When I first became introduced with the word "rend," I attended the Rock and Worship Roadshow in the Spring of 2012. Usually when I go to these huge concerts, I have no interest in the bands who open, but one band caught my eye, the Rend Collective Experiment. A couple things stood out to me. First of all, due to my nerdiness, seeing that a band would put the word "experiment" into their name already made me interested. As they played their folkish, Scottish, bagpipe music, I fell in love. I began listening to them periodically, not even paying attention to the name, and what it meant.
One day, I had a sudden realization... I had NO idea what the word "rend" meant. I guess I just overlooked it because it was such a small word, but I just had to look up the definition. I was amazed when I read it. According to my pals Merriam and Webster, the definition of "rend" is "to remove from place by violence" or "to split or tear apart in pieces violently."
Such a small word... but such a huge meaning.
After I looked up the definition of this word, I just had to see what the Word had to do with this word. I searched the word "rend" in the ESV and I came up with 2 results.
"Oh that you would rend the heavens and come down, that the mountains might quake at your presence" - Isaiah 64:1
"and rend your hearts, not your garments. Return to the Lord your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love; and he relents over disaster." - Joel 2:13
How much more meaning do these verses convey just after learning the definition of a new word? I see the verse in Isaiah prophecing what happened to the veil when Jesus shed his blood. To think that the veil separating man from God was rended. The veil was split, and torn apart into pieces violently.
I often forget that Jesus's punishment was violent. It was painful. I couldn't imagine watching it. But because of his violent death, the veil that hindered us from God was torn away, violently. The temple was torn into pieces, violently. I wouldn't have been surprised if the Earth's axis decreases by a couple degrees when Jesus took his last breathe. This is so key though. We now have this opportunity to enter into the Lord's presence daily, but when the veil was up, only one man in the entire world was able to enter into his presence. It's nice knowing I serve a God who wants me to get to know him, and just sit at his feet.
This is getting back to the affect I want this blog to have though. Not only is it a way for me to have an outlet from the toil of the day, but also I want people to take off their blindfold. Not only to take off their blindfold, but to rend their blindfold; to tear it into pieces with violence. I desire for the people of my generation to see the truth of this world. The only genuine truth that I have found in my 17 years of existence is Jesus. He is the ultimate truth. His Word is truth. When Jesus came down to this Earth 2,000 years ago, he, being the truth, put on the flesh of man, and walked this world as a living, breathing truth that you could actually touch and have conversation with! He is the only truth. Everything that we see is made by him, and for him.
Rend the blindfold. Tear it into pieces, and look Jesus in the face. He's ready to embrace you. All you have to do is take off the blindfold, and run into his arms. He's not a translucent God. His desire is to hear from his children. He cares so much about you, that he would give his life for you. Talk to him tonight.
Veritas Curat: The Truth Cures.
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