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The Door is Open

                 At a meeting the other day, someone told a story that made everyone laugh.  Well, everyone except me.  I did not know the people they were referencing, so I did not get the joke.   Sometimes, when you lack the necessary background information, you miss the point. 
                That happens all the time when we read our Bibles.   We read them from a North American, 2018 perspective and, therefore, we often miss details that were huge to the early church. 
                For example, when writing about the crucifixion, Matthew, Mark and Luke all make a point of saying, “At that moment (the exact moment of Jesus’ death) the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matthew 27:51).  Big deal, right?  Odd, but not all that significant to me.  However, the writer of Hebrews makes that detail one of the centrepieces of his teaching.   Obviously, I am missing something.
                For almost a thousand years, the temple, stood on a hill in the eastern part of Jerusalem.   To the Jews, it was a reminder that God was present among them.  The temple was the place where they came to worship and make sacrifices.  It was the most special place on earth.   However, by its very construction, the temple also taught them something else: “You must keep your distance from God!”  
The temple was surrounded by a series of courtyards and at each point another group of people was eliminated.   Anyone could enter the outer court, but only Jews could get into the next one.  Jewish men could go beyond that, but only priests could go through the next gate.   As you came to the actual building, the priests could enter the front room (called “The Holy Place”), but only the High Priest could enter the smallest and most sacred room (“The Holy of Holies”).  In fact, the High Priest only went into that room once a year and he did not go in without taking the blood of a sacrifice with him.   If anyone passed through any of the gates and got closer to God than they should, the punishment was death.  The message was clear and unmistakeable.  You do not enter God’s presence.  You do not march into the temple and do whatever you want.  You stay back.  You do not get close to God.
                With that background, can you see why the early Christians made such a big deal about the temple curtain being torn? 
The Hebrew writer says it this way: “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since 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… let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19-22).
                Do you hear the difference?  No longer scared, but confident.  No longer unworthy, rather made worthy by Christ.  Not “Stay away”, but “Welcome home!”  The barrier is gone!   The doors are wide open.   You do not have to run from God any more.  In fact, because of Jesus’ death, you are invited in!
                That little detail is a big deal!
                “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16).

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