Mark 15:38

Mark 15:38, in plain English

At that very moment, the thick curtain inside the temple rips in two from the very top all the way to the bottom.

Why it's here

This curtain separated everyone from God's presence. Only the high priest could go behind it once a year. When Jesus died, God tore it open. The way to God is now open for everyone.

Who's speaking

Mark records a miraculous event at the temple simultaneous with Jesus' death.

Where it sits in the story

God tears the curtain Himself, from top to bottom. The message is unmistakable: through Jesus' death, nothing separates you from God anymore. The door is wide open.

The scholarly reading

The katapetasma (veil/curtain) of the naos (temple sanctuary) tears eis duo (in two) from top to bottom, signifying divine action opening access to God's presence.

Language and setting

This was likely the inner veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. The top-to-bottom tearing indicates God's initiative, not human action. It symbolizes open access to God through Christ's sacrifice.

Voice

The narrator records the supernatural tearing of the temple veil.

Significance

At the moment of Jesus' death, the barrier between God and humanity is literally torn apart. What the temple system could never fully accomplish, Christ's death achieves in an instant.

36And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.”

37But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last.

38And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

39When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

40And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.

Read all of Mark 15 — Pilate washes his hands, soldiers mock the King of Kings, and darkness covers the land. The curtain in the temple tears from top to bottom.