That Face

Hollywood loves a close up, and so does National Geographic for that matter. You have seen thousands of such shots on the big screen for a dramatic effect. You have seen up close the faces of people from every culture captured in the classic publication. It must be the case the human brain is designed to tune in to the face from birth. A parent moves in close to their baby, and both mutually marvel at the wonder of the face they see. Through life the brain stores features for recognition. We have the phrases, “Can’t remember his name, but his face rings a bell.” and “Can’t put a name with the face.”

People look upon a face and see there what is going on with a person. We look into the eyes, proverbially called the windows to the soul. And think of romantic love: when two beloveds gaze upon each other’s faces, all fades but the world shared in the moment.

That face, that face, that wonderful face!

It shines, it glows all over the place.

And how I love to watch it change expressions.

Each look becomes the pride of my possessions.   — Lew Spence and Alan Bergman

The last line of that stanza is the place I will leap from to consider an element of the scriptures for tomorrow. The first three lines are reverent description. The fourth line moves into possessive objectification. It is common for humans to be in such a mix of emotion. A person experiencing sheer, powerful wonderment…beauty beyond description gets caught up in a dialectical dilemma. It’s like one faces a marvel, on the one hand, drawing the person into a mystery, prompting a holding back in rapt awe. On the other hand it is an attraction that compels the person to be one with the other. So it is a formidable wonder producing a repelling awe, and a fascination that powerfully attracts.

We can call it a religious or spiritual experience if we like. Something of this double-spell, “stay put—come closer” can happen at any time, unbidden, in the moment. You could be staring past silhouetted pines at a star-filled sky; gazing in from the rim of the Grand Canyon; looking up from the “crossing” of a medieval gothic cathedral; transported in the third movement of a classical composition, watching a line of ants moving from hill to forest, some carrying bits of leaves, anything.  Literally any moment can trigger an encounter of the numinous. In the most powerful moments, you will have a strong emotion for stepping back in reverent fear, and stepping in with strong desire. You could dive into the thought of Friedrich Schleiermacher and Rudolf Otto for a splash of this theology. And for an example from Scripture you could listen up tomorrow in the passage from Exodus.

Moses has been through encounters with the Lord of many kinds. Before he moves on to do the huge thing God has asked leading the people up into their next adventure, he asks that he be allowed to see the glory of the face of the Lord. God does not grant this, but provides a partial concession, allowing Moses a fleeting glimpse of the back of God, first shielding Moses with the divine hand while passing by him.

The Lord said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.” Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.” And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The Lord’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.” And the Lord continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock; and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by; then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.” —Exodus 33:17-23

Moses is assuredly awed, but is moved to want to “possess” something of the divine. It reminds us of the story earlier where Moses requests to know the name of God, so he can let people know who sent him. He is not given it but is given the import of the nature of God, able to tell people that “I Am” sent him.

The fourth century bishop of the Eastern Church, Gregory of Nyssa, describes this section in his classic, “Life of Moses.” He makes the connection with God’s call to us. We are called not to face God and to know his face, but to follow. If we see God’s face we are facing the opposite direction. We are moving the wrong way. If we want to face the right way and see the part of God we are meant to see, we will see the back of the Lord. The one who follows, sees the back of the guide:

What is perceived to be its opposite is face to face with the good. For what looks virtue in the face is evil. But virtue is not perceived in contrast to virtue. Therefore, Moses does not look God in the face, but looks at his back; for whoever looks at him face to face shall not live, as the divine voice testifies, man cannot see the face of the Lord and live. — Life of Moses, Gregory of Nyssa

We too should marvel at the face of God, but be moved to live out our worship not face to face with God but as followers of God. We humbly revere God for granting us a place in the cleft of the rock and a glimpse of his glory, and in praise, we are eager to follow.