Of Masks and Men

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it. Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. (Genesis 45:1-3)

Halloween is a holiday of horror. It’s always had its shady side of divination, demons and darkness but lately it’s gotten a facelift due to good old American greed and gluttony. We love to consume (and costume) so Halloween is perfectly pitched for appetites and masks. It’s an opportunity to hide behind rubber, makeup and spirit gum to escape the true terror of our own realities. Halloween gives us permission to mask our lives with plastic as penance for the other 364 days where reality is truly clouded.

So what happens when the real self bleeds through? What happens when the makeup melts? Or the façade falls? Or the mask is moved? Sometimes we reveal on purpose. We’ve all had that trick or treat moment when we lift our plastic mask to someone just to say, “Look, it’s me! It’s really me!” Our costume may cloak our identity but underneath we’re still just crazy kids…no matter our age. Adults love to trick or treat, too.

Joseph’s Halloween moment happened after years of trial and tribulation. It was the culmination of a life lived on purpose. Joseph knew who he was deep down inside. He didn’t need Egyptian fashion or Pharaoh’s power to impress. Joseph was already beside himself, literally. He was about to explode with emotion. So he orders his entourage to beat it. No sooner does the door close and Joseph loses it. This man who survived pit and prison is bawling like a baby. His weeping and wailing could be heard on the streets. His brothers were blown away. Who was this guy? We’re the ones who should be shedding tears. Is he crazy? Has he dived into the deep end? It’s no wonder they were “terrified at his presence.” You would be too. Here’s a powerful ruler who controls your family’s destiny and he’s an emotional wreck. The brothers didn’t need a nut job on top of everything else. It was tough enough to make sense of this whole sorry episode rationally. If lunacy guides the discussion nobody will make it back to dad.

And then Joseph draws near and (between sobs) takes off the mask. “I (sob) am (sob) Joseph (wiping his tears). Is (takes a breath) my father (sob) still (sob) living?” The brothers were stunned. Mortified. Frozen in their tracks. Years of denial had convinced them Joseph was dead. So who was this guy? Even if Joseph was alive, he was a slave not a ruler. Is this a joke? The tragic twist is Joseph’s revelation doesn’t elicit joy but terror. You’d think this revelation would be welcome.
The real truth? We all wear masks. Sure, some are manufactured by years of abuse, alienation or abandonment. Many people have built an elaborate emotional walls to prevent further pain and rejection. Other masks are momentary. We don them to survive a sticky situation or nerve-wracking activity. In the church we’ve made Halloween a weekly worship ritual. Most people wear masks to church to hide their true identities and to cloak their reality. We smile and sing and then beat it to the parking lot to ditch the makeup. Perhaps someday Church can become “real” again.
It also hurts to remove the mask. If you wear one long enough it gets under your skin and you easily confuse the facade with your real face. It’s painful to peel away the masquerade. Peel it off anyway. You may do some serious sobbing. Remove it nevertheless. You may even create confusion with loved ones. Ditch the mask regardless. What you lose in face will be gained in freedom.

After all, God didn’t make us with (or even) for masks. So let me be real with you. I’ve had my share of mask moments. I’ll confess I’ve cloaked myself in clever costumes, whether as professor or pastor. I often use humor to hide my pain. Maybe it’s due to years of hurtful remarks. Small people get tired of being small. All I know is there’s peace in peeling off the plastic and freedom is losing the façade. I’d rather be the real deal than some cheap replica. God designed me for authenticity. I am what I am. And that’s very good!



NOTABLE QUOTABLES ON AUTHENTICITY:

"No one man can, for any considerable time, wear one face to himself, and another to the multitude, without finally getting bewildered as to which is the true one." (Hawthorne)

"Honesty and transparency make you vulnerable. Be honest and transparent anyway." (Mother Teresa)

"Just be what you are and speak from your guts and heart - it's all a man has." (Hubert Humphrey)

"To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man." (William Shakespeare)


Father, You created me to be real. No pretenses. No masks. No facades or falsehoods. So forgive me for my moments of failure when I prefer to mask my reality with something (or even someone) that I am not. Help me this day to be authentic, to be real, to be wholly as You have designed. Amen.