Holy Tuesday, 2025

Rev. Thomas Van Hemert

Holy Tuesday

John 12:1-36

April 15, 2025

Much of this sermon was taken from a sermon preached by the Rev. Chris Brademeyer at St. Johns Lutheran Church in Oakes, ND, for whom I am grateful.

The Torn Curtain

“And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, ‘Truly this man was the Son of God!’”

In the Name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit.

If you’ve ever stood before a locked door that you desperately needed to get through, one for which you cannot find the key, you know the feeling: you know the frustration of being kept from what’s on the other side. It is easy in such a situation to feel helpless, frustrated, and to feel powerless. This is the condition of man before God. We are barred from Paradise. We cannot open the door; we are unable to enter the presence of God. The way is locked, and we do not have the key.

This is the reality of what sin does to us.

Worst of all, our sinful selves might even enjoy that the way is barred, even going so far as to delight in our sins and to justify and rationalize them.

Suffice it to say, the door is locked and there is no way for us to God. And if we are honest, we must admit that the locking of this door is entirely our fault. We are guilty, both by nature and deed. And, as such, we deserve nothing good, only guilt, shame, and punishment. And no matter how hard we try, we cannot force that door open. Certainly, we have tried. We have tried being good, rather, good enough, rather than perfect. Some have tried meditation or frivolous religious rites, concocted to appease God. We have tried moral perfection and cultivated charity. None of these have cracked the door even a sixteenth of an inch.

But today, the holy Evangelist Mark brings us to the moment when the door is opened. At the death of Jesus, something extraordinary happened: “The curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” With that miraculous act, God declared: “The way to Me is now open!” Christ’s death brings us access to God, not by way of punishment or wrath, but by grace, salvation, and everlasting blessing.

Mark makes it painfully clear, concerning the depth of the problem with our sins. In Gethsemane, we see the crushing weight of sin pressing on Jesus as He prays, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death.” At His arrest, Jesus is betrayed by a friend and abandoned by His followers. They all run away, showing their human weakness and fear. At His trial, He is falsely accused, spat upon, mocked, and beaten. At the cross, He is surrounded by insults and rejection. Even those crucified with Him heap scorn upon Him.

But it goes deeper still. On the cross, Jesus cries out the most gut-wrenching words of all: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Here is the true weight of the sorrow caused by sin. Jesus, the sinless One, experiences the full abandonment, the full penalty of hell that sin deserves. He bore it for us, in our place. This is not just history. This is substitution. He takes on Himself the rejection we should suffer, so that we would never have to cry out, “My God, why have you forsaken me?”

And then, at the moment of death of our Lord, Mark gives us this astonishing detail: “The curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.” This curtain wasn’t merely decorative. It was the massive veil that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, which is the very place where God’s presence dwelled. Only the high priest could enter, and only once a year, to make atonement for the people.

That curtain was a visible sign of the separation between God and humanity due to sin. The atoning sacrifice was a constant reminder that we humans needed to have sacrifices made for us to stand in God’s presence. The veil reminded us that we sinners were not allowed in the presence of the Most Holy God.

But at the death of Jesus, the curtain is torn. It’s torn from top to bottom because this is God’s doing, not man’s.

The death of Jesus is the perfect sacrifice. We need not the blood of bulls and goats. No more do we need annual sacrifices. No more does the barrier caused by sin stand in the way. The torn curtain is the Gospel in action. God is not far off. He is not hidden behind layers of sacrifice or Temple curtain. Because of Jesus, the way to the Father is open. Even more, the Father comes to us in His Son.

The way to God is open. It means we don’t have to carry the weight of guilt and shame. Jesus has borne it for us, and the barrier of sin is gone. It means we can approach the altar of God with confidence, even as a beloved son and daughter. All of us, through Christ, have full access to the Father.  It means that even in our darkest hour, even in death, our trust in God is never misspent.

Mark tells us that at the moment of Jesus’ death, a Roman centurion, standing at the foot of the cross, looked up and said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” This is the miracle of the cross: Even the hardened soldier sees the truth. Even the lost and God-forsaken one is welcomed in. The curtain is torn; the way is open.

In +Jesus’ name.