The Curtain
50And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. 51And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; Matthew 27:50-59(a)
Perhaps this sounds familiar, I had just dashed through the airport, made it pass the gate onto the plane and was busily searching for my seat. I passed those first rows on the plane and noticed that none of the passengers sitting there seemed rushed at all. In fact, they seemed to be extremely relaxed and were reading, still on their phones or sipping on some cool beverage. One guy even seemed to be napping while the rest of us hustled to our seats.
Ironically, on this flight, my seat was directly behind the first class section. As I settled into my seat, it stuck me that in all my flying years, I had never actually flown in first class. It never really made sense to me to pay the extra fare to get on the same plane, going to the same place, which arrived at the same time. It always seemed a little like paying more money to ride in the front seat of a taxi instead of the back, because the driver lets you play with the radio and gives you a sandwich.
But the most interesting thing to me, was the little mesh curtain they use to separate the first class from the rest of the plane. The curtain merely gave the illusion of separation. It was almost a tease. Like a kid dangling a big lollipop in your face! We could still see everything that was happening, still smell the food being eaten and because of the size of the plane when I stretched my leg, it was literally in first class.
There are some people who will not fly unless they sit in first class. For some it’s a matter of preference and sadly for others a feeling of privilege. In fact, and rightfully so, they get upset if they can’t board first, and get the extras.
I guess I’m so intrigued because I know some people who have lived first class lives without very many material resources. They would fit any definition of poverty except in terms of good character, which they have abundantly. I’m so glad there are no classes in Heaven. I am so thankful that the illusion of separation which man made was destroyed by Christ on the cross. The curtain in the temple which allowed access to some, but not others was also just an illusion. Now we all have free access through faith and The Holy Spirit.
How ironic it is that Christ gave up his first class seat to understand what it is like to ride coach. And because of His sacrifice, we all now get to ride first class!