Text Study for 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Transfiguration B 2021 (part two)

Part two: Shining with Resurrection Light

In his book, The Resurrection of the Son of God, N. T. Wright comments on this passage and 2 Corinthians in general, from the perspective of the Resurrection. He notes a shift in that perspective from 1 Corinthians to 2 Corinthians. “But whereas in 1 Corinthians the movement is primarily towards the future, straining towards the resurrection and discovering what needs to be done in the present to anticipate it,” he writes, “in 2 Corinthians the movement is primarily towards the present, discovering in the powerful resurrection of Jesus and the promised resurrection for all his people the secret of facing suffering and pain here and now” (page 300).

Wright reminds us that when Paul uses the “new covenant” language in 2 Corinthians 3:4-6, he is taking us back to Jeremiah 31 and Ezekiel 36. God’s new covenant is not written on stone tablets like the first covenant. Rather it is, as the prophets promise, written on human hearts. Those hearts are not made of stone themselves but are rather the soft hearts of flesh.

The first covenant, the “ministry in service of death” as he describes it in 2 Corinthians 3:7, was “chiseled in letters on stone tablets.” The new covenant is written by the Spirit on human hearts – on the hearts of the Corinthian Christians. Paul tells them in verse three that they are “a letter of Christ…written not with ink but with the Spirit of the Living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (NRSV).

So, Paul is a minister of the New Covenant. That covenant has a different kind of glory, a glory unlike that on the face of Moses as he received and transmitted the first covenant. It’s not that the first covenant had no glory but rather than the New Covenant outshines the first in its brilliance. Paul’s argument, Wright suggests, “is that his ministry has ‘glory’ even though it does not look like it.”

It is not like the glory of Moses’ ministry because it “involves life rather than death, justification rather than condemnation, permanence rather than transitoriness” (page 304). That glory is the reflection of the Messiah who is both crucified and risen. That glory shines in and through the Jesus follower in life-altering ways. “And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror,” Paul writes in 3:18, “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.”

The word Paul uses for “transformed” here is the same as Mark uses to describe the change in appearance the disciples witnessed on the Mount of Transfiguration. That’s another reason why I think it is best to read the text beginning at 3:17 in our worship services. These verses offer a powerful and enthralling description of what we should expect in our lives as Jesus followers. We should expect transformation, or as Wright notes, New Creation from the same Spirit who wrought Creation in the beginning.

“The god who said ‘let light shine out of darkness,” Wright proposes, in other words, the Genesis god, God the creator – has shone in our hearts, [Paul] says, to give ‘the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus the Messiah.” It’s to clear to Paul and to us that some cannot (or will not) see this glory because they have been blinded by “the god of this world.” But, Wright notes, that is no fault of Paul or Paul’s gospel. Instead, it is a failure of vision on the part of those who cling to appearance rather than reality.

The Transfiguration is a far more important event and text in the Eastern Church than it is in the West. This is because of the Eastern emphasis on salvation as “theosis,” which can be translated as “deification” or “divinization.” The classic statement of this doctrine comes from Athanasius in his treatise on the Incarnation. Athanasius, almost in a throwaway line near the end of the book notes that “God became human in order that humans might become gods.” The Western Church has an allergic reaction to that idea since it might lead to either the idolatry of the human or some sort of collapse in the distinction between the Creator and the created.

Yet, we can find this notion in Paul’s conversation about our transformation and glorification. On the Mountain of Transfiguration, Eastern theologians tell us, we can see the humanity of Christ radiant with divine glory. And we can see the divinity of Christ shining through his humanity without defacing or destroying it. In fact, the glimpse we get on the mountain is not merely of glory. Rather, in this Eastern line of thought, what the disciples see is the fulfillment of the Image of God – a revelation of how God intended humans to exist from the moment of Creation. The Transfiguration reveals, therefore, not a detour but our destiny in Christ.

This understanding of the Transfiguration is not far from the thought of Martin Luther, even though that strand of Luther’s theology has often been discounted, ignored, or even rejected as an aberration. I have become a “fan” of the work of the Finnish school of Luther studies led by Dr. Tuomo Mannermaa. His work, and that of his colleagues, is brought to us in large part in the translations and expositions offered by Dr. Kirsi Stjerna. I would recommend that readers consider studying Mannermaa’s work – particularly his book, Christ Present in Faith: Luther’s View of Justification.

We Lutherans know God’s justifying grace as a declarative reality – that God declares us in right relationship with God for the sake of Christ. The Holy Spirit invites us to accept and embrace that declarative reality and to actively trust in that reality by the Spirit’s power. But Luther has more in mind when it comes to justification. In particular, Luther often talks about the “wonderful exchange” – that Christ takes our bondage to sin, death, and the Devil, and gives us forgiveness, life, and salvation.

Mannermaa demonstrates, in Stjerna’s words, that “Luther can talk about righteousness as a human being becoming one with God through a real exchange of attributes between the sinner and Christ” (Christ Present in Faith, Kindle Locations 113-114). Justification is not just a change in “legal” status (the declarative understanding). Rather, justification is a change in our being human, our ontological makeup and experience (the performative understanding).

Mannermaa argues that Luther’s understanding of justification has much in common with the Eastern Church’s doctrine of theosis. Stjerna suggests that Mannermaa “argues for and centers on Luther’s radical insight about justification being a godly act of divinization that changes a person’s relationship with God ontologically. Arguing in light of the Orthodox teaching of theosis,” she continues, “Mannermaa proves through systematic reading of Luther that the idea of divinization, which happens because of Christ and in faith, is at the heart of Luther’s theology” (Christ Present in Faith, Kindle Locations 153-155).

What are the benefits of life with God in Christ by the power of the Spirit? In his catechisms and elsewhere, Luther uses the language of “benefits” to talk about what justification produces in the life of the believer. It’s a grand thing to know that we have been declared righteous and that at the last day we shall have our sins set aside for the sake of Christ. My internship supervisor’s wife often teased him by saying, “Your reward will be in heaven, honey.” He would tease in return, “Yes, but I want it now.”

Paul says, if Mannermaa is correct, that we get it both ways. Not only are we declared righteous by God’s favor, Mannermaa says, we are made righteous by God’s gift. This helps us to make sense of Paul’s imagery at the end of 2 Corinthians 3, that we are “being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.” Salvation is not only a legal declaration, Mannermaa argues. “Salvation is,” he concludes, participation in the person of Christ” (Christ Present in Faith, Kindle Location 319).

It is certainly not the case that Christ followers are immediately transformed into the full divine image. If we follow Paul’s argument further in 2 Corinthians, we shall see that we carry this treasure in the clay jars of our humanity. Even though that is the case, however, if anyone is in Christ, there is New Creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). The One who shines light in the darkness shines that light into our hearts and through our lives. “Faith communicates the divine attributes to the human being,” Mannermaa writes, “because Christ himself, who is a divine person, is present in faith” (Christ Present in Faith, Kindle Location 393).

I find this perspective exciting and energizing for at least two reasons. The first reason is the hope for real transformation in this life here and now rather than the formalism of forensic justification. I long to be and strive to be a “contemplative theologian of the cross.” Union with Christ is not a metaphor but rather an actual thing that I can expect to have concrete impact on who and what and how I am in the here and now.

The second reason is that this transformation is unlimited and unending. We can expect in the New Life to continue being transformed from glory into glory. We cannot exhaust God’s gracious and creative potential for us and for all of Creation in the cross and resurrection of Christ. We will never say to God, as Rowan Williams notes, “Oh, now you’re repeating yourself.” Our transformation is and will be never-ending.

I won’t try to unpack all of Mannermaa’s work here. But I hope the reader might consider pursuing this line of thought and research if it is new to you. And I pray that you will find it as refreshing and encouraging as I do.

References and Resources

Hurtado, Larry. Mark (Understanding the Bible Commentary Series). Grand Rapids, MI.: Baker Books, 1989.

Kim, Yung Suk. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/transfiguration-of-our-lord-2/commentary-on-2-corinthians-43-6-5

Levin, Amy-Jill, and Witherington III, Ben. The Gospel of Luke (New Cambridge Bible Commentary). London, UK.: Cambridge University Press, 2018.

