

Hebrews 10:19-23 writes of this truth: “We have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body.”

The way to God was no longer through a curtain. It was through Christ.

And now, through Jesus, we don’t just have access to God’s presence—we carry His presence. His Spirit dwells in us.

This moment, this sacrifice, was not random. It was the culmination of everything. The Old Covenant, the system of sacrifices and laws, was being fulfilled in the most profound way. Even in Genesis, when God established a covenant with Abraham, He alone walked through the split sacrifices, signifying that He would take on the weight of keeping the covenant (Genesis 15). Now, in Jesus, He fully took that burden—shedding His own blood.

So many details in this chapter fulfill prophecies spoken centuries before:

•The potter’s field—Zechariah 11:13

•Jesus being beaten—Isaiah 50:6

•His silence before His accusers—Isaiah 53:7

•The soldiers dividing His clothing—Psalm 22:18

•The vinegar He was given to drink—Psalm 69:21

•His burial in a rich man’s tomb—Isaiah 53:8-9

(Just to name a few). None of this was coincidence. It was planned.

We call this day Good Friday, even though it was filled with unimaginable suffering. But it was good because it was the climax of the greatest love story ever told.

God loved us so much that He did what Abraham was spared from doing—He sacrificed His Son. Not because He had to, but because it was the only way. The only way to restore us to Him. The only way to break the separation between God and man. The only way to fulfill the old and bring in the new.

If you have time today, read Isaiah 53—a passage written 600 years before Christ, foretelling every detail of what we see in Matthew 27. God had a plan all along. He was not distant. He was not absent. He was bringing redemption, and that plan was unfolding in perfect timing.

Prayer:

Lord, we stand in awe. In awe that You had this plan from the very beginning, in awe of the depth of Your love, in awe that You would sacrifice so much just to bring us back to
You. Forgive us when we forget what you’ve done. Forgive us when we live as though we are still separated from You when the curtain has been torn. Thank You, Jesus, that Your blood was enough. That You have made a way. That we can stand before You not in fear, but in love. Help us to hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, knowing that the One who promised is faithful. Amen.