The Veil: Seeing God’s Glory in Christ

Introduction

Last week during our study, the topic of being blind to the truth came up. It got me thinking about a topic for tonight. How can two people stare at the exact same set of facts: one can see the truth, and one (no matter how many facts are presented to them) refuses to see the truth. Is it stubbornness or ignorance, or is it more?

Opening: What Does a Veil Do?

Think of a veil, a curtain, or a covering. It can hide a person, mark a boundary, or keep someone from seeing clearly.

When have you been looking at something for a long time but still missed what was right in front of you?
If you could see one part of your own life more clearly in God’s light, what would you want Him to show you?
Why might someone resist having a veil removed?

Start Here: An Unveiled Face

2 Corinthians 3:17–18

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” — 2 Corinthians 3:17–18 (NIV)

Historical situation: Paul is defending the ministry God gave him to the Corinthian believers. In this chapter he compares the covenant associated with Moses and the stone tablets with the new covenant ministry of the Spirit. He has just described a veil over the heart when Moses is read and says that it is removed when a person turns to the Lord (vv. 14–16).

Meaning and context: “We all” is a striking change from the scene with Moses: access to the Lord’s glory is no longer pictured as the experience of one mediator alone. With unveiled faces, believers see the Lord’s glory and are being transformed by the Spirit. Translations differ between language of beholding and reflecting here; the central point is the Spirit’s ongoing work of making us like Christ. “From glory to glory” describes real change, not instant perfection.

What do you think Paul means by an “unveiled face”?
Where have you seen the Spirit gradually change someone’s character?
What would it look like to spend more time attending to Christ than managing how others see you?

1. Moses’ Veil: Glory Seen and Covered

Exodus 34:33–35

“When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. But whenever he entered the Lord’s 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, 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.” — Exodus 34:33–35 (NIV)

Historical situation: Israel had broken the covenant by worshiping the golden calf. After Moses pleaded for the people and the covenant was renewed, he descended Sinai with the tablets. His face shone because he had been speaking with the LORD. The people were afraid, and Moses spoke God’s commands to them before covering his face.

Meaning and context: This is first a real covering over Moses’ radiant face. Notice its timing: Moses removed it when speaking with the LORD and put it on after speaking to Israel. The text does not say Moses was ashamed or hiding a secret sin. Paul later uses this episode to explain how the old covenant’s glory and people’s inability to see clearly compare with the greater glory of the new covenant.

What does the people’s fear tell us about encountering even a reflected glimpse of God’s glory?
Why does it matter that Moses removed the veil before the LORD?

2. The Sanctuary Curtain: A Holy Boundary

Exodus 26:33

“Hang the curtain from the clasps and place the ark of the covenant law behind the curtain. The curtain will separate the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place.” — Exodus 26:33 (NIV)

Historical situation: God gave Moses detailed instructions for the tabernacle while Israel was in the wilderness. The ark belonged in the Most Holy Place. This woven veil marked the division between that room and the Holy Place where priests ordinarily served.

Meaning and context: This curtain (called a veil in some translations) is not Moses’ face covering. It marked the holiness of God’s presence and a limit on ordinary access. The curtain was part of the way God dwelt among His people under the old covenant; the boundary was serious, and God prescribed how to approach Him.

What does a carefully specified boundary tell us about God’s holiness?
Do you think of access to God as ordinary, costly, or both? Why?

Leviticus 16:1–2

“The Lord spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron who died when they approached the Lord. The Lord said to Moses: “Tell your brother Aaron that he is not to come whenever he chooses into the Most Holy Place behind the curtain in front of the atonement cover on the ark, or else he will die. For I will appear in the cloud over the atonement cover.” — Leviticus 16:1–2 (NIV)

Historical situation: The instruction follows the deaths of Aaron’s sons after their unauthorized approach to God. Leviticus 16 goes on to describe the Day of Atonement, when the high priest would enter with prescribed sacrifices, incense, and blood.

