Joshua Fellowship Letter 1: The Curtain is Torn

Hi Joshua Fellowship 

 

This is the first letter that I am penning to you as the fellowship pastor. In the past, I’ve enjoyed reading letters from my previous pastors. I hope to share life with you through this way that I hold dear.

 

As we warped up the Bible Study of Mark last week, one interesting question was raised, “What is the significance for the curtain of the temple torn into two?” (You may see the scriptural references^[1]and more resources on my blog ^[2]). Here I just want to make clear two things that I shared during our meeting time:

1. The time was indeed 3pm when the curtain of the temple was torn(Matt. 27:45, Luke 23:44);

2. Mark/ Matthew said the curtain was torn from top to the bottom, Luke just said torn in two, but never the other way around because it was instructed to hang from the top (Ex. 26:32-33).

The torn curtain signified Jesus as the real Passover lamb^[3] who died the substitutionary atonement for our sins so through faith we can come boldly before His throne (Heb. 4:15-16). That is not a simple moment in the history of humankind, but the climax about the Gospel that has been hidden from generations now revealed to us. This epic moment changed everything. It made personal and corporate revival possible. I made a couple reflections with you last week about discipleship:

To be his disciple is to be real to myself, to God, and to others…
To be his disciple is to get real, with God through personal prayer or with someone…
To be his disciple is to do the real things, even something small in my life, work, relationship, small group, family, or personal time or habits, do the real things I’ve desired and passionate about… (to me, including writing this fellowship letter)

 

Take-Away: What's one thing you can do this week as a disciple who seeks His revival?

 

 

 

While you are thinking about the take-away question, I want to share with you some special events this weekend that you can share with someone or participate yourself.

Sight & Sound production, JONAH, is playing free this weekend. Click here to learn about all the ways to watch: https://www.sight-sound.com/jonah.

SCAC, Saturday Evangelistic Event, is going to watch a powerful testimony from a Fung Shui master, and has informal sharing time with new friends. Please spread the word if you think of anyone interested, https://tinyurl.com/SeeMeeting08.

Please feel free to reply or comment on my blog. Hope to see you all soon. 

God-with-us,

Pastor Tom 

https://tcsharing.blogspot.com/2020/08/letter-to-joshua-fellowship.html

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[1]Mark 15:38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. 

Mark 15:39 And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” 

Matt. 27:45 ¶ Now from the sixth hour^* there was darkness over all the land^* until the ninth hour.^{* (3pm)}

Matt. 27:51 ¶ And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. 

Matt. 27:52 The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised, 

Matt. 27:53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many. 

Luke 23:44 ¶ It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour,

Luke 23:45 while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. 

Ex. 26:32 And you shall hang it on four pillars of acacia overlaid with gold, with hooks of gold, on four bases of silver. 

Ex. 26:33 And you shall hang the veil from the clasps, and bring the ark of the testimony in there within the veil. And the veil shall separate for you the Holy Place from the Most Holy. 

Heb. 4:15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 

Heb. 4:16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

 

[2]What was the significance of the temple veil being torn in two when Jesus died?

"Hebrews 9:1-9 tells us that in the temple a veil separated the Holy of Holies—the earthly dwelling place of God’s presence—from the rest of the temple where men dwelt. This signified that man was separated from God by sin (Isaiah 59:1-2). Only the high priest was permitted to pass beyond this veil once each year (Exodus 30:10; Hebrews 9:7) to enter into God’s presence for all of Israel and make atonement for their sins (Leviticus 16)." 

"An early Jewish tradition says that the veil was about four inches thick... somewhere near 60 feet high" 

https://www.gotquestions.org/temple-veil-torn.html

 

[3]Regarding the numbers, you can find the details in Josephus' Antiquity of the Jews (War 6.9.3 422-427 The Numbers that Gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover). According to his record, by Jesus' time, there were some 2 million people gathering at Jerusalem for Passover. ("No one believes the largest of these figures," writes E. P. Sanders in Judaism: Practice and Belief 63 BCE - 66 CE (p. 126). Using various means, Sanders estimates the actual number of attendees to be 300,000 to 500,000.http://www.josephus.org/Passover.htm) If 10 will share one lamb based on the instructions in Exodus, there will be 200,000 animals to be slaughtered.  According to the Talmud, there were 3 rounds of sacrifices of lambs at 9am, noon and 3pm.  If you divide the total evenly, there should be roughly 70,000 lambs slaughtered every round. 

Below is the possible scenario:

At 9am, when the 70,000 sheep were killed, Jesus said: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing. "After the two robbers argued with each other for a while, one converted and Jesus said:  "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Then Jesus saw His mother and John at the cross, He said:

"Dear woman, here is your son.  Here is your mother."

At noon, the second round of 70,000 animals were slaughtered, the sky turned dark and Jesus shouted: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

At 3pm, the third and last round of 70,000 animals were slaughtered and Jesus said: "I am thirsty."in order to have enough strength to shout the last words: "It is finished !" Immediately after, He shouted: "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit."

The 3000 converted on the Pentecost redeemed the 3000 died after the first Passover and Pentecost. “So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.” (Exodus 32:26–29)