Hebrews 10:11-25 - And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time until His enemies should be made a footstool for His feet. For by a single offering He has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put My laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," then He adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that He opened for us through the curtain, that is, through His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

The author of Hebrews is comparing Jesus to the Jewish high priests who would enter the holiest place in the temple once a year. That place housed the Ark of the Covenant, and it was shielded from the rest of the temple by a woven, embroidered curtain—so stiff with embroidery it was probably closer to a carpet than what we usually think of as a curtain. That curtain was the final barrier that prevented God's people from coming into God's presence. Only the high priest could go in there, only once a year, after he was entirely clean and specially dressed—and he had to take the blood of a sacrifice to make atonement for the sins of himself and all God's people (see Leviticus 16).

I wonder how the ordinary priests of the temple felt about that curtain? They could never go in there, or even look behind it. Were they sad to be excluded from God's presence that way? Or were they nervous and afraid when they looked at it, glad they didn't need to worry about coming into the very presence of God?

However they felt, I doubt any of them ever expected what they found the day Jesus died on the cross. Matthew tells us that when that happened, "the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom" (Matthew 27:51b). Suddenly, ordinary people were seeing what no one but the high priest had seen for generations—a view straight into the presence of God.

And that is exactly what Jesus' suffering and death did for us, isn't it? Because His body was broken and His blood poured out for our sake on the cross, we now have access, through Jesus, to God most high. No longer do we need to be afraid or ashamed to come before God. Jesus, our crucified and risen Savior, has changed everything. Because we trust in Him and belong to Him, we are now forgiven, clean, robed in His goodness and holiness; and we may come joyfully in God's presence, no longer afraid—calling Him "Father."

WE PRAY: Thank You, Father, for Your Son, who has brought us back to You. Amen.

This Daily Devotion was written by Dr. Kari Vo.

Reflection Questions:

1. Matthew 27:51 says the curtain was torn "from top to bottom." Why do you think God had it start from the top?

2. Are you ever nervous about standing before the holy God?

3. How do you find comfort and peace in Jesus at such times?

Today's Bible Readings: Daniel 8-10    Philemon

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