God's Welcome Sign
I see a lot of people who have very nice welcome signs on their front doors. They want to be friendly and to show everyone that they can come to their door and talk with them. I see other people with signs that say, "No Trespassing" or "Private Property." Those signs are to discourage people from coming to their house. Then, there are those who go so far as to prop open their front door to welcome others. I don't see that very much, but that is what God did for us when Jesus died.
Jesus was nailed to the cross at about 9am, and He hung there until about 3pm, suffering in agony for the sins of the world. (Mark 15:37,38) "Then, 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." There were other things that happened when Jesus died that day to show people He was the Messiah, but I believe this one was perhaps the most significant message for all of us to consider.
From the time that God showed Moses how to construct the Tabernacle, and it was finished, God dwelt in the sanctuary, the Holy of Holies. Yes, the Almighty God who created all things came from Heaven to live with His people. Once a year, the High Priest could go into the sanctuary to sprinkle the blood of a lamb on the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant to atone for the sins of the people. He was the only one, and it was just once a year. There was a very tall and thick curtain made of metal strands of gold and silver thread with other threads, too, that was the door to the sanctuary.
No human could tear that curtain, and they wouldn't be able to tear it from the top to the bottom, either. When Jesus breathed His last breath, God the Father tore this curtain in two from top to bottom to prove to everyone that they were welcome to come to Him in person to have their sins forgiven. This was possible and still is possible because of Jesus shedding His perfect blood to pay for our sins and dying in our place. This was God's welcome sign to the world. If you have not gone to the Lord in repentance and faith, trusting Jesus, and surrendering to Him as Lord, I pray that you will do that before it is eternally too late at the coming of Jesus. Jesus could come at any time.
Tomorrow, I intend to read Mark 16 and Luke 1-2.