TAKE THE CURTAIN BACK DOWN

Not really sure who keeps putting the curtain back up, but I’m pretty sure Jesus took it down. Read for yourself:

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split” (Matthew 27:50–51)

THEOLOGICALLY SPEAKING, in case you’re unfamiliar: the jewish temple has always had a curtain in it.  A BIG BLUE/RED/PURPLE COLORFUL CURTAIN!  The curtain was there because God was sending an image of Holiness to the people.  There was an acute awareness that there was sin in the camp, God wanted no part of it, and it required a sacrifice to be made right.  Literally.  So the priests offered a sacrifice on their behalf and out of grace, God forgave them.  Once a year (on the day of atonement- Leviticus 16), this was done on the altar that was in the “Holy of Holies” (Exodus 26:31-35) Only the High Priest went in… and only cautiously at that.  Failure to do this right could literally cost you your life. (Leviticus 16:2)

When Jesus paid the price as the ultimate sinless and blameless sacrifice, this system was donezo. (Hebrews 9-10)  No more sacrifice. No more separation.  Now we can approach God’s throne with grace and confidence because we’ve been forgiven in and through the blood of  Jesus. He was and is the perfect sacrifice and as our high priest, and in response, the CURTAIN WAS TORN IN HALF by God and gravity. (Hebrews 4:14-16, Galatians 3:26-29)

There’s really not supposed to be anymore separation between God’s people and the Holy presence of God. So much so that Peter destroys the priesthood of a few and elevates the priesthood of all believers. (1 Peter 2:4-9) So much so that Paul says the Holy Spirit dwells in us now, not in temples and behind curtains.  We’re not only NOT separated, but we’re the new temple.  (Ephesians 2:19-22)

PRACTICALLY SPEAKING, no matter how torn the curtain is.  There are always those who want to mend it.

PASTOR VS PEW:  This comes up all the time.  Some want there to be a curtain between the pastor and the pew.  We see this in architecture.  We see this in people’s “us” and “them” language.  If you’re on staff, you’ve been told “Yeah, but you’re paid to do that.”  If you’re in the seats, you’ve probably been told a time or two that the “real followers of Jesus” are the ones who work full time at the church.”  Both are garbage.  I’ve been working in a paid staff of a church for almost 2 decades now.  And I’ve come to hate the curtain.  I see it all the time.  For this reason alone, I loathe the term “pastor”.  I hate what it often stands for in a lot of churches and most people’s mind today.

COME ON IN VS CLEAN UP FIRST:  Some churches and youth ministries and families and you name it… some groups of Christians find themselves moving the curtain from the Holy of Holies right to the entrance of the building.  You can’t come in here till you fix that thing you do.  Till you deal with that desire you have- and especially if that desire is a sexual one.  This is a holy place for holy people. Get a needle and thread, put the curtain back.

MALE VS FEMALE:  Some separate spiritual spaces, not according to integrity for modesty or confidentiality, but simply because you don’t have the right body parts to be in this club.  This curtain is so thick in some places that lots of people believe God put it there on purpose. It’s also way too thick to dismantle in this paragraph.  It’s suffice to say that you’ll find this curtain outside of some church office doors.  Mostly you’ll find it in front of the stage.

POOR PEOPLE VS RICH PEOPLE:  This one’s popular today.  Especially in America.  You’ll find this curtain between the pews and down the rows.  Sometimes you’ll find it around neighborhoods and in churches.  And both groups put this curtain up. The poor will mock the rich and the rich will mock the poor.  It’s uber cool today to celebrate the inner city and mock suburbia.  We evidently are gonna put the curtain somewhere on the freeway off ramp or gate your neighborhood with it.

Get knife. I’m pretty sure Jesus will give it to you if you ask. Let’s cut the curtain up again!

Oh.. and on a totally random note and just for the record. I hate curtains in general. If I had my way, window coverings would be banned from everywhere but your bedroom.  I love big open window. I really love them if they fold open and disappear. Fresh air and full light are both amazing.