TEARED IN TWOSo, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; Matthew 27:51aThe narrator has changed his style. Jesus is always at the center. His death remains the center of attention, but now the themes of miracles act as loaded exclamation points on the subject of the crucifixion.1 The temple, the center of the Jewish universe, is split, the veil torn in two , the captives are released. . God has spoken. Mark does not include the miraculous acts listed above, but illustrates the change of location from earth to heaven by comparing the earthly Jesus, "the temple made with hands", who was "given as a ransom for many » (Mark 10:45) to the resurrected Jesus.2 The tearing of the veil in Mark exposes the very face of God, splitting the heavens and opening a heavenly passage, revealing God to all.3 “Certainly the significance of the fact that the veil is torn The veil revealing the “face” of God facing the one who sits not on the ark or the cherubim, but on the cross, would not be lost on sensitive and culturally perceptive readers! »4 The purpose of Mark's Gospel is to reveal God. The first Gospel begins a Christological conversation that continues throughout the passion narratives and interrelated scriptures. Matthew references the Gospel of Mark extensively and goes beyond the telling of the story. It affirms important theological concepts while building on Mark's revelation that Jesus is God. Matthew demonstrates, through references to the Old Testament, to Mark, and through connections within his own composition, that Jesus is the fulfillment of God's eschatological and saving promise. “This expansion brings the supernatural signs surrounding the death of Jesus to a dramatic climax: at the moment of Jesus' death, the temple curtain is in the middle of a paper......the death of Jesus. . (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007)174-175 13 Chronis, Harry L. “The Torn Veil: Worship and Christology in Mark 15:37-39.” » Journal of Biblical Literature 101 no 1 Mr 1982, 114. 14 Daniel M. Gurtner. The Torn Veil: Matthew's Exposition of the Death of Jesus. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), 172-177. 15 Paraphrased from a conversation with Pastor Colier McNair, Zion City International Ministries, Madison, Wisconsin, April 17, 2014. 16 Dale C. Allison, Jr. Studies in Matthew: Interpretation Past and Present. (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2005), 105. 17 154 Ulrich Luz. Matthew 21-28: Hermeneia-A critical and historical commentary on the Bible. (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005), 563. 18 Daniel M. Gurtner. The Torn Veil: Matthew's Exposition of the Death of Jesus. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2007), 199.