Meaning and context: The curtain did not mean that God wanted no relationship with His people. It showed that sinners could not casually enter His holy presence on their own terms. The priest’s restricted entry and need for atonement set the stage for Hebrews’ explanation of Jesus’ greater priestly work.

Why is it tempting to approach God only on our own terms?
What would we miss about grace if we first forgot the holiness of God?

3. A Veil Over the Heart: Seeing Words Without Seeing Christ

2 Corinthians 3:12–16

“Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. 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. 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. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.” — 2 Corinthians 3:12–16 (NIV)

Historical situation: Paul is explaining why his ministry speaks openly about the surpassing glory of the new covenant. He returns to Moses’ physical veil and then uses the image for a spiritual difficulty: people can hear the old covenant read yet fail to recognize its fulfillment in Christ.

Meaning and context: The veil over the heart is figurative. It describes hardened understanding, not lack of intelligence. Paul’s answer is turning to the Lord; Christ removes the veil. We should not turn this passage into a claim that Jewish people alone can be spiritually blind. Paul is making a point about receiving Christ, and any of us can read familiar Scripture while resisting what it says to us.

How can someone know the words of Scripture and still miss their direction toward Christ?
Are there truths you readily explain to other men but resist applying to yourself?
What does turning to the Lord involve beyond gathering more information?

2 Corinthians 4:3–6

“And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.” — 2 Corinthians 4:3–6 (NIV)

Historical situation: Paul continues the same argument into the next chapter. He says his ministry does not manipulate or distort God’s Word. The fact that some do not receive the gospel does not lead him to preach himself; he proclaims Jesus Christ as Lord.

Meaning and context: The hiddenness here is spiritual blindness to the glory of Christ in the gospel. Paul names the work of “the god of this world,” but he also says God shines light into hearts. That keeps our response both honest and hopeful: we speak plainly of Jesus and pray for God to open eyes, including our own.

In sharing faith, what does it look like to proclaim Christ rather than ourselves?
Who comes to mind when you read that God can shine light into a heart?

4. The Veil Torn: Jesus Opens the Way

Matthew 27:50–51

“And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split” — Matthew 27:50–51 (NIV)

Historical situation: Matthew places the tearing of the temple curtain at Jesus’ death. The temple in Jerusalem continued the sanctuary pattern in which a curtain separated the inner holy space. Matthew records the event alongside the earthquake and other signs surrounding the crucifixion.

Meaning and context: Matthew reports a physical event; Hebrews helps explain its theological significance. The curtain’s tearing points to a decisive change in access to God through Jesus’ death. The detail “from the top to the bottom” belongs to Matthew’s account; the broader claim that God opens the way is supported by Hebrews 10.

What does the timing of the torn curtain say about the cost of access to God?
How does the cross change the way you pray?

Hebrews 9:6–8

“When everything had been arranged like this, the priests entered regularly into the outer room to carry on their ministry. But only the high priest entered the inner room, and that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offered for himself and for the sins the people had committed in ignorance. The Holy Spirit was showing by this that the way into the Most Holy Place had not yet been disclosed as long as the first tabernacle was still functioning.” — Hebrews 9:6–8 (NIV)

Historical situation: Hebrews explains the arrangement of the tabernacle to believers who need to understand why Christ’s priesthood and sacrifice are greater. Its author contrasts the regular work in the outer room with the high priest’s restricted annual entry behind the veil.

Meaning and context: The old arrangement taught that the way in was not yet openly available. The restriction was not arbitrary; it was an enacted lesson about sin, holiness, and the limits of repeated sacrifices. The author moves from this picture to Christ, who entered by His own blood once for all (Hebrews 9:11–12).

What do “only the high priest,” “only once a year,” and “never without blood” teach together?
What has Jesus done that those repeated entries could not do?

Hebrews 10:19–22

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.” — Hebrews 10:19–22 (NIV)

Historical situation: After explaining Jesus’ once-for-all sacrifice and the new covenant, Hebrews turns to the believer’s response. The author uses the language of priestly entry but now addresses “brothers” with confidence to draw near through Jesus.

