2 Peter 1:16 “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.”

This epistle has a double purpose: to solidify faith in the second coming, and to warn against false teaching. The section for today’s reading, 1:12-21, begins with the author stating he is writing this to remind the readers of the gifts that God has given to the faithful, and encourage them to continue in the discipline of their faith. He then goes on to state that he wasn’t using myths to explain Jesus, but that he was a witness to the majesty of Jesus. He talks about seeing first-hand God glorifying Jesus on the mount of transfiguration, which assures that what they believe about Jesus is true. He encourages the readers to pay attention to that. He finishes this section stating that no prophecy of scripture is based upon someone’s interpretation, because true prophecy comes from God speaking through humans by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

I chose the 16th verse because of the statement they weren’t following clever myths, but, rather, were eyewitnesses of the majesty of Jesus. What this makes me focus on is why or what do I follow in my relationship with God. I certainly do not have the one-on-one experiences that the apostles had, and, unlike C.S. Lewis who was an atheist who became a Christian through intellect, I don’t see any logic in the notion that the Creator of the universe would become human for the purpose of being executed for the salvation of humankind. I will admit that I am a bit jealous of those who got to see firsthand Jesus in action.

What this makes me focus on is how God has interacted personally with me throughout my life, even though I have not stood in His presence. I look back on my life to see what caused me to change from a rebellious youth to a man of faith and I recognize it was experiences where God interacted with me, though I didn’t necessarily recognize it at the time, and made me think about what I was doing. So, though I don’t have the same type of personal interaction of the apostles, I believe we all have had and will have God personally acting in our lives.

Christopher Berger