Now if the ministry of death, carved in letters on stone, was so glorious that the Israelites could not look intently at the face of Moses because of its glory that was going to fade, 8 how much more will the ministry of the Spirit be glorious? 9 For if the ministry of condemnation was glorious, the ministry of righteousness will abound much more in glory. 10 Indeed, what was endowed with glory has come to have no glory in this respect because of the glory that surpasses it. 11 For if what was going to fade was glorious, how much more will what endures be glorious. 12 Therefore, since we have such hope, we act very boldly 13 and not like Moses, who put a veil over his face so that the Israelites could not look intently at the cessation of what was fading. 14 Rather, their thoughts were rendered dull, for to this present day the same veil remains unlifted when they read the old covenant, because through Christ it is taken away. 15 To this day, in fact, whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their hearts, 16 but whenever a person 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 All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.
Paul contrasts the Old and New Covenants, emphasizing the surpassing glory of the ministry of the Spirit over the ministry of the Law. The Old Covenant, symbolized by the stone tablets on which the Ten Commandments were written, was given to Moses on Mount Sinai (Ex. 34:29-35). Paul calls it the "ministry of death" (Rom. 7:9-10). The glory from the Old Covenant was temporary and faded over time. The New Covenant, characterized by the ministry of the Spirit, surpasses the Old Covenant in glory. The Holy Spirit empowers believers and brings about internal transformation, leading to eternal life. The Law highlighted sin and brought condemnation while the Gospel offers forgiveness (Eph. 1:7), reconciliation with God (2 Cor. 5:18-19), and the gift of righteousness through faith in Christ (Rom. 3:22). The glory of the ministry of Moses is surpassed by the splendor of the Gospel which brings communion (1 Cor. 1:9) and eternal life with God (Jn. 3:16). If Moses who is subordinate to Christ and who died was glorious, how much more glorious is the Gospel of the risen Christ who lives forever and raises all who believe in him to eternal life with him?
Believers in Christ can act and speak boldly because of the Gospel's surpassing glory which brings everlasting life, unlike the Old Covenant where the Israelites had only a veiled understanding of Moses and his teaching. This made them spiritually blind and hardened their hearts to the truth of the Gospel so whenever they read the Old Covenant Scriptures, they cannot understand that the Scriptures are fulfilled in Christ. However, when someone turns to Christ in faith the veil is removed and they can clearly see the truth of the Gospel. Freedom from the sin, guilt, and condemnation of the Old Covenant can only be achieved through the Holy Spirit which empowers believers to live in obedience to God. Believers have unveiled faces through faith in Christ and can gaze on the glory of the Lord and be transformed into His likeness. The Holy Spirit effects this transformation, an ongoing process that leads to ever-increasing conformity to Christ’s image.
Almighty God, we give you thanks for the surpassing glory of the New Covenant revealed through Christ, Remove the veils from our hearts and help us to embrace the freedom and transformation offered to us through the Holy Spirit, that we may behold your glory and be continually transformed into the likeness of your Son. This we pray through the same Christ our Lord. Amen!
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Sources:
- Brown, Raymond Edward, et al. The New Jerome Biblical Commentary. Prentice Hall, 1990.
- Chiu, José Enrique Aguilar, et al. The Paulist Biblical Commentary. Paulist Press, 2018.
- Faculty of the University of Navarre. The Navarre Bible: New Testament Expanded Edition. Four Courts / Scepter, 2008.
- Orchard, Bernard, et al. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture. Feb. 1953.
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