Psalm 22

Yeah yeah, I know...we were supposed to read Matthew 27 today.  But when I read it, I found something interesting.  A lot of what we read about the crucifixion was prophesied by David in Psalm 22.  In Matthew 27:35 we see the soldiers casting lots (gambling) to divide up Jesus' clothing.  Then in verse 46 Jesus quoted the first line of Psalm 22.

"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

When I read that line I took it to mean that in His suffering on the Cross, Jesus felt abandoned by God.  And then when I read the first part of Psalm 22 I thought that's what David was saying too, about his own suffering.  However, when I read the notes in my Bible a new light was shed on the meaning.  Jesus wasn't letting out a cry of doubt...he was expressing the anguish he felt when he took on the sins of the world, and was then separated from his Father.  My notes said that in Matt 26:39, this is what Jesus dreaded when he was praying in the garden....that the physical pain and agony was horrible, but it was even worse to experience the period of spiritual separation from God.

In verse 51 it says that the curtain of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.  Think about it...even just a curtain in your house - how hard would it be for someone to tear it from the top down?  I'm going back to my favorite reference book for this part...Now picture the curtain in the temple (which was a permanent replica of the original Tabernacle).  The curtain separated man from God, to make a long story short.  Some special things to keep in mind about the curtain...

• It was 60ft high
• It was 30 ft wide
• It was the thickness of a man's hand, about 4 inches. 
• Jesus died at the 9th hour (3pm) and the temple would have been full of people (it was a normal sacrifice time), and people were there for the passover
• News of the curtain could not be concealed.

To be torn from the top down could only mean that God tore the curtain, not a man.  And with that, the barrier between God and humanity was removed, and we have access to God personally.