Shiny

Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God . . . 

 - From Exodus 34

I've always wondered if the face of Moses continued to shine, every time he had spoken with God. Did people just get used to Moses' shiny face? Or did he speak to God, face to face, fewer times as he got older, and did his face shine less?

Did other Biblical figures, that had been in God's presence, also have shining faces? Did Adam's face shine? Did Jesus have a shiny face?

I think that Jesus' face probably did not shine. He had to be totally approachable to all people. When you look(ed) upon Jesus, you would see someone that looks a lot like yourself, in your fallen, quite human state. 

But there was something about Jesus, though. There was something about Him, that drew people to him. His face may not have shone, physically, but it always shone inwardly, spiritually. He had a magnetism. His face was beautiful. 

There's a story about Abraham Lincoln, during his Presidency. He would see visitors every day, at an appointed time. People would line up for the chance to shake the hands of the President, and chat with him for a while (this is a practice that never should have been so limited). There was a little girl that waited for her turn. Her parents had prepared her ahead of time: "Now do not be shocked. The President is ugly. Be polite when you see him." But as soon as she greeted him and heard him speak a few words to her, she turned to her parents and said "Oh he's not ugly at all! He's beautiful!"

Jesus affects us something like that. 

I remember a conversation I had with my cousin, Larry Johnson, about forty years ago. We were talking about Christian women. That even those that were not "pretty," as the world defines it, were still quite attractive in this way. I began to explain it to Larry. I said "There's just . . . " and he finished my sentence ". . . something about them." And I replied "Yes!"

And I could go on and on. The glow on Jesus' face was illustrated throughout history, especially in medieval and Renaissance times, by way of the circular arc drawn around His head. But all holy people might also have such, if they were deemed holy enough. There was an aura about Him. 

Moses came down with his face shining, for "he had been with God." He had a twinkle in his eye. A spring in his step. Our faces are the part of our bodies that emit the most light. And Moses simply had more of it. 

I wonder about this recent phenomenon among a certain class of politicians, to do something to their facial skin, that makes it "shine." Except it's the kind of shininess of Moses, or Christ. It's a plastic, waxen look, like the Jim Carrey character in The Mask. It looks fake. And I have wondered why they would do this? I also noted that the waxy-face look came into vogue about the same time politicians were telling everyone to wear masks. And it also seemed like the ones most likely to push the mask mandate, were also the ones most likely to have the wax faces. I've wondered if they were trying to affect the look of Moses . . . but without actually having been in God's presence.

But that's another topic . . .