耶稣交出祂灵魂的时候——也就是祂死的时候——引起了连锁反应，从圣殿的幔子被撕裂到圣徒从坟墓里复活进了圣城。
这一系列事件的开始和结束都意义重大。那将神的圣洁和世界分隔开的殿里的幔子，被撕裂了。那些死去的人——按着律法说，他们是不洁的——但却进入了圣城。马太要表明的是，耶稣的死改变了圣洁的神与世界的关系。以前神和世界是分隔的——至少在象征意义上是这样。但现在情况不同了。
耶稣死在十字架上的那一刻，我们罪的代价被偿还了。这是一个惊天动地、震撼人心的消息。我们不再愧疚。祂亲自承担了我们的罪。
既然我们不再有罪，神就不需要保护我们远离祂的圣洁。你是否觉得有些事对你来说太好了，以至于无法企及？好吧，感谢耶稣，就连神都不是无法企及的——这就是幔子被撕裂对我们的意义。
我以前教会附近的邻居们告诉我，他们觉得自己太有罪了——你可能会说太不洁净了——以至于不愿来我们教会。不。从坟墓里出来“不洁的”人进入了圣城。耶稣的死为每个人提供了他们所需要的洁净。
亲爱的耶稣，感谢你赦免我所有的罪。感谢你的牺牲，使我能与你和你的百姓同在。阿们。
马太福音 27:45-56
45从午正到申初，遍地都黑暗了。
46约在申初，耶稣大声喊着说：“以利！以利！拉马撒巴各大尼？”就是说：“我的神！我的神！为什么离弃我？”
47站在那里的人，有的听见就说：“这个人呼叫以利亚呢！”
48内中有一个人赶紧跑去，拿海绒蘸满了醋，绑在苇子上，送给他喝。
49其余的人说：“且等着，看以利亚来救他不来。”
50耶稣又大声喊叫，气就断了。
51忽然，殿里的幔子从上到下裂为两半，地也震动，磐石也崩裂，
52坟墓也开了，已睡圣徒的身体多有起来的。
53到耶稣复活以后，他们从坟墓里出来，进了圣城，向许多人显现。
54百夫长和一同看守耶稣的人看见地震并所经历的事，就极其害怕，说：“这真是神的儿子了！”
55有好些妇女在那里远远地观看，她们是从加利利跟随耶稣来服侍他的。
56内中有抹大拉的马利亚，又有雅各和约西的母亲马利亚，并有西庇太两个儿子的母亲。
"The curtain of the temple was torn in two. . . . The earth shook . . . and the tombs broke open. . . . People who had died were raised to life . . . and went into the holy city." - Matthew 27:50-52
When Jesus gave up his spirit—when he died—it set off a chain reaction, from the tearing of the temple curtain to people rising from their tombs and entering the holy city.
The beginning and end of this chain of events are significant. The temple curtain, which separated God’s holiness from the world, tore open. And people who were dead—which, according to the law, meant they were unclean—entered the holy city. Matthew is showing that Jesus’ death changed the relationship of the holy God to the world. Previously God and the world were kept apart—at least symbolically. But now things would be different.
At the moment Jesus died on the cross, our sins were paid for. That’s earth-shaking, rock-shattering news. We’re not guilty anymore. He took our guilt upon himself.
Since we are no longer guilty, God doesn’t have to protect us from his holiness. Do you ever think some things are too good for you? Well, thanks to Jesus, even God is no longer too good for you—that’s what the torn curtain means for us.
Many of the neighbors around my former church told me they felt they were too sinful—too unclean, you might say—to visit our church. Nope. “Unclean” bodies from the tomb went into the holy city. Jesus’ death provides all the cleansing that anyone will ever need.
Dear Jesus, thank you for forgiving all my sins. Thank you for dying so that I could be in your presence and with your people. Amen.
诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳
