Before I went to
church this morning I spent a little bit of time in front of the mirror. Now, I
don't wear makeup and I don't do my hair. It is naturally curly and I keep it
short. So I only had to spend a few moments in front of the mirror making sure everything
was in place. It's not so much that I liked what I saw when I was done. It's
just that I am a realist. I look like what I look like. Sure, I could lose some
weight, and I could get some of the wrinkles fixed. I am working on the weight.
But I don't think I will get a facelift anytime soon.
My guess is that
the majority of people spend at least a little bit of time in front of a mirror
on a daily basis. None of us wants to go out with our hair all wonky or with
our clothes bunched up, or with something stuck in our teeth. So we primp and
preen enough so that what we see is at least acceptable.
The thing is,
although a mirror is supposed to be an accurate reflection of what is in front
of it, we all filter what we see through our own lenses. Our eyes take in the
sight, but our minds filter out what we don't want to see. Someone may be
fatter than they allow themselves to believe. Someone may be shorter or taller
than they'll admit to, and so on. Even if the mirror is perfectly formed, our
minds will only let us see what we are willing to see.
This is true
spiritually as well. There are four basic kinds of people in the world. Those
that don't believe they even need a mirror, because they are perfect and happy
already. There is a veil, a curtain, that blocks them from the truth and they
don't even know it. Then there are those that don't want to look in the mirror
because they are afraid of what they'll see. They know there is a veil and they
like it that way. Further, there are those that look in the mirror but don't
see the truth. They think the veil has been removed but it has not, so they are
not seeing reality. And finally, there are those that look in the mirror and
see actual reality. They know the veil has been removed. The curtain has been
pulled back and they can see behind it. They are now seeing the world as it
actually is. It would be great if we were all like the fourth group, but we
know it's not true. The great news is that no one is stuck where they are. If
they are willing, they can change at any time.
We should start out
by reminding everyone that God Himself has already removed the curtain, and
every single person on earth is capable of seeing actual reality, if they want
to. We are told in Matthew 27:51 that when Jesus yielded up His Spirit the veil
(curtain) of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. I find it
remarkable that the veil was not torn from the bottom up. But no, God Himself
tore it from top to bottom.
The veil was a very
heavy curtain within the temple in Jerusalem, and it separated the people from
the most holy place, the place where God Himself dwelt. His holiness had to be
kept separate from the people, and a priest could only go in there once a year
after making sacrifices for his own sins (Lev. 16:3; Heb. 9:7). But Jesus came
to change all that. His once-for-all sacrifice on the cross was enough to
eliminate the veil so that all can freely come to God and find salvation and
forgiveness in Him. Now they can look into the mirror without fear or
condemnation.
However, the first
group of people I have mentioned above is a group that simply doesn't believe
they need a mirror (or they won't admit they need one). They are still fully
behind the veil and they either don't know it, or they don't want to know it
(or they just don't care). In their minds they are all set. They don't need to
see anything else, and they don't want to.
Many are currently
in a place where they just don't care about spiritual things. But others of
them are more militant. They will shout down anyone trying to oppose them. Some
will go so far as to try and force opposing voices to affirm their sin. I
believe that they do this because their consciences bother them. In their
hearts they believe that if they can just get Christians and/or conservative voices
to affirm their sin then they'll feel better about themselves. It is not true,
but they believe it anyway.
Christians and
other conservative voices must not affirm their sin. But we must continue to
love them and pray for them. Jesus told His disciples not to give what was holy
to the dogs, nor cast their pearls before swine (Mt. 7:6). In other words, if
they aren't interested in the truth then we should not waste our time trying to
give it to them. But we should love them and pray diligently that God will
"open the eyes of their heart" (Eph. 1:18) so that they will one day
be able to hear the truth.
The second group of
people are those that are aware of their own sin, but would rather not face it.
I am reminded of two Bible stories from the wilderness wanderings of the
Israelites. You see, after Moses led the Israelites from Egypt, while they were
still in the wilderness, God spoke to them from the mountain (Ex. 20:19). But
His booming voice terrified the people. So they begged Moses to go and talk to
God, and then come tell them what He said. Moses complied and spoke to God
himself, face to face (Ex. 33:11). At one point, after speaking with God,
Moses' face began to shine. So he covered it with a little veil. The people
seemed content with this, too. It appeared that they weren't interested in
getting close enough to God's glory to have their sin highlighted.
Many people today
are just like that. They are aware of their need for a savior. But for whatever
reason, they simply will not draw near. It scares them and they stay away. Or
they worry that their sin is too big. They don't want to face whatever it is,
so they seem content to remain outside the veil. They are aware of the veil,
but rather than being a hindrance, it is a comfort. We must pray that we can
reach them with the good news that God can forgive every and all sins. There is
no reason to fear seeing themselves in the mirror without any veil covering it.
The third group of
people are deceived. They believe the veil has been removed, but they either
don't fully understand, or don't want to understand what it means to live in
Christ after the veil has been removed.
I am reminded of
the many hundreds and thousands of Jews that continued to sacrifice at the
temple, even after the veil was torn in two. They completely missed the point
and went on with their lives the way they were, thinking that they were okay.
God destroyed the temple in A.D. 70 and disbursed them, effectively ending the
sacrifices, but still today they long for the old days to return. They have
completely missed the point of what Jesus has done for them.
They are hundreds,
maybe thousands of people who think that they are Christians simply because
they were raised in a Christian household. And there are many more who are
worshipping under a false religion. They believe they are saved and have
everything they need. They are still under the veil and don't even realize it.
We must pray for their eyes to be opened as well, and for the truth to come
shining through to their hearts, piercing the darkness that still holds them
captive.
Finally, we come to
group four. These are those that know they need a savior. They know that God
has removed the veil for them and they are forever grateful. They are willing
to look into the mirror and see the truth about their own sin. But they also
see that they have been clothed with Christ. They look into the mirror knowing
that they must daily re-clothe themselves, and recommit, and reconnect because
they are sinful at heart. They understand their own depravity but are not
afraid to face it. They are not deceived into thinking they can save
themselves. They already know they cannot. So they look in the mirror and
confess their sin and clothe themselves with Christ, and then go out into the
world in confidence and joy, doing the works that God has prepared for them.
The question we
must ask then, is which group do you find yourself in? If you're not in group
four, then are you willing to admit your sin and your need for a savior? Are
you willing to gaze in an unveiled mirror? God can forgive every sin, and there
is no condemnation in Him. He simply wants us to admit we need Him, and He will
do the rest. Are you willing?
Dr. Norita Sieffert
has been writing and speaking for more than three decades, leading people into
a closer relationship with Jesus Christ and challenging them to be all they can
be for God. Not The Scarecrow Ministries strives to teach people the truth
claims of Christianity and show how Christianity is relevant to every facet of
life.
