With Unveiled Faces—Lectionary Reflection for Transfiguration Sunday, Year C (2 Corinthians 3-4)

2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 New Revised Standard Version

¹² Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, ¹³ not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that^] was being set aside. ¹⁴ But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. ¹⁵ Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; 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. ¹⁸ And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

4 Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. ² We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.

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                We have reached the moment when the church remembers the transfiguration of Jesus. The Gospel reading for Transfiguration Sunday comes from Luke 9:28-43. There we find Jesus on Mount Tabor along with three of his disciples. The three disciples observe the unveiling of Jesus’ glory and hear a voice from heaven declaring: “This is my Son, my chosen! Listen to him.” The Second Reading for Transfiguration Sunday comes from 2 Corinthians. Instead of pointing back to the moment of Jesus’ transfiguration, it looks even further back to another earlier divine-human encounter. That would be Moses’ encounter with God on Mount Sinai, where he received the two tablets of the covenant. According to the reading from Exodus 34, when Moses came down from the mountain, he didn’t realize that his face shined so brightly that the people were afraid to approach him. Nevertheless, Moses called the people together and spoke to them about his encounter with God. After this, Moses put on a veil, so that the people might not be afraid. From then on, when Moses went into the tent to talk with God, he took off the veil and leave it off until he spoke to the people about the things discussed with God. Then he put it back on until the next visit (Exodus 34:29-35). The message here is that God is light and that Moses reflected that light after his visits. Vladimir Lossky speaks of this light encountered by Moses and by the disciples “as the visible quality of divinity, of the energies or grace in which God makes Himself known” [Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church, 221].

                 What we encounter in 2 Corinthians 3 and 4 is Paul’s reflection on Moses’ encounter with God and his decision to put on a veil after his divine encounters. At first glance, Paul’s interpretation of that experience seems to put Moses and the Mosaic covenant in a poor light. This means we need to be careful about how we read Paul’s interpretation of Exodus 34. In other words, once again we need to be careful that we don’t fall prey to supersessionism, such that in our embrace of the gospel of Jesus we denigrate Moses and Judaism. We want to be careful not to suggest that Christianity somehow replaces Judaism as God’s covenant people.

                With that caveat we can dive into Paul’s message found here in 2 Corinthians 3, where he speaks of hearing the message of God with unveiled faces. What we read here in this passage is part of a larger discussion of Paul’s authority and ministry. His critics likely are Jewish Christians who are questioning his interpretation of Torah. He insists that he has a better understanding than do they because reads it through the lens of the Spirit (2 Cor. 3:1-11). In his defense of his ministry, he contrasts himself with Moses, whom he claims lacked boldness because he put on a veil to cover the fact that with time the glory of God’s that was reflected on his face had faded. In other words, Moses put on a veil so the people didn’t know that this divine glow wasn’t permanent.  

                While Paul does seem to question Moses’ fidelity, he’s more concerned with the way Torah is read in relationship to Jesus. Paul suggests that his critics read Torah with a veil covering their minds. In other words, they couldn’t see how the old covenant of Moses pointed to Jesus as the fulfillment of that covenant. As noted above, we have to be careful that as we read this passage we don’t fall prey to supersessionism. The fact is, we don’t have to denigrate Moses or the Mosaic covenant to perceive in the Old Testament a word about Jesus. As David DeSilva points out, Paul’s focus is not on the “quality of the Mosaic covenant” but “the way in which certain rival Jewish Christian teachers have been presenting themselves and seeking to establish themselves in Corinth” [Connections, p. 307]. While these teachers might not be offering what in their mind was a more Torah-observant gospel as in Galatia, they do appear to be attempting to impress the Corinthians with their credentials. Paul responds by pointing to the Spirit of God so that where the Spirit is, there is freedom. And as they see the glory of God with unveiled faces, as in a mirror (see 1 Corinthians 13) they will be “transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” (2 Cor. 3:18). The goal here then is the transformation of the believer into the image of God.

                The opening verses of 2 Corinthians 4 confirm that Paul is seeking to defend his ministry. He tells his readers, with whom he seems to have had a rough relationship, that he and his companions have “renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word.” Instead, they have proclaimed the truth and commended themselves “to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.” In other words, he has been transparent about his motives and his message, and we would assume Paul is suggesting that his opponents have been less forthcoming.

                So, how might we hear in this word from Paul, as he draws from Moses' encounter with God as described in Exodus 34, a word about the transfiguration of Jesus?  Both the reading from Exodus 34 and the reading from Luke 9 speak of God as light. Moses’ face glows as he reflects the light of God after his encounters. In the way Luke describes the transfiguration, Jesus exudes light. Here in 2 Corinthians Paul invites us to remove the veil that covers our minds so that when we read Scripture, we will see Jesus. This requires the presence of the Spirit of God who enables us to see the things of God in a new light. Then, as we draw close to God in Christ, we may reflect that glory of God as if we are a mirror. When we reflect the glory of God we experience transformation “into the same image from one degree of glory to another.” This “comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”

                Paul closes his message by speaking of transparency in his ministry. As he and his companions have undertaken their missionary work, which included founding the church in Corinth, he writes that “we have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God" (2 Cor. 4:2).

                As we gather to celebrate Transfiguration Sunday, we too can reflect in our lives the glory of God with unveiled faces. We too can be changed by our encounter with the glory of God, as happened with Paul on the Damascus Road. As for us, and what we perceive in our encounters with the divine, may see Jesus as he truly is, even as the disciples saw Jesus as he truly is on the Mount of Transfiguration.