We Are All Witnesses
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. For when He received honour and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with Him on the holy mountain. 1 Peter 1:16-18
Testimonies can be a powerful thing. People testify to events that have happened in their lives everyday. We tell our friends stories about daily encounters that we’ve had or major events that have happened, and many of those moments are so powerful that they can be recalled with vivid clarity.
I was talking with my dad the other day about the first major sporting event he ever went to. He was 10 years old and he saw his favourite athletes play. To him, these guys were his heroes. This moment had a huge impact on him. He recounted the event like it just happened yesterday… that game was 61 years ago.
In the above passage, the Apostle Peter is recounting the transfiguration of Jesus Christ. This moment was seared into his memory. And not only him, other disciples that were there. And why wouldn’t it have an impact? God the Father literally spoke to Jesus (God the Son) from heaven! Peter says, “we were eyewitnesses of His majesty.” And of course, that event wouldn’t be the last amazing thing to happen before their eyes.
Peter is using this memory to remind us of the truth of our faith. He’s letting us know that the message he is delivering is not a cleverly devised myth, but a genuine reality. And how does he know it’s the truth? Because he was there. He saw it. He was an eyewitness.
So if there’s every a doubt in our minds about our faith, we can rest assured that we are following the truth. This really happened. And every book of the Bible, every sermon, and every testimony is pointing to one thing: the power, majesty, and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation that comes from His sacrifice on the cross.