What does the torn veil mean?

An explanation for preaching: Matthew 27:62; Matthew 27:63; Matthew 27:64; Matthew 27:65; Matthew 27:66 Title: The sealed tomb cannot thwart God’s purpose Main idea: The leaders want to stop people from speaking about Jesus and secure his tomb, but the account shows that no human measure can overturn what God has determined. The passage says: Matthew 27:62: “Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,” Matthew 27:63: “Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.” Matthew 27:64: “Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.” Matthew 27:65: “Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.” Matthew 27:66: “So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.” Development: First, notice the irony in the account. The leaders call Jesus a deceiver, yet they clearly remember his announcement that he would rise again. So they ask for a guard and a seal. The text doesn’t say they understood or believed Jesus’ words; it shows that they wanted to prevent his disciples from proclaiming his resurrection. Second, the tomb is guarded. The sealed stone and the guards show the effort to control the situation. But that is the scene Matthew presents here; these verses don’t yet tell the story of the resurrection. The emphasis is on the secured tomb and the attempt to silence the announcement. Third, the passage encourages us to trust that God’s power does not depend on the approval of those who oppose him. It doesn’t promise that every difficulty will disappear right away; rather, it prepares the reader to see that human plans don’t have the final word about Jesus. Application: In your sermon, you could invite the congregation to think about times they judge God’s work only by what seems closed off or finished. Let’s thank God that Christian hope rests in Jesus, not in how things look at the moment. Would you like me to turn this into a short outline too, with an introduction, three points, and a conclusion?

It isn’t necessarily a contradiction. When Jesus met the rich young man, he asked him to sell his possessions and give the money to the poor because that revealed what held first place in his heart. The account doesn’t make that particular instruction a rule for every disciple, though it does make a serious call not to put wealth above God or our neighbor. Matthew 27:57: “When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:” The passage says that Joseph was rich and a disciple; it doesn’t explain what he did with all his possessions or prove that Jesus never challenged him about them. So the difference isn’t simply that one was rich and the other wasn’t, but how each responded to Jesus’ call. Wealth by itself doesn’t show that someone is far from God, but it can become an obstacle when it governs our choices.

The exact dimensions of the temple veil are not known for certain. Matthew 27:51 does not give its height or width; it only relates that Matthew 27:51: “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;” According to ancient Jewish descriptions and historical estimates, the inner veil may have measured approximately: - Height: 40 cubits, about 18–21 meters (60–70 feet). - Width: 20 cubits, about 9–11 meters (30–35 feet). - Thickness: Some ancient traditions describe it as very thick, but that measurement is less certain. So a reasonable estimate would be around 60 feet high and 30 feet wide, though the figures vary by source and by how a cubit is measured. The passage’s importance does not depend on an exact measurement. Its being torn from top to bottom presents the event as an act of God, not simply a break caused by people. The veil separated the Most Holy Place; its opening indicated that, through Jesus’ death, the barrier to entering God’s presence had been removed.