II Corinthians 3:12-18 *
In the name of Christ Jesus, dear friends:
What is this (show the people a veil)? This piece of semi see-through cloth is probably better known as a veil. Veils are not all that common today (you can sometimes see them at weddings or funerals), but they do play a role in a number of Bible stories.
There is the story of Jacob and Laban in Genesis 29. Jacob agreed to work for his uncle for seven years in exchange for Laban’s daughter Rachel. But after the seven years were over, Laban gave Jacob his older daughter Leah instead. Why didn’t Jacob realize that he had been deceived until after he had consummated his marriage with Leah? Many believe that it was because Leah’s bridal veil concealed her identity.
A few chapters later (Genesis 38) is the lesser known story
of Judah and his daughter-in-law Tamar.
Without getting into all the details, Tamar felt cheated by
You are probably more familiar with the story of John the Baptist recorded in the New Testament (Matthew 14). King Herod had imprisoned John for speaking out against his immoral relationship with his brother’s wife Herodias. And it was the daughter of Herodias (secular history recognizes her as Salome) who danced for Herod in exchange for the head of John the Baptist. The connection here is that Salome’s seductive dance has been portrayed in art and literature as the infamous “dance of the seven veils.”
The veil appears again in our text for today, but this veil
was not worn by a bride or a harlot or an exotic dancer. The apostle Paul takes us back to Exodus,
back to
This is a fascinating account (and we will come back to it
in a few moments), but Paul’s words go beyond the retelling of an Old Testament
story. He picks up on the picture of the
veil and makes a broader spiritual application to his Christian readers in
Since the concept of the veil is woven into the fabric of this text, and since Paul talks about veils on a number of different levels, we will consider these words this morning under the theme…
THE SERMON OF THE THREE VEILS
I. The veil that covered Moses’
face
II. The
veil that covers unbelieving hearts
III. The
veil that has been removed from us forever
What do you have in common with Moses? Maybe more than you think. When the Lord called him to lead his people
out of
And there was that time when Moses attacked and killed an Egyptian who was abusing a fellow Hebrew (Exodus 2). At that time Moses believed that God wanted him to deliver his people. But instead of waiting for the Lord’s guidance and direction, Moses decided to take matters into his own hands. Does that sound familiar?
We could probably find more things that we have in common with Moses, but in the opening verses of our text Paul points out one major difference: “We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away” (13).
When Moses received the two tablets of the law from the Lord
on
But Moses didn’t wear the veil to calm the people’s fears. He only put it on after he had spoken to them. He put it on so that the people would not be able to see God’s glory as it faded away (see Exodus 34 for the full story).
So what was Paul’s point? How are we not like Moses (aside from the fact that our faces don’t generally glow)? The context of the entire chapter gives us our answer. We are told that Moses was a minister of the old covenant. The Mosaic code was a law code, and the law points out sin. The law declares that there are serious consequences for our sin. The law coldly declares that the wages of sin is death.
But we are not like Moses. Even though we haven’t seen God, “he has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter (law) but of the Spirit” (3:6). Paul is not saying that the law is evil in and of itself. The law came from God. The law is good. The law serves an important purpose. And correctly understood, the law of God is glorious.
But the gospel is even more glorious. Paul put it this way: “If the ministry that condemns men is glorious, how much more glorious
is the ministry that brings righteousness” (3:9)? And unlike the glory that emanated from
the face of Moses, the glory of the new covenant, the glory of the gospel, will
never fade away.
That undeniable fact brings Paul to this glorious conclusion: “Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold” (12). Because we have the hope of everlasting life, we don’t have to be afraid. Because God has entrusted us with the key that unlocks the gate to heaven, we will proclaim that glorious truth with all boldness and confidence.
But that doesn’t mean that everyone will listen to what we have to say. Sometimes the good news falls on deaf ears. As a missionary, Paul knew that to be true from personal experience. And that is why he introduces us to a second veil, the veil that covers unbelieving hearts.
When Moses approached the Israelites, their eyes were
blinded by God’s glory. “But their minds were made dull”
(14a). They were the ones who wanted
to return to slavery in
But they weren’t the only ones whose minds were dull. Paul continues: “To this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read…Even
to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts” (14b, 15).
The second half of the book of Acts details the missionary
journeys of Paul. And if you read about
where he went and what he did, you will notice a pattern. Almost without exception the first thing Paul
did when he entered a
And Paul’s message was always the same: The one the Old Testament prophets spoke about, the promised Messiah we have been watching for and waiting for, has come. His name is Jesus. He lived for you. He died for you. Confess your sins to him. Put your trust in him.
I wish I could say that Paul’s countrymen believed his message. I wish I could say that God’s chosen people embraced the gospel. But I can’t because they didn’t. Instead of accepting Paul, they rejected him. Instead of responding with joy, they lashed out in anger. And at times they even became violent because a dark veil covered their unbelieving hearts.
But the Jews weren’t the only ones whose minds were dull either. Every sinful human heart has been custom fitted for that same veil. And that includes Christian hearts. When we think about worship as an item to check off the “to do” list, the veil remains. When we think about our offerings as obligations to be met instead of opportunities to give, the veil remains. When we compare ourselves with imperfect people (instead of a perfect God) to gauge our spiritual health, the veil remains.
Normally I think of a veil as something light, something that the softest breeze can blow away. But not this veil. This veil is stubborn. This veil refuses to be moved. In fact, there is only one thing that can take it away: Jesus Christ. Because of Jesus, Paul is able to talk about a third veil, the veil that has been removed from us forever.
When did that happen?
When was that veil lifted from our sinful hearts? I suppose you could answer that question in
two ways. We can say that the veil was
lifted two thousand years ago. The veil
was taken away when Jesus took our sins on his shoulders and carried them to
the cross. The veil was lifted when the
veil of the temple was torn in two (Luke
But on a personal level, you could also say that the veil
was taken away on the day of your baptism, the day when the Holy Spirit came to
you in Word and water, the day when the Spirit of the Lord worked the miracle
of faith in your heart. And according to Paul, “where
the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (17).
Because Jesus kept the law perfectly in your place, you are free. Because Jesus gave up his life for you, you are free. Because the Holy Spirit has removed the veil of unbelief from your heart, you are free.
You don’t have to worry about questions like “Am I good enough?” or “Have I done enough?” or “Where will I go when I die?” because you know that Jesus is the answer. He has rescued you from sin and death. He has given you hope and peace. And now you are free.
You are free…to think and speak and act more like him. “We,
who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed
into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is
the Spirit” (18).
Paul is not saying that believers will gradually take on the physical appearance of God. Paul is not suggesting that our faces will shine like Moses. What Paul is saying is that the gospel has a transforming effect. It is the power of God. It is living and active. It makes us want to obey him. It makes us seek out opportunities to serve him. It makes us eager to tell others about him. And as wonderful as it is to reflect the Lord’s glory on earth, we can’t wait for the day when we will experience it in heaven.
As much as this sermon is about veils, it is just as much about glory. And that makes it a perfect fit for Transfiguration Sunday. Today is the day when Jesus revealed a glimpse of his glory to his disciples. On this day we are reminded that for the better part of thirty-three years the Son of God set his divine glory aside.
It would have been easier for Jesus to take Peter up on his
offer, but he didn’t. It would have been
easier for Jesus to stay up there with Moses and Elijah, but he didn’t. Our Lord came down from the mount of glory to
complete his soul saving mission. Our
Lord came down from the mount of glory to be crucified on
Alleluia. Praise the Lord. Amen.