Sunday’s Coming
Jesus is dead.
Darkness has descended.
Hope is lost.
The veil is torn in two.
“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” – Matthew 27: 51
The earth shakes.
What started in a manager, is finished on a cross.
The story continues. The age-old classic we all grew up hearing. The greatest story ever told.
But what happened during those three days before Jesus rose? Before the resurrection? Before Sunday?
The Veil is Torn
“At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” – Matthew 27:51
I’ve always loved the symbolism of the veil being torn in the Easter tale. Even get a bit teary-eyed when I think of its significance and meaning.
The temple veil, an intricate and elegantly woven tapestry, hung to separate the common tabernacle from the “holy of holies,” the room where most atonement sacrifices were made. Only the holiest of holies could move and enter past the veil, meaning only priests of the highest order.
But on Good Friday, from top to bottom, the veil is torn in two.
God’s people are no longer separated from Him because of their sinful nature.
The atonement has come, the ransom paid in full, the body lying wrapped in cloths and resting a tomb.
The tombs break open.
“The earth shook, the rocks split, and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.”
– Matthew 28:51-52
Death no longer has the final word.
All that Jesus has been prophesied to do is complete.
“But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.” – 1 Corinthians 15:20-22
Victory is won.
Jesus rips the hinges off the gates of hell.
The tomb is empty.
An angel of the Lord appears.
And before the disciples, shrouded in glory, stands Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
The most powerful living empire in the realm could not stop God.
Not Rome, not Hades, not Satan.
Jesus is Given Authority in Heaven and on Earth
In what may be the greatest and most famous last words ever spoken, Jesus leaves His followers with one last request; asking us to follow humbly in his footsteps:
“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
– Matthew 28:19-20
Why are the three darkest days in history good news? Why, when all hope feels lost, is hope never more prevalent? How can Jesus’ death be good news?
Because the long-awaited Kingdom has come, mankind is no longer separated from God, the graves are broken open, victory is here and love has won.
It’s Friday.
Three more days to go.
But so much can happen in three days.
And the dawn is breaking.
Sunday’s coming.
