God’s Open-door Policy

Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.

Mark 15:37-38

At the very moment that Jesus’ earthly body died, the curtain in the Temple was torn and destroyed. In this carefully orchestrated episode, God was illustrating what was transpiring in the unseen realm that would change forever our access to the Father.

Every object in the Temple was a shadow or reflection of a solid reality that exists in the spiritual realm. The Temple curtain separated the Holy of Holies, where God’s presence was, from the rest of the Temple. Only the high priest could enter that place, and then only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. The curtain hid the presence of God. The writer of Hebrews explains that Jesus’ earthly body was the reality pictured by the Temple curtain. He wrote, “A new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body” (Hebrews 10:20, NIV).

The presence of God was no longer hidden. Through his death on the cross, shedding his own blood, Jesus opened the way into the presence of God for everyone who would accept his free gift and enter through him. He is the curtain. Access is no longer restricted.

The salvation Jesus purchased for us is so full-spectrum and extravagant that we can scarcely begin to comprehend it. Forgiveness of sins, eternal life, God’s provision for our lives, peace, power, wisdom—the list never ends. But it all flows from this promise, portrayed in the Crucifixion’s closing scene, that the way has been opened for us to live in the presence of God.

Father, teach me to be aware of your abiding presence. How would my attitude and thoughts change if I kept my heart open to you, minute by minute, day by day? I want to learn.

Do not lose yourself in your everyday work and activities. Rather, lose yourself in God. When you are doing work, let your innermost heart be centered on Him. Live in His presence and abide in Him. Then your work will follow you into eternity, and you will reap a rich harvest.

Mother Basilea Schlink(1904–2001), German religious leader and writer