A Living Sacrifice

 “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split.”  Matthew 27:51

 “And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.” Luke 23:45

I remember these descriptions in the verses above as a child, from the beautiful Bible Story book given to me by my grandmother.  I could see it in my mind’s eye and imagination -and knew that when the earth quaked and the sky was darkened, it must have meant that something powerful was happening.  But the veil – the veil being torn from top to bottom was the thing I could picture but of course could not fully understand as a child. 

Today, I am filled with awe when I consider the veil. The veil in the temple separated two sections, the Most Holy Place from the Holy of Holies, where God Himself dwelled.  Only once a year could one priest enter into this Holiest Place, bearing a sacrifice to atone for the people’s sins.  

Under the old system, a covenant was demonstrated by taking pieces of an animal torn in two, and both parties walking between them.  The symbolism being, “If I break this covenant, may what happened to this animal happen to me.”  Thus, the symbolism of the veil is rich – Hebrews 10:19-20 says that we can now “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.”

Jesus became the veil torn in two, the sacrifice given, the body broken, and the covenant made new. 

We are to imitate Christ in all things.  Romans 12:1 says that we are to present ourselves as a living sacrifice.  Our bodies an offering to him.  This is our spiritual worship. 

What does a living sacrifice look like?  Paul goes on to tell us in Romans 12:9-18, it looks like demonstrating genuine love, hating what is evil, outdoing one another in showing honor, serving the Lord, rejoicing in hope, being patient in tribulation, being constant in prayer, contributing to the needs of the saints, blessing those who persecute you.  It looks like rejoicing with those who rejoice and weeping with those who weep and living peaceably with all. 

May our lives reflect his life, a living sacrifice, given for all.