18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. – 2 Corinthians 3:18
Masks
I think if we are honest with ourselves, we would have to admit that in varying degrees, all of us are guilty of hiding behind masks. We only let people get so close to us. We don’t want to be known, “warts and all”, so we try to hide our blemishes behind a mask. In our desire to be accepted we may even put on different masks around different groups. Perhaps we have a church mask, a work mask, and even a going out on the town mask. But how long can we keep up the charades? Wouldn’t it be more liberating to put down the masks and let people see us as we really are? When it comes to our relationships, God desires transparency, not hypocrisy. No one wants to see us liberated more than God.
The masks we hide behind may “cover” our faces, but they expose our hearts. They expose our pride, the real blemish of our souls. Unfortunately, we have seen throughout the pages of scriptures that often times, man will prefer to cover his face than purify his heart. So it was with the Israelites, so it was with the Pharisees. Fortunately, our God is a God of freedom and not barriers.
Glory Reflected
In the passage we are looking at from 2 Corinthians chapter 3, Paul is discussing the events originally recorded in Exodus chapter thirty-four. In this account, Moses was commanded by God to once again ascend Mount Sinai. It was time to replace the two tablets containing the Ten Commandments since Moses broke the originals when he saw his fellow Israelites defile themselves with the golden calf. Upon descending Mount Sinai with the second set of tablets, Moses is not consumed with anger as he was the first time, but unbeknownst to him, his face was shining. Moses was on Mount Sinai with God for forty days and forty nights. During that time Moses neither ate or drink. His only sustenance was the fellowship of his Covenant Keeping God. It was more than sufficient. Moses came down the mountain with the Law of God in his arms and the glory of God reflecting from his face. Unfortunately, his fellow Israelites weren’t ready for either.
When Aaron and the others saw the shining face of Moses they were greatly frightened. They were not caught red-handed with another golden calf, however, they were still not able to behold the glory of God. There is a quantum leap between the absence of a physical idol and the possession of a single-minded heart. Moses held in his arms the commandments of God on stone tablets, the people needed them written on their hearts. But their hearts were spiritually veiled during the age of the law. The people were rebellious and subject to idolatry. They had ears but could not hear and eyes but could not see. Because of their veiled hearts, it was necessary for Moses to cover his face with a veil. Although the reflected glory was fading from the face of Moses, it was too much for the proud hearts of the Israelites. The face of Moses would be veiled until the glory had faded away. But reflecting the glory of God wasn’t the responsibility of Moses alone, nor were the Israelites the only people to suffer from “veiled” hearts.
Exposed
It is no secret that when Jesus walked the earth, He was constantly at odds with the religious leaders of the day. These men who were supposed to be nurturing the children of God for the glory of God were instead promoting themselves and shutting the kingdom of heaven in peoples faces. In Matthew chapter twenty-three we have the very condemning rebuke of Jesus against the Pharisees. As He pronounces seven woes against them, Jesus calls the Pharisees hypocrites. It was a term from the theater. Literally, they were “actors under an assumed character” (Zodhiates Word Study). In other words, these men who were responsible for promoting the glory of God were protecting their pride behind masks. Once again, the masks they were hiding behind revealed the blemish of their souls. They were more interested in their own glory than the glory of God. Jesus would have no part of it. Always concerned about His Father’s glory, Jesus had no choice but to expose them and strip away their masks. Those whitewashed tombs were hiding dead people’s bones. The game is a difficult one to play forever. It is very difficult to cover a heart full of hypocrisy and lawlessness with a mask of righteousness. In fact, God knows it is impossible.
Unveiled Faces
As His adopted children, God has given us hearts of flesh. He has written the law on our hearts. He has filled us with the Holy Spirit. When Christ cried, “It is finished”, the curtain was torn in the temple and the veil was removed from our hearts. As Paul encourages us in today’s passage, ours is the privilege of beholding the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces. The grace that descended from the cross of Cavalry far exceeds the law that Moses descended with down Mount Sinai. The glory of the law was fading, the glory of grace never will. With unveiled faces, we are not only able to behold this eternal glory but more amazingly we are being transformed by it. Just as Moses reflected the glory of God after having fellowship with Him, ours is the privilege of reflecting the glory of our Lord as we are conformed into His image. But do we truly understand what it means to behold the glory of the Lord with unveiled faces?
While Moses was in the presence of God for a limited time, Christ is always with us. With the aid of the indwelling Spirit, our view of Christ is not obscured by a veil over our hearts. We can approach God’s throne with confidence and intimacy calling God Abba Father. We have the mind of Christ and we fellowship with the Trinity. The blood of Christ has removed the blemish of our hearts and opened our spiritual eyes.
God’s Glory
To have His glory known is God’s greatest desire and man’s greatest need. Accordingly, God cannot separate Himself from His glory. When we spend time in His presence we will behold it and we will reflect it. How clearly others will see it in part will be determined by the masks we choose to hide behind. Which is why we need to learn from the Israelites and the Pharisees, and most importantly from Jesus. Our faces reflect the condition of our hearts.
God has unveiled our faces so we can boldly and confidently reflect the glory of Christ. With such a beautiful Savior to reflect, why would we ever consider hiding behind masks? It is time to be honest with ourselves and others. It is past time to give up the charades. God despises hypocrisy and blesses transparency. I think we will all find that putting down the masks is both liberating and life-changing. Not only for us but for those who will more clearly be able to see the Savior’s reflection in us.
To God be the Glory.
16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. – 2 Corinthians 3:16-17