GOD Morning! / March 18, 2015, TORN!

GOD Morning! / March 18, 2015

TORN!

Mark 15:26-47

²⁶ And the inscription of the accusation against Him was written above, The King of the Jews.

²⁷ And with Him they crucified two robbers, one on [His] right hand and one on His left.

²⁸ And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, He was counted among the transgressors.

²⁹ And those who passed by kept reviling Him and reproaching Him abusively in harsh and insolent language, wagging their heads and saying, Aha! You Who would destroy the temple and build it in three days,

³⁰ Now rescue Yourself [from death], coming down from the cross!

³¹ So also the chief priests, with the scribes, made sport of Him to one another, saying, He rescued others [from death]; Himself He is unable to rescue.

³² Let the Christ (the Messiah), the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see [it] and trust in and rely on Him and adhere to Him! Those who were crucified with Him also reviled and reproached Him [speaking abusively, harshly, and insolently].

I can’t elude the fact that Jesus has BEEN THERE, DONE THAT. Everything that I have been through. Plus so much more. When I am rejected, I am reminded of my precious Savior.

He was dying. Dying, naked on a cross for the whole world to see.

And folks were laughing and cursing Him.

I am begging you. In the midst of your horrific circumstances, when you are mocked, when you are scorned, and when you are rejected, get to know Jesus. He understands firsthand what you are going through.

³³ And when the sixth hour (about midday) had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour (about three o’clock).

³⁴ And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?—which means, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me [deserting Me and leaving Me helpless and abandoned]?

³⁵ And some of those standing by, [and] hearing it, said, See! He is calling Elijah!

³⁶ And one man ran, and, filling a sponge with vinegar (a mixture of sour wine and water), put it on a staff made of a [bamboo-like] reed and gave it to Him to drink, saying, Hold off! Let us see whether Elijah [does] come to take Him down.

³⁷ And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed out His life.

³⁸ And the curtain [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

What does this torn curtain mean to You? What does it mean to me?

“Everything about the Jewish temple screamed, “Stay away,” “Do not come near,” “You are not qualified to come on your own.” It was as if the temple itself was a giant roadblock, making sure that no one could come into God’s presence uninvited.

If the Jews were tempted to forget about the prohibitions, if they decided to take matters into their own hands, God had ordered that a thick curtain be hung between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place.

Only God could tear apart a curtain like that. 

When we think of a curtain, we imagine something like our living room drapes. The curtain in the temple was nothing like that. Exodus 26:31 describes it as “a curtain of blue, purple and scarlet yarn and finely twisted linen, with cherubim worked into it by a skilled craftsman.” Jewish writers say that it was 60 feet long, 20 feet wide, woven to the thickness of a man’s hand, requiring 300 men to lift it up.

Such a curtain could never be torn in two by the hands of man. Only God could tear apart a curtain like that. That’s why Matthew tells us that the curtain was torn “from top to bottom,” signifying that God had done what only God could do.” Ray Pritchard

The torn curtain means that You and I have the privilege of  meeting with Jesus, face to face, anytime, day or night. 24/7.

Just breathe the name, Jesus! He is near to you!

³⁹ And when the centurion who stood facing Him saw Him expire this way, he said, Really, this Man was God’s Son!

⁴⁰ Now some women were there also, looking on from a distance, among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome,

⁴¹ Who, when [Jesus] was in Galilee, were in the habit of accompanying and ministering to Him; and [there were] also many other [women] who had come up with Him to Jerusalem.

⁴² As evening had already come, since it was the day of Preparation, that is, [the day] before the Sabbath,

⁴³ Joseph, he of Arimathea, noble and honorable in rank and a respected member of the council (Sanhedrin), who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God, daring the consequences, took courage and ventured to go to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

“Daring the consequences.” This Christian man, Joseph, was a respected member of the Sanhedrin council. Plus he was very brave. He could have been crucified himself! Are we afraid of the consequences? Are we afraid of rejection? Exactly what are we afraid of that is hindering our quest to know Jesus?

Maybe its time to have a conversation with Jesus. He knows. He can guide us through our fears! Into freedom!

⁴⁴ But Pilate wondered whether He was dead so soon, and, having called the centurion, he asked him whether [Jesus] was already dead.

⁴⁵ And when he learned from the centurion [that He was indeed dead], he gave the body to Joseph.

⁴⁶ And Joseph bought a [fine] linen cloth [for swathing dead bodies], and, taking Him down from the cross, he rolled Him up in the [fine] linen cloth and placed Him in a tomb which had been hewn out of a rock. Then he rolled a [very large] stone against the door of the tomb.

⁴⁷ And Mary Magdalene and Mary [the mother] of Joses were [attentively] observing where He was laid.

“Dear Jesus, I am in awe of You once again. I am in awe of Your sacrifice. You laid down Your life. You are asking me to lay down my life as well. How can I say no? The curtain was torn so that I can enter in to Your Holy presence and make my desires known to You.”

“My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

When darkness seems to hide his face,
I rest on his unchanging grace.
In every high and stormy gale,
My anchor holds within the veil.

On Christ the solid rock I stand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
All other ground is sinking sand.” Edward Mote

“How I love You, My precious Jesus. I am standing firmly on You, the Solid Rock. AMEN”