Removing the Veil

Introduction

Today is known as Transfiguration Sunday in the Christian year calendar. There are three bible passages in the lectionary readings that all have to do with this transfiguration concept. In the Old Testament reading, you hear about Moses and when he went into the tent of meeting and spoke with God, his face shone with God’s glory from having been present with God and seeing God’s glory. In the Gospel reading, three disciples, Peter, John, and James were taken to a mountain to pray with Jesus. They witnessed God’s true glory in Jesus being revealed to them. In the final reading which we tackle today, we read about how Paul spoke to Christians today are privileged to have had this veil which hid God’s glory removed from us. We too can experience God’s glory without the hindrance of a veil hiding it from us.

Trouble in the text

In our passage, Paul starts by sharing that the veil over Moses’ face kept the Israelites from seeing the glory of God Moses experienced personally. Instead because of this, they hardened their minds and hearts towards God. This is to say that there was a hindrance to embracing the glory of God they could experience. Paul says that even when hearing scripture, the veil lies over their minds hindering them.

Another way to look at this is when we hear the story of Moses on Mt. Sinai. The people hear God and witness his power and might and cry out that they do not wish to witness directly or hear directly from God for fear they will perish. The pattern hear is that they have this veil coming between them and God’s glory directly. They only experience it indirectly through people like Moses. Instead of being transformed by it, instead it remains hidden from them.

Trouble in the world

In the same way we too witness and perhaps experience this same challenge and God’s glory being hidden from us. Perhaps in some ways, we still are like the Israelites who fear direct encounter with God thinking we will surely perish or be put in a situation where we will be put on trial and condemned.

This leads us down into the same path as the Israelites where God’s glory, meant to show majesty and holiness and inspire awe in creation, is hidden from us. In some ways, it is easier to try and keep a buffer between us and God for fear of what might happen. Yet, in reality, something much greater lies ahead if we change our ways and seek God directly.

Grace in the text

Paul says plainly the answer to both our hindrance as well as the Israelites solution. Verse 16 says but when one turns tot he Lord, the veil is removed. Think Paul’s own story. He staunchly opposed the followers of Jesus. The religious leaders of his day too did the same thing by opposing Jesus. They in a sense were fighting to keep things as is rather than turning to the Lord who could remove the veil that had hindered their ability to know and experience God’s glory. Yet we read in Paul’s own testimony that when he regained his sight again in

Acts 9:18 “18 And immediately something like scales fell from his eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized,”

He was given sight whereas he was blinded before. In some ways he was blind to Jesus and the way to embrace Jesus and the glory that he revealed to the world. Yet after being struck down in that road, and in this verse having received his sight, he turned to the Lord and embraced following Jesus Christ as Lord. Ever since that day he was shown by God more and more evidence and experienced passion and power to proclaim the gospel news of Jesus Christ, the solution to the hidden glory of God, the solution to restoring the broken relationship with God directly.

Grace in the world

So where does this leave us? Actually, we too are in the crossroads deciding whether to hide ourselves and let others be a buffer between us and God or whether we are ready to turn to the Lord and embrace the full relationship with God that is found through Jesus Christ. Do we continue living in the dimly lit world witnessing others being transformed by God’s glory or do we embrace Jesus Christ and seek to have that veil removed where we see and experience God’s glory personally?

What can be challenging is the fears that creep into our minds. The first fear set is fearing direct encounter with God. Yet a personal relationship is exactly what God wants and is exactly what we need in our lives. The personal relationship builds up our experience and knowledge in knowing the love God has for us individually. Love defeats the fear when we let God in.

The second fear set is hiding from God because you fear what may be asked of you. You fear change God might impose on your life. The Grace of God is in fact life changing and yes God wants to change your life. Yet once you understand the love God has for you and the limitless of God’s wisdom and power as demonstrated by his glory, then it is no longer a fearful change but a sense of wonder of what might be. When we pair this with God’s love for us, then we see and understand God’s true glory that has been hidden from us.

God’s glory shows us light beyond what we can do or create on our own. God’s glory reveals a sense of holiness beyond anything of this world. We do not worship or follow any created being but the very one who created all. God is not bound to ways of this world nor is God only able to work in certain ways based on how we have experienced this world. God is the King of all and is above all.

This transfiguration Sunday is a reminder of just this. Whether we look back in the story of Moses and think the veil Moses had to wear because the people were fearful of God’s glory or we think of the disciples and how they misunderstood who Jesus is until this moment, it all leads us back to understanding and experiencing what turning to the Lord does for our lives. We too experience a transformation in our lives where we let God in and the veil is removed in our lives to show us God’s glory. God’s glory in turn changes our lives.