The Veil: Why the Old Testament Can’t Be Read Without Christ

There are moments in Scripture that challenge our understanding of God. Passages where He appears harsh, destructive, or even violent. Many people read these stories and feel confused and torn between a loving Father revealed by Jesus and a fearsome God portrayed by ancient writers. Paul spoke directly to this problem. He said a veil lies over the reading of the Old Testament.

“But their minds were blinded. For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament…

Nevertheless when one turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”

2 Corinthians 3:14–16

This veil is not made of cloth. It is spiritual. It hides God’s true character. It is the mask Satan placed over humanity, a distorted view of God that paints Him as the author of destruction, fear, and force.

Satan’s greatest weapon has never been physical power. It has always been deception. If he cannot destroy God, he will try to destroy God’s reputation. So he has worked tirelessly to convince the world that God is severe, unpredictable, and ready to kill.

That is why the veil matters.

Because when people misunderstand God’s character, everything else becomes distorted too.

The veil does not come off by more study, more effort, or more theology. Paul says the veil is removed only when we turn to Christ. Jesus is not simply a helper or teacher, He is the perfect revelation of the Father.

“Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

John 14:9

Jesus is the lens through which all Scripture must be understood. He didn’t come to correct the Scriptures, He came to correct our interpretation of God.

Throughout His life, Jesus revealed the Father’s heart:

• He healed rather than harmed

• He forgave rather than condemned

• He protected rather than punished

• He absorbed violence rather than inflicting it

The cross is the clearest picture of who the Father is. When humanity rejected and murdered His Son, God did not retaliate. Heaven did not rain fire in vengeance. Instead, Jesus prayed:

“Father, forgive them.”

Luke 23:34

If Jesus is the exact image of the Father, then anything in Scripture that seems unlike Jesus must be re-examined. Not dismissed, but understood through Christ’s life, love, and character. When Christ becomes the filter, everything changes.

• The God who seemed to destroy becomes the God who protects

• The God who seemed angry becomes the God whose heart breaks for His children

• The God who seemed vengeful becomes the God who gives freedom, even when rejected

Jesus didn’t come to change God’s heart. He came to reveal it.

“In Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”

Colossians 2:9

When we read the Old Testament without Christ, the veil stays on. God appears distant, unpredictable, terrifying. But when we read through Christ, His gentleness, mercy, self-sacrifice, non-violence, and forgiveness, the veil begins to fall, and Scripture suddenly tells one story:

A Father who has always loved His children,

but who has been tragically misunderstood.

The purpose of the gospel is not only to save us, but to reveal who God truly is. When the veil is lifted, fear dissolves. Trust grows. Love awakens. And we discover what has been true all along:

The Father looks exactly like Jesus