Bible Study on Easter through Mark 15:38 ("Temple Curtain Tore in Two")
Mark 15:38
“And the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom.” (NET)
Welcome to the Easter Edition: Bible Study Guide for Mark 15:38, which leverages questions from the CHARA Bible Study Guide when studying this verse. Below are the questions the Chara team chose to ask, in the order they chose to ask them, but feel free to use other questions or change up the order as you dive into this passage. For ANSWERS from the Chara team on these questions, check out the video below.
CONTEXT
Immediate: What is the theme or main idea found in the surrounding paragraph(s)? (Hint: Read Mark 15:25-39 to get the backdrop of what’s going on. For the fuller Easter story, feel free to back up and start reading beginning at Mark 15:1 and read through the end of the book)
RESEARCH
Observations & Questions: What questions do you have when you reread the passage? (For example, a question you may have is what does the “curtain temple being torn in two” mean? What’s the significance of it being torn from top to bottom after Jesus’ death?)
HISTORY
How would the original audience have heard this message? Check out cross references of Mark 15:38 and you’ll likely find it draws you back to the history of the Israelites building the tabernacle with the curtain (Hint: it should lead you to references like Exodus 26:1-3, 33, Exodus 40:33-34, Leviticus 16:2, 32-34, Leviticus 21:10-12, 21-23). Additionally, you may run across other verses that give a description of Solomon’s temple that was patterned after the tabernacle (Hint: verse like in 2 Chronicles 3:8-14 and 1 King 6:19-22).
CONTEXT
Bible: How does knowing this history help you understand how the veil or curtain in Mark 15:38 fits into the big story of the Bible?
Bible: Does my interpretation hold true throughout the rest of the Bible? By now we’re probably seeing the significance of the temple curtain being torn would have been huge. It would have meant that anyone could enter into the Most Holy Place and have access to God, not just the High Priest. Use your cross references to see if you can find other places in the Bible that speak to the curtain or veil and its significance. (Hint: It should lead you to places like Hebrews 6:19-20, Hebrews 9:1-3, Hebrews 9:11-15, Hebrews 10:10-14 and Hebrews 10:19-22) Based on the verses found across the Bible, what’s the significance of the veil tearing in two?
RESEARCH
Resources: What insights do you learn from Biblical scholars provided in Study Bibles, commentaries, and credible online resources?
APPLY
Ask: What do you learn about God - His character, attributes, or desires?
Pray: “Lord, what do you want me to learn and how should I apply this to my life?”
Join the Chara Project team as they study Mark 15:38 and see their ANSWERS to the questions asked from the CHARA Bible Study Guide.