WHAT MAKES YOU KNEEL AT THE CROSS (4): The Blood That Was Shed There
“Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split, and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the graves after his resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many. So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Matt. 27:51-54).
The veil was a curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies (Exodus 26:31-37). Only the High Priest could enter the Holy of Holies—once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people—because that was the “dwelling place of God.” The veil was some sixty feet high, from the ceiling to the floor.
The rending of the veil signified that each believer can now have personal access to God. “And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:19-23).
The veil was torn from top to bottom. The barrier between God and man was broken by the only one who could reach it—God Almighty. The gulf was bridged from God’s side. We could not bridge it ourselves. Imagine if someone were to say to you, “I’m building a ladder to heaven.” You would think they had lost their mind. No man can build a ladder to heaven. There is only one—the cross of Jesus Christ!
The blood that Christ shed was all about reconciliation—bringing God and man together again. Sin separated us from God (Isa. 59:2). The cross reconciled us back to God. “And in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility” (Ephesians 2:16). We were separated because of sin, yet because of the cross we can be saved. “Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!” (Rom 5:9). “But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ” (Eph 2:13).
Now do you understand why it is called the “Gospel”—literally, the good news? Where would we be without the blood? The blood was shed to purchase our salvation, to buy back our very souls. He made us (John 1:1-4), and then he bought us back (Acts 20:28). When you realize that the blood of the only begotten Son of God, the perfect lamb without blemish, was shed for you, you will indeed kneel at Calvary.
The cross of Christ is what Christianity revolves around. Without it, we are nothing. Without appreciation of it, we will do nothing. May we never boast in anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. And may God grant us the wisdom to realize where the power is (Rom. 1:16), and the wisdom to respond in humility and obedience.
Dewayne Dunaway
