David TV

To understand why this moment is so significant you have to understand what that curtain actually was.

In the Jewish temple there was a thick curtain that separated the outer courts from the innermost room called the Holy of Holies. This was the place where God's presence dwelled. It was so sacred that only one priest could enter it and only once a year on the Day of Atonement. And even then he had to go through an elaborate process of purification before stepping inside. Historians note that this curtain was estimated to be around 60 feet tall and several inches thick. It was not something that tore easily.

And the moment Jesus breathed His last breath it split from top to bottom.

Scholars specifically point out the direction of the tear. Top to bottom. Not bottom to top. No human hands started it. God tore it from His side. It was His declaration that the barrier between Himself and humanity was finished. The system that kept ordinary people at a distance from His presence was over.

You no longer need a priest to approach God for you. You no longer have to go through rituals and ceremonies to get access to Him. Because of what Jesus did on that cross you can walk directly into the presence of God any moment of any day.

That is not a small thing. For thousands of years people could not do what you can do right now. Simply close your eyes and talk to Him.

Do not take that access for granted.
The curtain is gone. Walk in.

📖 Matthew 27:51
"At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom."

Amen!🙏✝️🛐🕊️

The One who rose from the dead claimed all authority and then sent His people to the nations. That is what stands at the center of Matthew 28:16–20.

After the resurrection, the eleven disciples
went to Galilee, to the mountain
where Jesus had directed them.

When they saw Him, Matthew says
they worshiped Him, but some doubted.
That small detail matters.

Even in this final scene, the disciples
are not presented as flawless men
who have fully mastered everything.
They are worshiping, yet still struggling.

And it is to these very disciples
that Jesus speaks His great commission.

That matters because it shows
that resurrection did not only bring
comfort to frightened followers.

It also brought a call.

Jesus did not rise merely to assure
the disciples that death had been defeated,
though that is certainly true.

He rose and then gathered His people
in order to send them.

The risen Christ did not leave His church
with only a memory to treasure.
He gave them a mission to carry.

The setting in Galilee is also important.

Earlier in Matthew’s Gospel, Galilee had been
the place where much of Jesus’ ministry unfolded.
It was the region where the disciples
had first followed Him, where crowds
had heard Him teach, and where
His kingdom had already
begun to be made known.

Now, after the cross and resurrection,
they are brought there again.

It is as if the story is moving forward,
not ending in silence.

The mountain setting also fits Matthew well.
In this Gospel, mountains often become
places where important revelation is given.
Here, on this mountain, the risen Jesus speaks
not only as teacher, but as King.

His first words make that clear,
“All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me.”

This is not a small statement.

Jesus is not simply claiming
influence or moral leadership.

He is declaring universal authority.

The One who was crucified and raised
is now revealed as the reigning Son.
His resurrection is not only a return to life.
It is the public vindication of His person and work.

He is the risen King, and His authority
reaches as far as heaven and earth.

That is why the next command
follows so naturally, “Go therefore
and make disciples of all nations.”

Mission rises out of His authority.

The disciples are sent because Jesus reigns.
The church does not go into the world
as a group of people trying
to make Christ important.

The church goes because Christ already is Lord.

The task is not to invent His authority,
but to announce it and call people to follow Him.

What Jesus commands is also worth noticing.
He does not say merely to gather
crowds or spread information.
He says to make disciples.

That includes baptizing them
in the name of the Father and
of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
and teaching them to observe
all that He commanded.

In other words, the mission is not shallow.
It is not only about decisions, but about
lives brought under the rule of Christ.

It is about people being joined
to the triune God and formed
into obedient followers of Jesus.

But the passage does not end with command alone.

It ends with promise,
“And behold, I am with you always,
to the end of the age.”

That final word is as important
as the commission itself.

Jesus sends His disciples,
but He does not send them
away from His presence.

The risen King remains with His people.
The mission is large, the nations are many,
and the disciples themselves are weak,
but the presence of Christ will not fail them.

That may be one of the most
comforting parts of the passage.

The Great Commission is not a burden
placed on abandoned servants.
It is a calling given by the risen Lord
who stays with His church.

His authority grounds the mission,
and His presence sustains it.

So this appearance in Galilee shows us
something vital, resurrection leads to mission.

Jesus rose not only to comfort
His disciples in their fear,
but to commission them
for the world.

The empty tomb leads to the nations.
The risen Christ gathers worshipers,
and then He sends them.

And perhaps that is a needed reminder for the church. We are not only people who look back at the resurrection with gratitude. We are people sent forward by the risen King. Yet even as we go, we do not go alone, because the One who has all authority is also the One who promised to remain with His people to the end.

WHEN HEAVEN OPENED AS STONES FELL

📖 Acts 7:59–60
“And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.”

In the streets of Jerusalem, anger roared like a storm. The religious leaders could not endure the truth any longer. Stephen, a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit, had boldly proclaimed Jesus Christ as the Righteous One. His words pierced their hearts — but instead of repentance, they chose rage.

They dragged him outside the city. Stones were lifted into the air. Dust rose from the ground. And then the first stone struck.

But Stephen did not scream curses. He did not beg for mercy from men. The Bible tells us that as they stoned him, he was calling upon God. His eyes were not fixed on his attackers — they were fixed on heaven. Scripture says earlier in the chapter that he saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. Heaven was not silent. Heaven was open.

As the stones continued to fall, Stephen fell to his knees — not in defeat, but in surrender. With his final breath he prayed the most Christ-like prayer ever spoken by a dying man:

“Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.”

In his last moments, he reflected the very heart of Jesus on the cross. Forgiveness in the face of violence. Love in the middle of hatred. Faith in the shadow of death.

And then the Bible says something powerful: “He fell asleep.”
Not defeated. Not destroyed. But asleep — because for the believer, death is not the end. It is the doorway to glory.

Stephen became the first Christian martyr. And standing nearby was a young man named Saul, who approved of his death — a man who would later become Paul the Apostle and carry the Gospel to the nations. What looked like tragedy was the spark of revival. The blood of a faithful witness became the seed of the Church.

This story reminds us: the world may throw stones, but heaven stands. Faith may be tested, but it cannot be crushed. When you stand for Christ, you never stand alone.