"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." [2 Corinthians 3:18]
Call it the "Reverse Dorian-Gray Maneuver." That's what the Spirit is up to in us, as we become more and more like the One who first loved us into being.
Maybe it's been a hot minute since you were last sitting in a high school English class reading from Oscar Wilde, so in case you've forgotten (or never read) the story The Picture of Dorian Gray, here's the premise. The title character, Dorian Gray, has a portrait of himself painted, and he makes a wish that his picture would age and grow feeble over time rather than his own body. Because it's that kind of story, the wish comes true, and over time, the figure in the painting becomes old and decrepit, while Dorian continues to be youthful and energetic. But it comes at a cost, too, since this seemingly eternal youth leads to a spiritual corruption in Dorian and he becomes more and more rotten on the inside as a result of his indulgent lifestyle. You get the idea--it's a sort of thought experiment about the difference between our outward appearance and the well-being of our souls, our deepest selves.
Well, again, if you can hold that notion of a magical painting whose image changes over time to become older and more wizened while the actual person remains young (but more degenerate), then I'm guessing you can imagine the opposite, too. Imagine, if you will, an image that allows us to become transformed more and more fully into its likeness, with greater and greater clarity, the more we are in its presence. Imagine, if you will, that the figure in the painting remains constant, and that we are the ones who are changed over time, to become more and more fully like the image. And while we're at it, let's imagine that's a good thing--not that we become more and more grizzled and ancient-looking, but that we become more and more glorious, the more we look upon the image in the painting. That sounds like a pitch worthy of its own story, if you ask me--and, in truth, Paul says that's the Christian story.
Paul had been talking to the Corinthians about how something of God's glory had always been hidden or "veiled" before the coming of Christ Jesus, like we hadn't really seen the fullness of who God is until we saw it in him. And that led him to think about the old story of when Moses had asked to see God face to face (this is back in Exodus, when Moses had been up on Mount Sinai), and after being in the presence of God's glory--even when shielded behind a rock, as the story goes--Moses' face glowed so brightly that he had to wear a veil over his face for the sake of the rest of the people. So that leads Paul to say that now since the coming of Jesus, it's like we can finally see God's glorious presence clearly, even though we see that glory through the human flesh of Jesus.
But that's not the end of this train of thought: Paul takes it a step further now to say that we who are followers of this Jesus, who are filled with God's own Spirit, can now see God's glory more clearly than before. Maybe it's not like staring right at the sun (which will still blind you), but maybe it's like seeing God "reflected in a mirror"--which is still a heck of a lot clearer than from behind a veil. And here's the kicker: the more and more we are exposed to the glorious presence of God by the Spirit of the Lord, the more we ourselves are being transformed "into the same image from one degree of glory to another." It's the ol' Reverse Dorian Gray Maneuver: the Spirit takes us, already made "in the image of God" simply by our existence, and makes us more fully into reflections of God's glory--which turns out to look like the love and way of Jesus. We become the face of Christ for one another and for the watching world, and the Spirit does that by bringing us into the presence of Christ--you know, by being among one another, and by transforming us from the inside out.
Of course, the ways that you and I will be "like Jesus" or will "reflect the glory of God" will all be different. A tree reflects the glory of God, after all, by being a tree--growing tall, putting out leaves, and turning sunlight into energy. A rose reflects the glory of God by blossoming and offering its fragrance to pollinators and the nose of anyone who happens by. A human reflects the glory of God in any number of ways, from our capacity for artistic creativity, to the ability to discover scientific truths, to acts of courage and truth-telling, to love that enfolds the neighbor, stranger, and enemy. Each of us will be "like Jesus" differently, but each will be a glorious reflection of God's own goodness as we've come to know it in Christ.
That's what to look for in this day ahead: how is the Spirit of God making me into a new creation that reflects the glory of God and displays the image of Christ? And how might God be using me to bring forth the same in the people around me? Keep your eyes open--both on the opportunities around you, and the face in the mirror.
Lord Jesus, transform us into glorious glimpses of your own goodness for the sake of the world you love.
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