Good Friday- The Events accompanying the death of Jesus

There are many significant things that accompanied the death of Jesus that a lot of people don't know about. To me, they help further explain how amazing God is and how the death of Jesus was His Will.

Mark 15:38- "The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."

In the temple in Jerusalem there are two different parts. The Holy Place, then the Most Holy Place. There was a curtain that separated the two of them. All priests could go into the Holy Place, but only the high priest could go into the Most Holy Place and he could only go in there once a year. He could only go in there on the Day of Atonement. The high priest went in there and made Atonement for himself and the people of Israel, and did it every year. The reason it is called the Most Holy Place is because it is where God's Spirit was. If the priest did one thing wrong while making the sacrifice, he died in the middle of it. You had to be perfect to get into the Most Holy Place and live. Well when Jesus died, His Spirit went into the temple and tore the curtain into the Most Holy Place down the middle from top to bottom. That means that through Jesus, we have access to God because Jesus was the ultimate sacrifice.


This next account came from an unbelieving Jew.
The Legend of Azazel (Azazel is the personification of uncleanliness.)
On the day of Atonement, the priest would always have two goats. One of them was always sacrificed and the blood of it would be taken by the high priest into the Most Holy Place to atone for his sins. The second goat was called a scapegoat, and what happened to it was that it was released into the wilderness. This scapegoat bore the sins of the people. When they released the scapegoat, there was a scarlet piece of ribbon tied around his neck. When it was found, the scarlet ribbon had mysteriously turned white- that was a sign that the people's sins had been atoned for. Here is what the Talmud says: "If you assume it was R. Johanan b. Zaccai [who made the rule], was there in the days of R. Johanan Zaccai a thread of scarlet [which turned white]? Has it not been taught: R. Johanan Zaccai lived altogether a hundred and twenty years. For forty years he was in business, forty years he studied, and forty years he taught, and it has further been taught: For forty years before the destruction of the temple the thread of scarlet never turned white but it remained red" (Rosh HaShana 31b). The destruction of the temple happened ca. 70 AD. For forty years before that, which would have been ca. 30 AD, the scarlet ribbon never turned white. Jesus died ca. 30 AD. What this means is that God was showing the people that sending the goat into the wilderness didn't atone for their sin anymore because JESUS ALREADY DID IT!

Remember what Jesus went through today for all of us. He did it all out of love. And don't just remember today- remember forever.