Malcolm, Lois. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/transfiguration-of-our-lord-2/commentary-on-2-corinthians-43-6-4

Mannermaa, Tuomo, and Stjerna, Kirsi Irmeli. Christ Present In Faith: Luther’s View Of Justification. Kindle Edition.

Skinner, Matt. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/transfiguration-of-our-lord-2/commentary-on-mark-92-9-3

Wright, N. T. Mark for Everyone (The New Testament for Everyone). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.

Wright, N. T. The Resurrection of the Son of God. Minneapolis, MN.: Fortress Press, 2003.

Works, Carla. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/transfiguration-of-our-lord-2/commentary-on-2-corinthians-43-6-3

Text Study for 2 Corinthians 4:3-6; Transfiguration B 2021 (part one)

This snippet from Paul’s letter presents numerous challenges to the preacher. Is it worth reading at all in worship without comment and interpretation? These four verses by themselves can create several problems for the listeners. Who are those who are “perishing” mentioned in the text? Is the “god of this world” Satan, and if so, how can Paul refer to Satan as a “god”? Isn’t that a kind of dualism which runs counter to the overall Christian worldview? What does it mean for Paul to call himself and his co-workers “slaves” to the Corinthian Christians “for Jesus’ sake”?

If we are to preach on this text, shall we add verses to the reading? I think the answer is yes, but the question is, which verses? I would begin reading at 2 Corinthians 3:17 to access more of the structure of Paul’s argument here. I would be tempted to continue through 2 Corinthians 4:12, but that presents the temptation to offer a Bible study during worship in the place of a sermon. So, I think I would stick with 3:17 through 4:6, bookended by our “unveiled faces” on the one end and “the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” on the other end.

So, I have established what I think is a manageable preaching text. Now, what is Paul saying in that text? Carla Works gives a helpful synopsis in her workingpreacher.org commentary. It’s worth quoting one of her paragraphs here.

“For Paul’s argument to make sense, one must imagine the argument backwards. With Christ, Paul sees God’s glory as he has never seen it before. It is as though the law turned on a flashlight in the darkness, but Christ has shone daylight. After seeing the world with the light of the sun, the limitations of the flashlight, though a wonderful tool, are obvious. The law — though a gift of God — could only provide fleeting light of glory. If the law, with all its limitations, brought glory that was fleeting, how much more glory will abound by seeing Christ (2 Corinthians 3:9-11)! While the law produced glory that fades, seeing Christ results in glory that grows as the witnesses are being transformed into Christ’s likeness (2 Corinthians 3:18).”

Paul is once again at pains to establish his apostolic bona fides with the Corinthian Christians. Paul and the Corinthians have had a sort of running epistolary gun battle which seems to climax in what we have as 2 Corinthians. Paul gets about as close to an apology as he ever gets in letters in 2 Corinthians 2:4 – “For I wrote to you out of much distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you.”

He goes on to note the struggles he and his co-workers endured in dealing with the Corinthians in the midst of other ministry challenges. Even as he describes the challenges, he worries that his account is sounding like boasting. So, he reassures them that the authority and competence he and his colleagues have comes completely from God by the power of the Holy Spirit. That authority and competence are not limited to pronouncing judgment on the recalcitrant. Rather, Paul’s vocation is to show forth the glory of God which is the ministry of the Spirit among the Corinthians.

That brings us to the extended metaphor of the veil over Moses’ face that takes us from 2 Corinthians 3:7 through the end of chapter 4. Paul refers to the report of Moses’ face when he returned from the forty-day sojourn on Mount Sinai, where he received the stone tablets carrying “the words of the covenant, the ten commandments” (Exodus 34:28). Moses was unaware that the skin of his face glowed with divine light “because he had been talking with God” (34:29). This divine glow frightened Aaron and the other Israelites, and they kept their distance. To reassure the terrified people, Moses wore a veil over his face when he spoke to them. But he took off the veil when he spoke face to face with the LORD.

Paul uses a “how much more then” argument in this section of the letter. If the Divine glory can be revealed in the giving of the Law, how much more does the Divine glory shine forth in the proclamation of the Gospel? Paul knows that the light on Moses’ face faded with time and was renewed only in additional encounters with the LORD. The glory that shines forth in Christ does not fade but rather is “permanent” (2 Corinthians 3:11).

