“Doctor, Doctor I feel like a pair of curtains!”*
But enough silly jokes, I want to talk about dolphins in the Bible. You know, the ones in Exodus 26.
In my youth we were taught lots of Bible detail about the Tabernacle, but I never really bought into all those curtains and coverings and sockets to fasten them together. Nowadays I take more notice of “all scripture is given us for instruction.” (2Tim:3.16). And the great big cover over the whole Tabernacle is made of leather. Dolphin skins. Or porpoises. Or badger skins. Or manatee (a type of extinct sea cow).
Whatever the animal, where did the Israelites get all that leather from? We are told they took jewelry and clothes from the Egyptians when they left. They could have taken cured leather to use as tents in the wilderness. Perhaps God knew they would need them and told them to take them?
So the Tabernacle in the wilderness was constructed of curtains, overlapping in such a way no one could see inside and covered with stout leather. But there was another curtain. A great big thick one of fine twined linen, as thick as a man’s hand and reaching side to side and top to bottom, to separate all but the high priest from the Ark of the Covenant and thus God’s presence. It took 300 men to move it. And no one could rip it. God knew why this had to be so.
Because He ripped it. When Jesus died, there was an even bigger and heavier curtain across the inside of the Temple. And God ripped it right down the middle, top to bottom. So we could all see in and go in.
All those details in Exodus were for then, instructions on how to build the Tabernacle. Not for us now. Jesus swept them all away. In Hebrews chapter 10 the writer says you needed sacrifices of animals for temporary atonement for sin then. Over and over again. And God was only approached by the high priest. Then. That’s all gone. Jesus, the one sacrifice and our High Priest, gave the one atonement, once, and for us all.
Freedom from sin. Free to approach God through Him. Grace, mercy, redemption freely given to all.
So why do we still make ourselves curtains? Complicated ones often. Thick heavy curtains to stop people coming to Jesus. We even make them for ourselves sometimes …
Jesus told lots of people off on several occasions all through the gospels for stopping people coming to him – his disciples, the Pharisees, Sadducees, elders … Let my people come, he said. Children. Tax collectors. Lepers. Women. Samaritans. No more barriers. Let them all come.
“Doctor, Doctor I feel like a pair of curtains!”
I’d tell you about Jesus as you work with me but I know you won’t listen so I won’t bother.
I’d tell you about the Kingdom but it’s all rather complex and you are rather simple.
You can’t come to my church, you’re not the right sort of person for us.
You can come in and listen and I’ll give you a cup of coffee but that’s as far as it goes.
“Doctor, Doctor I feel like a pair of curtains!”
Jesus didn’t do curtains.
* This is a post by Hilary based on a talk by a visitor from Oxford on Sunday.
Image: Jeshield Digital Art.