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A Scary Mask



  I bet you might have a few people at your door tomorrow in a scary mask. Normally we put on a mask to scare someone not to stop them from being scared but the Bible tells us of a time when that norm was reversed.

  In Exodus 34, we read that when Moses would come down from Sinai his face would literally shine after being in the presence of God. This made everyone fearful. So, Moses made a habit of putting on a mask or veil to cover up when he was with them. They saw Moses but not fully.

  Paul uses this historical quirk to explain the response of some Jews to the gospel in 2nd Corinthians 3:13-18. The veil was a temporary measure but they became so used to it that they thought it was the norm. Because of that distraction, they were not seeing fully what they should be.

 People today put on masks. Not just on Halloween, they put on a mask because they are afraid of revealing who they truly are. We downplay our faith, we blend into the world, and we cover the truth to not upset the crowd.  That is a problem.  In not revealing ourselves, we are not allowing the glory of God to shine thru. The world is not seeing the glory of God in us because we are covering it over.

And that is scary.

 Because we may be the only glimpse of Christ they may ever see. That is why we are told to let our light shine, not to get people to look at us but to glorify God (Matthew 5:16).

 So, make sure not to hide what you should be proclaiming. 

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