Mark has just told us that Jesus has breathed his last. You might expect a deep spiritual reflection or a pause for contemplation. But that is not Mark’s way. He is a man of dramatic action. And Christ’s death was the most dramatic of all actions. That’s why Mark follows immediately with these words, which in their own way point us to the deepest of spiritual truths. The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The Gospels tell us that at the conclusion of the traumatic events at the cross, with a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last. Immediately, the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (Mark 15:37-38). The tearing of the curtain has deep meaning in terms of what is says about the accomplishment of Christ at Calvary for our salvation. However, it has an even more primal meaning. It was a Jewish practice to tear one’s clothing in moments of deepest calamity and grief. There are many examples of this in the Bible. It’s difficult not to see the tearing of the curtain in the temple as symbolically indicating the cry of anguish from the Father, as his heart broke. The torn curtain was a sign of the broken heart of the Father. The magnitude of God’s love for the world had finally been revealed. This is the love that flowed through Christ for our salvation, and raised him from the dead. Because of it, whoever believes in him will have eternal life. The torn curtain means that the sacrificial system had ended. Jesus the true lamb of God had died for our sins. This means that the way is now open for you to come before the throne of God. That’s for you too. The way is open. Just come.