“Our clue for interpreting this text is found in the preceding verses,” writes Lois Malcolm in her workingpreacher.org commentary. “In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul speaks about how — through the Spirit of the Lord — all of us, with ‘unveiled faces,’ can ‘behold’ and ‘reflect’ the glory of the Lord as in a mirror.” She notes that the Greek verb can mean both “to behold” and “to reflect.” She concludes, “As this happens, we are ‘transformed’ into that image, from one degree of glory to another.”

This description of both receiving (as in, seeing) and reflecting the glory of Christ is what it means to be the image of God. N. T. Wright often describes human beings as “angled mirrors.” Our vocation as bearers of the Divine Image is to reflect that Image into Creation and to reflect that Creation to the Creator. When we receive and reflect the glory of Christ, we are becoming more and more fully human – “being transformed into the same image, from one degree of glory into another” (3:18).

Malcolm notes that “what this text says about Jesus also says something about who we become in him. Since the light of the gospel always entails both seeing and shining, we not only ‘behold’ the image of God in the Messiah’s face, but also ‘reflect’ its glory and in this way, likewise, mirror that shining as we encounter others’ faces. This is how we are transformed — indeed are ‘transfigured,’” she writes, “by the light of God shining in our hearts in the ‘face’ of Jesus the Messiah.”

There is a large theological land mine resting in this text, and we must be careful not to detonate it for our listeners. This is why I probably would not read the text in worship without preaching on it. Paul uses the image of the veil to point to the hardness of heart on the part of those who don’t “get it.” It’s clear that he means his Jewish contemporaries, as we can see in 2 Corinthians 3:15-16. The land mine is an ugly sort of supersessionism that blames Jews for “unbelief” and leads on a straight line to the casual Antisemitism found in so many Christian sermons.

I think we must say explicitly several things here. First, our causal Antisemitism has been part of much more virulent Antisemitism historically and in our own time. That prejudice has cost millions of lives and must be acknowledged and denounced at every opportunity. Second, Paul’s method of argument may have worked for him, but it doesn’t work for us. Third, his real target audience is not Jews outside of the Corinthian congregation but rather the hardhearted recalcitrants in that predominantly Gentile congregation.

Therefore, Paul is engaged in a first-century intra-Jewish debate in this passage. That debate must be read in light of his extended discussion, for example, in Romans 9-11. We twenty-first century Gentiles cannot take part in that debate, especially in a post-Holocaust world. Instead, we need to take the outlines of Paul’s argument here and turn it toward ourselves and our own faith communities.

“As we teach and preach from 2 Corinthians in honor of our Lord’s transfiguration, perhaps we should ask ourselves in what ways we might be complicit in the veiling of God’s light in our world,” Carla Works suggests in her workingpreacher.org comments. “Fortunately, God chose us — the weak and fragile vessels that we are (2 Corinthians 4:7) — to display God’s glory. That glory is transforming us and molding us into Christ’s image. The good news,” she concludes, “is that God’s light will not be overcome by darkness.”

If we focus on our own communities, where might we be “complicit in the veiling of God’s light in our world?” If we adopt Paul’s rhetorical strategy rather than all the specifics of his situation, we might note that his argument in Corinth continues to be with those who think their worldly privilege gets them preference in God’s reign.

“The irony is that not all people accept this good news of God manifested through Jesus because some of them cannot give up what they have: wealth, power, or fame,” writes Yung Suk Kim in his workingpreacher.org commentary. “This gospel is veiled to some,” he suggests, “not because God’s mercy is short but because they seek other things and do not follow the way of Jesus.”

In this regard, I might refer readers to my post from this past Sunday on dealing with demons. As Kim writes. “’the god of this world’ prevents some people from following the way of Christ; they follow the god of this world, which means they live with all kinds of human-centered ideologies and practices that do not seek God’s righteousness. They do not see the light that comes from the gospel of Christ,” he concludes, “because they are blinded by worldly desires.”

One role of this text in our preaching, then, is to confront us with the Law, exposing our own “worldly desires” that blind us to the light of Christ and keep that light from shining through us. Another role of this text in our preaching may be to proclaim the good news that we can be, in fact, those angled mirrors reflecting the light of Christ into a world of darkness. More on that in the next post.