Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose --Matthew 27:50-52
My wife tells the story of a friend who would occasionally accompany her and her family to church as a teenager. This friend would be disgusted and utterly mortified when Christians would sing about, or proclaim to be "washed in the blood." "DO YOU HEAR YOURSELVES" he would ask. Why would anyone want to be washed in blood?
We sometimes erroneously believe that we are allowed to come to God just as we are. We speak as though we are all children of God and as a righteous Father he would never turn us away. We incorrectly believe that God, bound my his love for us, is obligated to receive us, accept us, is incapable of turning us away. This belief is not supported in scripture.
Before sin, Adam walked naked before God. After sin Adam felt obliged to cover his nakedness. Adam's desire to cover up was less about Adam's tender bits and pieces and more about Adam's shame that he was now a sinful being. When God demanded sacrifice from Cain and Able Cain thought that he could come to God on his terms as opposed to God's terms. Cain was shocked to find out that God was not willing to change His standards. When God gave Moses the law and the blueprints for the tabernacle he ordered that a thick heavy curtain be constructed to separate His holy place from the rest of the temple. God isolated himself from His people; choosing to inhabit the inner room of his temple. In the inner room God sat upon His throne, shielded from the world, allowing only the High Priest to enter once a year after a sacrifice and a ceremonial washing. Death was there to meet anyone who did not adhere to God's terms.
When Jesus died the curtain in the temple was torn opening the door for us to commune with God. Even though Jesus opened that door by providing the perfect sacrifice for sin, we still are not allowed to come to God as we please. Jesus tells us that there is one way to The Father and he is That Way. Because of our sinfulness, our inability to be perfect as God is perfect, we cannot commune with God. What we can do is go to Christ and admit that we are in need of his forgiveness. That forgiveness, that ceremonial washing in the blood, is the only avenue we have be with God.
As we understand why we need to be washed in the blood we understand what a privilege it is to commune with God through Christ. In understanding our ability to commune with God on God's terms we understand that only through Jesus is that allowed. We have gained access to the Father through the righteousness of Christ. Through Christ's sacrifice we now have access to eternal life on the other side of the curtain.
As we celebrate the Easter season, let us not take access to our Savior or our Father lightly. Let us take the time to pray and commune with God directly. While we may ask others to pray for us, intercessory prayer is not a substitute for direct communication with God. Jesus is the ONLY mediator between God and us.
When Adam sinned he created a barrier between his vulnerabilities and God. In some of our lives, we attempt to hang new curtains to wall us off from God. We want to believe that he can't see us. For some of us, other men attempt to persuade us that they are between us and God mediating. Don't buy into these knock-off curtains. Take time to go to God, without barriers, and commune with Him.
Happy Easter.
