Study 2: Shame & the Unveiled Face

Intro: To counter shame’s toxic effects requires regular attention, a repeated look into the face of Christ, and a repeated vulnerable openness in relation to others. This week and next we’ll be looking into the face of Christ, and this week in particular we’ll be considering why the face is particularly important in its link to shame. In two weeks we’ll address the other element of countering shame’s effects from above: “a repeated vulnerable openness in relation to others.”


"The face – object of wonder, loathing, window on the soul, revealer of emotions and significant aspect of our identity – is hidden with shame." (Paul Goodliff, With Unveiled Face)


Passages

Exodus 34:27-35
27 And the Lord said to Moses, “Write these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.” 28 So he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights. He neither ate bread nor drank water. And he wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments. 29 When Moses came down from Mount Sinai, with the two tablets of the testimony in his hand as he came down from the mountain, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. 30 Aaron and all the people of Israel saw Moses, and behold, the skin of his face shone, and they were afraid to come near him. 31 But Moses called to them, and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses talked with them. 32 Afterward all the people of Israel came near, and he commanded them all that the Lord had spoken with him in Mount Sinai. 33 And when Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil over his face. 34 Whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would remove the veil, until he came out. And when he came out and told the people of Israel what he was commanded, 35 the people of Israel would see the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face was shining. And Moses would put the veil over his face again, until he went in to speak with him.”

2 Corinthians 3:12-18
7 Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, came with such glory that the Israelites could not gaze at Moses' face because of its glory, which was being brought to an end, 8 will not the ministry of the Spirit have even more glory? 9 For if there was glory in the ministry of condemnation, the ministry of righteousness must far exceed it in glory. 10 Indeed, in this case, what once had glory has come to have no glory at all, because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was being brought to an end came with glory, much more will what is permanent have glory. 12 Since we have such a hope, we are very bold, 13 not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face so that the Israelites might not gaze at the outcome of what was being brought to an end. 14 But their minds were hardened. For to this day, when they read the old covenant, that same veil remains unlifted, because only through Christ is it taken away. 15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. 17 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit.”


Questions
• Why was Moses’ face shining? What was the Israelites response?
• Why did Moses veil his face? What does Paul have to say about the veil?
• Why do we cover our face when we are ashamed?
• To what extent does “covering up” work?
• The face is hidden with shame. Could the uncovering of the face play a part in reduction of shame-distress? How?
• How does the Holy Spirit and intimacy with God bring freedom from misplaced shame? freedom from well-placed shame?
• How does the Holy Spirit and intimacy with God stir up well-placed shame in your life?
• "Meditate on the image of the face of Christ" --- what does this mean?


Notes

• Moses’ face was shining just like the pillar of cloud – to show the people of Israel that it was God who Moses met with on Mount Sinai. The giving of the law was accompanied by so much glory that the Israelites could not gaze (look intently or directly) at Moses’ face because of its glory. The light of God’s glory shined so brightly from Moses’ face that the people were afraid to look at Moses; possibly the glory also shined so brightly that it was painful to their eyes.
• Paul’s argument seems to be that even this old covenant, which was temporary and ineffective in changing hearts, still had much glory, and therefore the new covenant ministry of the Spirit has even more glory. Indeed, the new covenant must far exceed (the old covenant) in glory, for the new covenant ministry brings righteousness (right standing with God) rather than “condemnation” (2 Cor 3:9), as well as the glorious presence of God’s power, which transforms believers “from on degree of glory to another” (v. 18).
• 2 Corinthians 4 – "glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ"; Jesus is the opposite of the narcissistic self-absorption of the shame-filled. His face looks towards God and others, and in our facing of him lies the possibility of transformation.
• Moses. The appointment at the top of Mount Sinai had given his face an extraordinary appearance: it shone with a light that was like the radiance of God’s glory. Initially, Moses did not know this: after all, who can see his own face? But the cause of people’s strange reluctance to come close soon became clear, and the strategy that Moses adopted was to cover his face with a veil. The only place where the veil was removed was in God’s presence.
• Crouched, head bowed, fingers covering the eyes, palms covering the check, elbows tight to the body: shame covers its expression behind a mask so that the face becomes hidden. The face is a key to both the condition and the cure for acute shame.
• Self-awareness & Narcissistic disturbance: Shame is closely related to narcissistic disturbance, where the empathic response (the ability to see and respond to the needs of others) is absent or limited, and the individual becomes self-absorbed, interpreting the world only through the lens of their own needs. It is as if they have fallen in love with themselves. A common criticism of the narcissistic is that ‘they only love themselves.’ Shame is related to this because the person who is suffering from chronic shame becomes painfully aware of their own lack of worth and shortcomings, and compensates either by withdrawal from others (the drive to hide) or by using others to meet their needs (narcissism). [Paul Goodliff]