The curtain in the temple signified: this far and no further. Even the high priest was only allowed to enter the Holy of Holies once a year. This is precisely where the letter to the Hebrews starts, showing why Jesus is the true High Priest.
Behind the curtain: the proximity of God as a boundary
In the sanctuary of Israel, access to God was not simply a matter of an inner attitude. It was clearly limited. The path led from the forecourt into the inner sanctuary, ending in front of a heavy curtain. Behind it lay the Holy of Holies, the innermost sanctuary, which was considered to be the place of God’s special presence.
It was precisely this restriction that visualised how seriously the relationship between God and human beings was to be taken: proximity to God is not freely available. Not just any devout believer, no matter how fervent, was able to enter the Holy of Holies. Not even every priest was allowed to enter. Access was reserved for the high priest alone, and even he could not enter at will.
Once a year: the rite of reconciliation
Once a year, however, the boundary became a passageway. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest stepped behind the curtain. This included ablutions, special vestments, sacrificial acts, and the carrying of sacrificial blood as a sign of atonement. Guilt is real, it does not remain without consequences. And reconciliation is not wishful thinking, but an event that “costs something”—not in terms of money, but in terms of life.
At the same time, the high priest’s annual entry into the Holy of Holies revealed the limitations of every human mediator: he was, in fact, also part of the problem. Though responsible for the people, he himself was vulnerable, weak, and fallible. That is why, on the Day of Atonement, the high priest made an offering specifically for his own sins.
Solidarity instead of distance: Christ shares human destiny
Against this background, it becomes understandable why the epistle to the Hebrews presents Jesus as the “great high priest”—not as the successor to an earthly office, but as the final fulfilment. The text connects two lines that rarely converge: Christ is the one who makes real proximity to God possible and, at the same time, He fully understands human weakness. He can sympathise, for temptation and suffering were not abstract concepts for Him.
It was precisely this thought that Chief Apostle Jean-Luc Schneider vividly developed during a divine service in Évreux on 26 March 2017 during Lent. He expressed his fascination with the fact that “the Son of God was willing to become human and share our fate, the fate of humankind”. Solidarity is therefore not a moral imperative, but a characteristic of the Saviour: Christ does not remain a spectator but enters into the conditions of human existence: hunger and thirst, physical pain, emotional burden, injustice, contempt, even disappointment at the weakness of friends.
Step forward openly: free access to the throne of grace
This solidarity does not remain general. It becomes concrete, comforting, and pastoral. In the same sermon it says, “Brother, sister, the Lord shares your suffering, He identifies with you. He not only understands your suffering, but He suffers for you and with you.”
It is precisely here that the imagery of the high priest meets the declaration of the epistle to the Hebrews: the true high priest does not stand on the other side of the curtain to guard access to it, but crosses it, and takes His own with Him. Therefore, the consequence is not: “Stay out until you are worthy enough”, but rather, “Let us therefore come boldly.”
Chief Apostle Schneider referred to this passage in Hebrews, saying, “The consequence for us can be found in chapter four: let us come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may find grace and help in time of need.”
The curtain is torn: holiness remains serious, grace becomes accessible
This also changes the logic of the old veil. The previous approach was exclusive: one person, one day a year, one room—and always under restriction.
The gospels send a strong message here: when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain in the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. This does not mean that someone tore it by hand, but that God Himself removed the boundary that indicated “this far and no further”.
Not because holiness is less serious, but because the mediator is greater. The proximity of God remains holy, but in Christ it is no longer hidden behind a curtain but is accessible to all who cling to Him and come to Him.
Photo: KI-generiert