“Inside Out” (2 Cor 3:12-4:2) - Transfiguration Sunday -

The Great Stone Face

There is a famous short story titled, The Great Stone Face, written by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In the story there is a rock formation imagined to resemble the shape and features of a human face. There is a prophecy, alleged to descend from the Native Americans, that some day a hero would be born in that town whose features would resemble the Great Stone Face. So the people are expectantly waiting for the hero. There is a boy whose name is Ernest. He is very inspired by this prophecy. He himself is expectantly waiting. As time passes, one by one the heroes who claim themselves “I am the one” visit the town and seek public recognition. First, a very successful business man, Mr. Gathergold visits, then charismatic veteran, General Old Blood-and-Thunder, and then presidential candidate, Mr. Old Stony Phiz. Each of them enjoy being recognized for the time being, but later it is found that all of them have character flaws that prevent them form fulfilling the prophecy. During this string of disappointment, Ernest has become an aged man. He used to be a hill farmer, but now he is a local lay preacher. One evening, he delivers his message outside where the worshipers can see the Great Stone Face high above. His words have power, because they harmonize with the life which he has always lived. They are the words of life. After the message, the people realize and shout, “Behold! Behold! Ernest is himself the likeness of the Great Stone Face!” But, Ernest walked slowly homeward, still hoping that some wiser and better person than himself would by and by appear, bearing a resemblance to the Great Stone Face. 

The Radiant Face of Moses

In today’s passage Paul tells us about the story of Moses whose face became radiant after talking with God. When the Israelites saw Moses, they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to the people, he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai. When he finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. Why? Why did Moses veil his face? It was to protect Israel from being destroyed. As we know, our God is holy. Though he wants to dwell among his people, he cannot dwell in the midst of a sinful and stiff-necked people. At Sinai, God did meet his people, but he put limits for them around mountain, that they might not die by touching its boundaries. They saw God’s glory from a distance. That way God could dwell among his people without destroying them. Only Moses was allowed to meet God face-to-face as the mediator of the covenant. So after Moses talked with God, his face reflected God’s glory. But if the people saw the glory of God closely, they would die. Moses had to veil his face in order to preserve them from being destroyed. And that way God’s glory could continue to dwell among the Israelites without destroying them. The veil here expresses God’s mercy.

But, there is one problem. This veil not only preserves Israel from being destroyed; it also keeps her from being transformed, because the people of Israel were not able to taste and see God’s glory at first hand. They always experienced God at second hand through Moses. For them, God is distant God. For them, the light of the glory of God is so dim and not powerful enough to transform their lives. This is the limitation of the Old Covenant. The law of God itself is good and perfect (cf. 1Tim 1:8; Ps 19:7), but it does not have the power to transform the recipients who are corrupt and stiff-necked. The veil represents God’s mercy, but at the same time, it is a hindrance to seeing God’s glory.

The Veil Is Removed!

It is the dilemma of the veil. It protects us from being destroyed but also prevents us from being transformed. But, in today’s passage Paul preaches the Good News! He says, “But when one turns to the Lord Jesus Christ, the veil is removed.” Jesus removed the veil once for all by his death. Jesus, the Lamb of God took up all our sins, and God poured out his righteous wrath against sin on his Son Jesus Christ. So now, he doesn’t need to put limits. He doesn’t need to make the Tent of Meeting outside the camp. He doesn’t need to have a mediator to communicate with his people. Jesus has become our sin, and we have become his righteousness (2Co 5:21). So now, God is able to dwell among us without any hindrance. And we are able to boldly approach the throne of grace with confidence. The veil is removed. We can see God face-to-face. Thanks be to God!

The Veil Still Remains

But Paul is grieving because some of the Christians in Corinth were still living in the Old Testament. In 2 Corinthians 3:15, he says, “Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts.” In other words, some Christians still preferred to have the veil. They preferred to experience God from a distance at second hand. They preferred to be content with their current spiritual plateau rather than to directly see God’s glory to be transformed more and more. And what about us?

There are quite a few pheasants are reared on farms in Korea. Once I had a chance to hear how they are raised. I was quite surprised. Contrary to my expectations, the farm just has the low fence that surrounds it, but the sky is wide open. But the strange thing is that no one tries to escape or even fly. The reason is this: the bird “hat” or “veil” that prevents the birds from seeing the sky. That is all. By nature, pheasants must see the sky first in order to fly. And when the veil is put, they easily give up flying. They begin to look at the ground to find food. They get content with that. My children love the buffet. Now is better, but there was a time when Abe just wanted to stuff himself with ice cream and donuts. He didn’t even look at all the other good food. D.L. Moody said that God prepared a great feast for his children, but too often we are just satisfied with crumbs. And what about us?

Inside Out

Many Christians think that the gospel is to go to heaven after death. Some think that it is the forgiveness of sins. Some think it is to be healed. Some think it is to live a good moral life. They are all good. They are all the outcome of the gospel. But the gospel of Christ is much more than that. But, compared to the greatest good of the gospel, all of these are just like crumbs, ice cream, and donuts. The greatest good of the gospel is the truth that we are reconciled to God through Christ, and now we are able to see God’s glory, like Moses, with unveiled face! Now whenever we turn to Christ, we can enter Holy of the Holies to see God’s radiant face directly. The sweetest good of the gospel is to be transformed from inside out by the work of the Spirit into God’s image more and more by looking to his glory. The highest good of the gospel is to be radiant as God’s children by bearing the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal 5:22-23).  

Paul clearly says this gospel, this promise is available to everyone. In 2 Cor 3:18, he says, “We all – not just apostles, pastors, elders, or special people, but all Christians – with unveiled face, can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. But there is one condition: we must turn to the Lord. In other words, we must make ourselves available for God to transform us. We must allow the Holy Spirit to renew us, remold us, and reshape us. The transformation is not instantaneous but gradual. It is a daily walk with Christ. We are transformed into Christlikeness “from one degree of glory to another.” Do you take time to actually sit down and talk with God face-to-face on a daily basis? Do you see his glory without hindrance? In what areas of life can you see “inside out” transformation into his image?