“We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, sure and steadfast, which reaches inside behind the curtain, where Jesus our forerunner entered on our behalf, since he became a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek” (Hebrews 6:19-20 NET).
This portion of Scripture references the “…the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf” (NIV). The Gospel of Mark underscores the gravity of this statement with the account of an event that took place following Jesus’ crucifixion: “And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last. Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Mark 15:37-38).
We’ll discuss this subject at greater length when we reach Hebrews chapter nine. For now, we can say that one person was authorized to enter the innermost part of the temple known as the Most Holy Place. That person was the Jewish High Priest. He was permitted to enter this area once a year on the Day Of Atonement (also known as Yom Kippur), when a sacrifice was offered for the sins of the nation (see Leviticus chapter sixteen).
To access God’s direct presence within that room, the High Priest first had to pass through a great curtain that separated this area from the rest of the Temple. This curtain was said to be ninety feet (27m) tall, but Mark’s Gospel tells us that this enormous veil was immediately torn from top to bottom upon Jesus’ death. This detail is significant, for the fact that this curtain was torn in that direction indicates that God was responsible for orchestrating that event.
This action also served to demonstrate that access to God’s dwelling place was now freely available to all through Jesus’ sacrificial work on the cross. Unlike the limited access afforded to the High Priest exclusively through the Old Testament sacrificial system, anyone can now approach God and enter His direct presence through Christ. One Biblical scholar weaves these diverse threads together in the context of our passage from Hebrews…
“The anchor of the believer is, therefore, fastened within the veil of the Holy of Holies of heaven. We have some rich figures here. This present life is the sea; the soul, a ship; the hidden bottom of the sea, the hidden reality of the heavenly word. The soul is seen as storm-tossed on the troubled sea of life. The soul of the believer, as a tempest-tossed ship, is held by the anchor within the veil, fastened by faith to the blessed reality within the veil.” (1)
(1) Kenneth S. Wuest, Word Studies in the Greek New Testament [Hebrews 6:19] Copyright © 1942-55 by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.