Meaning and context: The writer explicitly links the way through the curtain with Jesus’ body, pointing to His death as the means of access. This is not permission to treat God lightly. We draw near through His blood, with Jesus as our priest, in faith and sincerity. The invitation belongs to believers together, not only to one specially qualified man.

What keeps you from drawing near to God even when you know Christ has opened the way?
What is the difference between confidence in Jesus and confidence in yourself?

5. A Shroud Over the Nations: God Will Remove Death

Isaiah 25:7–8

“On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.” — Isaiah 25:7–8 (NIV)

Historical situation: Isaiah praises the LORD for His faithful plans and looks ahead to a feast for all peoples on God’s mountain. This promise stands against the earlier pictures of ruined cities, oppression, and judgment in the surrounding chapters.

Meaning and context: Here the shroud or sheet is an image of a covering spread over the nations, closely joined to the promise that God will swallow up death and wipe away tears. The NIV says “shroud” and “sheet” rather than “veil” here. It is not the tabernacle curtain or Moses’ face covering. The shared image of removal invites us to see God’s larger purpose: the Lord who opens our eyes and welcomes us in will also end death’s rule.

How does this promise enlarge your picture of what God intends to remove?
Where do you most need the hope that death and grief will not have the last word?

Reading These Images Carefully

The Bible does not give the word “veil” one meaning every time it appears. Moses’ veil was a covering on a person’s face. The sanctuary curtain stood between two rooms. Paul speaks of a veil over the heart when people do not recognize Christ. Isaiah speaks of a shroud over all peoples and then names death as the enemy God will defeat. The NIV uses different English words in those passages, and the differences help us hear each writer’s point.

Paul draws on Moses’ story to explain the glory of the new covenant. His concern is not merely that people need more information. A person can hear familiar words of Scripture and still resist the Lord to whom they point. Paul’s answer is that the veil is taken away in Christ as people turn to Him. That should lead us to humility about our own blind spots and hope for others, not to contempt for anyone who has not yet believed.

The curtain adds another question: How can sinful people come near the holy God? Hebrews answers by pointing to Jesus’ sacrifice and priesthood. Access is a gift purchased through Him. Then Paul’s promise moves beyond access: the Spirit keeps changing those who behold the Lord. We can ask for our eyes to be opened and also expect that seeing Christ will reshape how we live with our families, our work, and one another.

Isaiah looks further ahead. The shroud spread over the peoples and the promise that God will swallow up death remind us that the story is larger than our present understanding or growth. We live between access already opened through Christ and the final day when God wipes away tears. That hope gives us reason to draw near now and endure faithfully.

Bring It Back to 2 Corinthians 3:18

Moses covered a shining face. A sanctuary curtain marked holy access. Paul describes a veil over the heart that Christ removes. At Jesus’ death the temple curtain was torn, and Hebrews says believers may draw near through Him. Isaiah also promises that God will destroy the shroud over the nations and swallow up death. With an unveiled face, we now look to the Lord, and His Spirit changes us.

Which image of the veil affected you most tonight, and why?
What is one place where you need to turn toward Christ rather than hide, perform, or look away?
What practice this week will help you keep your attention on Jesus?

Main idea: In Christ the veil over the heart is removed, the way to God is opened, and the Spirit changes people who behold the Lord’s glory. Scripture also uses a veil as a literal covering and as an image of the death God will destroy. The setting tells us which meaning is in view.

Closing thought: We do not remove our own blindness by trying harder to appear spiritual. We turn to the Lord who takes away the veil, opens the way, and transforms us by His Spirit.

Sources / Translation

Scripture text: New International Version (NIV), 2011 text. Passage links above show the cited text.
Historical and contextual notes are original summaries drawn from the cited passages and their surrounding chapters.
Featured photo by Herbert Grambihler on Unsplash.

Translation Notice

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