Through a mirror dimly!!

One of the lines from the 13th Chapter of Corinthians has always caught my attention: "For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then we will see face to face." What does it mean to see in a mirror dimly? Does it mean that we see our own reflection dimly? Does it mean that we are looking through the mirror (perhaps with an imperfectly mirrored finish) and seeing only the bare outline of what is beyond the mirror? When Paul wrote these words, most mirrors were made from polished bronze, so I would imagine that images were fairly dim and without much resolution. Certainly not HDTV quality!

It seems somewhat contrary that we read this verse during the Epiphany season--a season when our usual focus is on light and the revelation of Jesus as the Messiah. This line from Scripture doesn't emphasize how clear things are to us now, rather it forces us to confront our inability to see or understand things completely. We might experience revelation, but by definition it will be an incomplete revelation! From a Biblical context standpoint, this line is set in the middle of a long passage on the attributes of love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13). Set in this context, the idea of seeing in a mirror dimly may help us to think about relationships both with other human beings and with God.

We are human, imperfect, and granted only incomplete or partial understanding. Even when we love another person deeply, we cannot fully understand that person or really "walk in his or her moccasins." In our relationship with God, we are granted even less understanding. We hear the Good News that God comes to us in Jesus and saves us, but we cannot really understand God or why God sent Jesus to save us. We are given glimpses of God through Scripture and the witness of Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. But because we see in the mirror dimly, we are unable to take these glimpses and integrate them into a whole image of God. For us, God remains shrouded in mystery now. The revelation of God, when we will see God face to face, will come at some future time as yet undesignated.

For now, we have to be content with an understanding that is limited by the resolution of the mirror through which we view the world.

May you live in the future hope of a complete revelation and the time when you see God face to face.