In Stanley Kubrick’s notorious thriller starring Jack Nicholson titled “The Shining,” the film gets its name from the innate power of the young boy who plays Jack’s son, a power that allows him to see spirits of the dead.  At one point, an elderly African American gentleman who happens to have the same metaphysical capability, tells his parents that their son has “the shine,” that is, this supernatural ability to “see the other side.”  In a biblical sense, Moses is perhaps the first figure to get “the shine” when it comes to God, the God who only appears as a cloud of fire because to look directly upon God’s personal appearance—that is, the other side of the divine reality—would kill you.  Moses is called up to the top of Mount Sinai to commune with God face-to-face, resulting in his bringing down “the Law” in the form of two stone tablets.  Moses has the shining alright: his face glows with the encounter with God, so terrifying everyone that he is forced to wear a veil afterwards in order to keep God’s glory hidden.

    Much later, Jesus does the same thing but this time takes up three of his closest disciples.  In this scene commonly known as the “transfiguration,” Peter, John and James are witness to the shine themselves as Jesus comes to glow with God’s glory laid on him.  They see it but keep silent about it, still keeping God’s personal revelation a secret.

    Still later, Paul writes that, for those dependant upon God’s law as opposed to God’s son, their minds are still veiled to God’s glory thus keeping God hidden from the world.  Writing from his own experience, he says that Jesus is the shine of God, revealing the personal appearance and glory of God for all freely to witness, and far from killing them, he is the source of their eternal life.  And the kicker is this: Jesus, God’s shining, is a man, and thus other people have the opportunity to be “the shine” as well, revealing the personal God to the world.  We are given pause here to consider: in what ways do we veil or reveal God’s glory?  Do we, like Moses, throw a towel over the gospel?  Do we, like Peter, John and James, keep silent the witness of God?  Do we reveal or re-veil the shine?

 

 

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God.

When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him.

But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them.

Afterwards all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai.

When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face;

but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded,

the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

 

Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray.

And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white.

Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him.

They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem.

Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him.

Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, ‘Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah’—not knowing what he said.

While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud.

Then from the cloud came a voice that said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!’ ³⁶When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

 

Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness,

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.

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.

Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds;

but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.

Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

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.

Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart.

We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practise 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.