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2 Peter 1:16–18
“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (v. 16).
In the previous verses, Peter explained that his approaching death compels him to preserve Apostolic teaching for the church’s future. Now he turns to the content of that teaching and its ground: The Apostles “did not follow cleverly devised myths” but “were eyewitnesses of [Christ’s] majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). The false teachers troubling Peter’s churches had evidently dismissed the Apostolic proclamation of Christ’s return as mere superstition, treating the parousia, the glorious appearing of Jesus as Judge and King, as a piece of religious fiction invented to control people’s behavior. Peter responds with the force of personal testimony: He was there on the mountain when Jesus was transfigured before his very eyes.
The transfiguration was not a private mystical experience but a historical event witnessed by Peter, James, and John (Matt. 17:1–8). On that mountain, the veil of Christ’s humanity was drawn back and His inherent divine glory blazed forth. The voice of the Father thundered from heaven: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (2 Peter 1:17). Peter identifies the source of this voice as “the Majestic Glory,” an indirect way of referring to God Himself. Peter’s experience was nothing less than a preview of the glory that Christ will display when He returns.
The connection between the transfiguration and the second coming is rooted in Old Testament expectations. Psalm 2 describes the Davidic King whom God will install on His holy hill, before whom the nations will tremble. Daniel 7:13–14 envisions the Son of Man as coming in glory to receive an everlasting kingdom. The transfiguration confirmed that Jesus is this King. The false teachers who scoffed at the parousia were not merely denying a future event; they were striking at the very heart of the Bible’s teaching regarding Jesus.
Peter’s appeal to eyewitness testimony also matters for how we think about the nature of the Christian faith. Christianity is not built on philosophical speculation or subjective spiritual experience but is grounded in events that occurred in real history, were witnessed by real people, and were recorded under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The faith that we profess rests on the firm foundation of what God has actually done in time and space. As the Apostle John would later affirm, the testimony that the Apostles bore was about what they had heard, seen, and touched with their hands concerning the Word of Life (1 John 1:1–4).
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
Our confidence in Christ rests not on a feeling or a philosophy but on historical events that happened in this world, verified by those who were present. When doubts arise, we do well to return to the Apostolic testimony and remember that the gospel is anchored in events as real and tangible as the ground beneath our feet.
For further study
- Deuteronomy 4:1–14
- John 1:14–18
- 1 Corinthians 15:3–8
- Revelation 1:12–18
The bible in a year
- Psalms 13–15
- Acts 19