THE TORN CURTAIN
For entry into relationship with God and entry into God's Heaven, Christ has been pictured in a few ways - The Gate and The Narrow Door. However, did you know Jesus is also The Curtain?
In John's recording of The Gospel, Christ referred to Himself as The Gate.
"Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." (John 10:7-8)
As The Gate, Jesus either allows or denies entry to the dwelling of the sheep pen and thus His care as The Shepherd. Anybody that chooses any other way besides The Gate for entry is a thief (John 10:1).
"Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture." (John 10:7-8)
As The Gate, Jesus either allows or denies entry to the dwelling of the sheep pen and thus His care as The Shepherd. Anybody that chooses any other way besides The Gate for entry is a thief (John 10:1).
In this same imagery, Luke 13:23-25 depicts Christ Jesus as The Narrow Door.
"Someone asked him, 'Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?' He said to them, 'Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’"
Again, entry is the idea and only through Christ Jesus as The Narrow Door is entry possible. As a little extra view of this same idea in Luke, consider Noah and The Ark. One Door for all the land animals and his family to enter and eventually exit through. Plus, Genesis 7:16 records that it was God that personally closed the door of the ark - "Then the Lord shut him in." Can't you just imagine The Lord as guardian at the door of the ark? Acting as Door Keeper, He would manage and protect who and what goes in and then seal the deal by shutting the door Himself.
"Someone asked him, 'Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?' He said to them, 'Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.’ But he will answer, ‘I don’t know you or where you come from.’"
Again, entry is the idea and only through Christ Jesus as The Narrow Door is entry possible. As a little extra view of this same idea in Luke, consider Noah and The Ark. One Door for all the land animals and his family to enter and eventually exit through. Plus, Genesis 7:16 records that it was God that personally closed the door of the ark - "Then the Lord shut him in." Can't you just imagine The Lord as guardian at the door of the ark? Acting as Door Keeper, He would manage and protect who and what goes in and then seal the deal by shutting the door Himself.
In this last analogy, the body of Jesus is our Broken Barrier - "the curtain, that is, His body,". Jesus was The Curtain. Hebrews 10:19-22 says -
"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, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 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."
What an incredible symbol - The Curtain that was ripped in two! Christ as our Curtain was beaten beyond recognition (Isaiah 52:14), mocked, tortured, unjustly tried, crowned with thorns, stripped naked and crucified upon a tree. This was the price required for direct access to The Throne of Grace.
Look at Matthew 27:50-52 and observe the power and significance of the very moment when Christ declared His mission complete by proclaiming - "It is finished." -
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life."
Jesus described Himself as The Gate. Jesus also portrayed Himself as The Narrow Door. Paul depicted Christ as The Curtain. All of these communicate only one entry point for Heaven, only one possibility for peace with God - Christ Jesus. If these representations are not enough, hopefully the last and probably most infamous quote on this subject from Jesus I will give you will be enough. His statement is found in John 14:6 -
Jesus answered "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Notice that there is an article before the subject that defines singularity in Jesus' point. The words "way", "truth" and "life" are all preceded by the article "the". This denotes one, only and solitaire ownership of the following word - "the way, the truth and the life". Jesus left no doubt about this matter. There were no ifs, ands, buts, perhaps or any other conditional words. There is only one Gate we can enter through for relationship with God and citizenship in His Heaven - Jesus Christ. There is only one Door we can consider and approach that holds Salvation, a blessed eternity and God's presence for now - behind it - Christ Jesus. And The Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, no longer limits access to the Holy of Holies to just the High Priest once a year - for Christ became for us The Torn Curtain.
Jesus answered "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
Notice that there is an article before the subject that defines singularity in Jesus' point. The words "way", "truth" and "life" are all preceded by the article "the". This denotes one, only and solitaire ownership of the following word - "the way, the truth and the life". Jesus left no doubt about this matter. There were no ifs, ands, buts, perhaps or any other conditional words. There is only one Gate we can enter through for relationship with God and citizenship in His Heaven - Jesus Christ. There is only one Door we can consider and approach that holds Salvation, a blessed eternity and God's presence for now - behind it - Christ Jesus. And The Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, no longer limits access to the Holy of Holies to just the High Priest once a year - for Christ became for us The Torn Curtain.
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