Why was the veil of the temple torn in the middle when Jesus died?

The tearing, or rending, of the temple veil when Jesus died on the cross was a strong symbolic act of God.  The rent veil shows physically that a believer's access to God is open through the value of the work of Christ.

Matthew 27:50-51 is the Bible reference that tells about the veil of the temple being torn:

(50)  And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
(51)  And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.

What was the Temple and its significance?

For centuries the temple was the central point of Old Testament Jewish worship. Many chapters from the books of Exodus and Leviticus give great detail as to how sacrifices were to be conducted, how the priests were to act and dress and what days were to be celebrated.  All of this ceremony centered first on Moses' Tabernacle that was carried through the wilderness journeys and then was reconstructed on even a grander scale in the building of Solomon's Temple.  The central point of the Temple was the innermost room, called the Holiest of Holies, which was hidden by the heavy Veil of the Temple.  Here the Ark of the Covenant was housed.  Only once a year a single priest was permitted to enter to atone for the sins of the people.  The Shekinah Glory of the presence of God filled the room with unapproachable light.

Hebrews 9:1-9 gives the New Testament commentary on the innermost sanctuary…

Hebrews 9:1-9

(1)  Now even the first covenant had regulations for worship and an earthly place of holiness.
(2)  For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place.
(3)  Behind the second curtain was a second section called the Most Holy Place,
(4)  having the golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden urn holding the manna, and Aaron's staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant.
(5)  Above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat. Of these things we cannot now speak in detail.
(6)  These preparations having thus been made, the priests go regularly into the first section, performing their ritual duties,
(7)  but into the second only the high priest goes, and he but once a year, and not without taking blood, which he offers for himself and for the unintentional sins of the people.
(8)  By this the Holy Spirit indicates that the way into the holy places is not yet opened as long as the first section is still standing
(9)  (which is symbolic for the present age). According to this arrangement, gifts and sacrifices are offered that cannot perfect the conscience of the worshiper,

Leviticus 16:11-19 tells of the annual ceremony that was conducted inside the veil.

(11)  "Aaron shall present the bull as a sin offering for himself, and shall make atonement for himself and for his house. He shall kill the bull as a sin offering for himself.
(12)  And he shall take a censer full of coals of fire from the altar before the LORD, and two handfuls of sweet incense beaten small, and he shall bring it inside the veil
(13)  and put the incense on the fire before the LORD, that the cloud of the incense may cover the mercy seat that is over the testimony, so that he does not die.
(14)  And he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the front of the mercy seat on the east side, and in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
(15)  "Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat.
(16)  Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people of Israel and because of their transgressions, all their sins. And so he shall do for the tent of meeting, which dwells with them in the midst of their uncleannesses.
(17)  No one may be in the tent of meeting from the time he enters to make atonement in the Holy Place until he comes out and has made atonement for himself and for his house and for all the assembly of Israel.
(18)  Then he shall go out to the altar that is before the LORD and make atonement for it, and shall take some of the blood of the bull and some of the blood of the goat, and put it on the horns of the altar all around.
(19)  And he shall sprinkle some of the blood on it with his finger seven times, and cleanse it and consecrate it from the uncleannesses of the people of Israel.

How big was the veil?

The veil was an immense piece of heavy cloth.  Accoring to 1 Kings 6:2  "The house that King Solomon built for the LORD was sixty cubits long, twenty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high."  Thirty cubits high would make the veil about 45 feet tall. 

The Jewish historian Josephus claimed that the temple height was raised to 40 cubits (60 feet) tall.  Alfred Edersheim, in his book, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah tells about its thickness.   "The Veils before the Most Holy Place were 40 cubits (60 feet) long, and 20 (30 feet) wide, of the thickness of the palm of the hand, and wrought in 72 squares, which were joined together; and these Veils were so heavy, that, in the exaggerated language of the time, it needed 300 priests to manipulate each."

There is also an apparently false reference in the Ryrie Study Bible in Exodus 26:31-35 about what Josephus claimed about the veil.  “Josephus reported that the veil was 4 inches thick, was renewed every year, and that horses tied to each side could not pull it apart." But no such reference can be found in Josephus' writings (see Josephus Wars 5.5.4 for Josephus' original description of the veil).

What is the symbolism of the torn veil?

When the veil was torn open, at least three teachings of Christ became evidently clear. 

First, the atonement ceremony that the priest had to perform once a year was shown to be obsolete.  The sacrifice and shed blood of Christ provided a new way into the holiest of all. 

Hebrews 10:19-22

(19)  Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus,
(20)  by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh,
(21)  and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
(22)  let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

The famous quote from Jesus in John 14 is a reference to our ability to speak directly to our heavenly Father. John 14:6  Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

Second, the pathway into the very presence of God is opened once and for all for both Jews and Gentiles. The Temple was strictly off limits to any Gentile worshipers ever since its grand opening.  But the death of Christ created a new unity between the two groups as stated here in Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:11-22

(11)  Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called "the uncircumcision" by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands--
(12)  remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
(13)  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
(14)  For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility
(15)  by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace,
(16)  and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
(17)  And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near.
(18)  For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father.
(19)  So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,
(20)  built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
(21)  in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
(22)  In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Third, the opening of the Holiest of All revealed to the priests and to the whole world that the Shekinah glory had left the Temple.  Jesus spoke on several occasions about the abandonment of the Temple by God.

Luke 13:35  Behold, your house is forsaken. And I tell you, you will not see me until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!'"

Luke 13 refers to a coming time of judgment against Israel in which the city, the temple and the land would be plundered and abandoned during a period of exile.  It can be assumed that the priests repaired the torn veil and continued their empty rituals, but the torn veil showed the world that God had already abandoned the place.

Conclusion

 Sin has always been an obstacle for man to approach God since Adam was exiled from the Garden of Eden.  God chose to dwell among his people in the Holiest of Holies from the time of Moses to Christ but with severe restrictions.  One priest, once a year, could come to the Holiest of All with the blood of an animal to cover his sins and the sins of the people.  But when Jesus died, he completed the requirements of the sacrifices once and for all.  The rending of the temple veil was physical evidence that the way was opened forever and for all people.  We now approach God with the boldness of one who carries the value of the blood of Christ.

• Are New Testament believers of a higher class than those of the OT?
• Did God forbid the Jews to loan money?
• Did God replace Israel with the church?
• Do the two loaves of the Day of Pentecost represent the Jews and the Gentiles?
• How many years were the children of Israel in slavery in Egypt?
• Was Caleb an Israelite?
• Were the Jews responsible for killing Jesus?
• Were there 12 or 13 tribes of Israel?
• What did Joseph's dream about the Sun Moon and Stars mean?
• When does the restoration of all things by Elias take place?
• Where are the ten lost tribes of Israel?
• Where does the name "Jew" come from?
• Where in the Bible does it talk about the Day of Atonement?
• Where in the Bible does it talk about the Feast of First fruits?
• Where in the Bible does it talk about the Feast of Pentecost?
• Where in the Bible does it talk about the Feast of Tabernacles?
• Where in the Bible does it talk about the Feast of the Unleavened Bread?
• Where in the Bible does it talk about the Feast of Trumpets?
• Where in the Bible does it talk about the Passover?
• Why are there so many problems between Jews and Muslims?
• Why did God wait 400 years to give Abraham the promised land?
• Why was the veil of the temple torn in the middle when Jesus died?