Are You Radiant?

February 10, 2013

Exodus 34:29-35 Luke 9:28-36 2 Corinthians 3:12 - 4:2

After the recent Golden Globe awards, several newspapers and television shows reported on the usual media circus of such an event. Youve seen them before, famous people of all sorts gather together, the red carpet is rolled out (literally), paparazzi of every stripe clamor to capture a photograph or a video clip of one sort or another. Famous designers such as Versace and Vera Wang compete with one another to dress up starlets so they can sell more dresses. While the men are similarly dressed in tuxedoes and get a cursory notice by the reporters, it is the ladies who seem to compete with one another to see who is more beautiful, more scantily clad, more daring, more unique, or more obnoxious than the other. The whole thing is sort of a cross between a fashion show and the voting for homecoming queen (and occasionally with a little freak show thrown in for good measure). In any case, as the media grasped for adjectives to describe them, several of the ladies who were, apparently quite beautiful, were described as radiant, in particular, Claire Danes and Jennifer Lawrence. Thats a word that doesnt get a lot of use radiant. We often describe brides, and sometimes grooms as radiant at weddings. I searched the Internet and found a photographer or two who described girls posing for senior pictures as radiant, but other than that, radiant doesnt see much use in describing people. We use the word radiant for other things. We use the word radiant when one object gives off or puts out energy. Light can be radiant, heat is radiant, when atoms decay and lose particles we describe this as nuclear (or atomic) radiation, but do they mean the same sort of thing or not? In Exodus 34:29-35, Moses is described as radiant long after his wedding
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When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. 30 When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. 32 Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.
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When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. 34 But whenever he entered the Lords presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, 35 they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord. When Moses talked with God they met, face to face. Moses is the only human being in the history of our planet, to have met God, looked upon his face, and lived to tell about it. There are precious few descriptions of what this must have been like, but each one refers to Gods glory, the radiance of Gods glory or something like that. Here we see that Gods glory seems to be contagious sort of. When Moses meets with God and stands within Gods glory he himself begins to take on some of that radiance. After Moses meets with God, his own face is described as radiant, Moses face shines, or glows, or something. Whatever Moses face did had to be something similar to what the sun, or the moon, does for it to be described as radiant. Whatever it was, had to be something that was absolutely unnatural, or perhaps more correctly, super-natural, because no one had ever seen it before and everyone was afraid to come near him. It could not have been the same sort of happy glow that we connect with high school seniors, brides, grooms, and dolled up ladies at the Golden Globe awards. Moses glow was something different. He didnt just reflect the light, he gave off light, and the 1

best description that anyone could come up with was to compare it to the sun saying, he radiated light, he was radiant. Something similar happened when Jesus and three of his closest friends went to the top of a mountain to pray (Luke 9:28-36)
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About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. 29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. 32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. 33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah. (He did not know what he was saying.)
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While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him. 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen. Peter, James and John saw Jesus change. His face and even his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Moses never did that. Moses face was radiant but everything about Jesus became radiant. Moses had a glow about him, it was difficult to look at him and carry on a conversation, but Jesus, his face, his clothes, and everything about him became so bright that it was like looking at lightning. Luke says that the disciples saw Jesus glory, and they saw two men standing beside him who, although they had been dead for hundreds, and even thousands, of years, they recognized and knew by name. When the prophet Ezekiel speaks of the glory of God, he is describing the visible presence of God that lived between the gold cherubim on the Arc of the Covenant in the Temple of Jerusalem. In scripture, the glory of God was not only the adoration and praise given to God but was also the visible presence of God. Jesus was radiant; he radiated the presence of God because the Spirit of God resided within him. Moses was radiant because he had stood in the presence of God. But after Moses had been away from God for awhile, the radiance would fade. The glory of Gods radiance did not live within Moses in the same way that it lived within Jesus. In 2 Corinthians 3:12 - 4:2, the apostle Paul says this:
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Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 13 We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. 14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. 15 Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. 16 But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lords glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
4:1

Therefore, since through Gods mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2 Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyones conscience in the sight of God. Paul believes that Moses covered his face, not to make others more comfortable, but to hide the reality that the radiance that he had was fading. Paul believed that Moses, instead of covering his face because the glory that radiated from it frightened people, covered his face to make himself appear more spiritual than he really was. In Pauls mind, the people of Israel continued to have a veil that separated them from the glory of God, a 2

division that kept them from seeing God as he really is. Instead, Paul argues, this separation, this inability to see the glory and power of God in its fullness, holds Gods people in captivity. Because they cannot see God as he really is, they cannot see the grace, kindness, love and forgiveness of God as they really are. When people turn to Jesus Christ, Paul argues, the veil that separates us from the awesomeness of God is removed and we are able to see him as he really is. Whats more, as we look upon Gods glory, we, like Moses, begin to reflect that glory and the longer we look at him the more we begin to be transformed. The longer we live in Gods presence, the better we reflect his greatness and the brighter his glory shines through us. The interesting conclusion to all this is that Paul calls our reflection of Gods glory ministry. What? This is important. Paul calls our reflection of Gods glory ministry. He says that we have renounced secret and shameful ways so that we will more closely resemble God and his truth. By telling the truth, with our lips as well as through the way that we live our lives, we reveal to others the truth about God and radiate his Glory into their lives. This, Paul says, is how we radiate the glory of God; we tell the truth, we renounce sin, we stop doing things that are shameful, we know, and tell, the truth about God with no distortion, we do not deceive anyone, and every day we grow closer to Christ, every day we invite the Spirit of God to fill us and to be at work transforming us and every day learning more, reflecting more on the wonder and glory of God, so that, in all these things, we will better reflect the Gods glory. In all these things we will radiate the glory of God. So how are you doing this week? How is it with your soul? Are you living in Gods presence? Can your neighbors and friends see the presence of God in you? Are you radiant?

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