DEVOTION – DAY 22

Read:
Luke 23: 44-46

 

Listen:

When the full punishment for sin was finished Jesus took His last breath and let go of life on earth. At the same time Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn in half. Why was there a curtain in the temple?

The curtain was in a special room of the temple called the Most Holy Place. The long and thick curtain divided this room from all the other rooms in the temple (Exodus 26:33). One day every year the high priest went into this special room with the blood of a lamb and asked God to forgive the people’s sins. Only the high priest could come into God’s presence, and only with the blood of the lamb. Because of God’s love and mercy, He allowed a lamb to die in place of the people who had sinned. Boys and girls at that time may not have understood this very well, but when they believed God and trusted Him to forgive them, He did.

The curtain was too thick to cut with a sharp knife so how did it tear open? And how did the long curtain tear from top to bottom? God tore the curtain. Why did God do this? God tore the curtain to tell us that through the death of Jesus the way for us to come to God was now open (John 14:6). We no longer need the high priest to take the blood of a lamb into the Most Holy Place of the temple. Now each person can come to God through the blood of Jesus. Each of us can ask God to forgive our sin and He will (Hebrews 9:23-28).

 

Truth:
Jesus opened the way for us to come to God

 

Discuss:

  1. Why was there a curtain in the temple?
  2. Why did God tear the curtain?
  3. Who can come to God?

 

Memorize:
Acts 2: 36-39—week 4
Discuss v.36 “Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”