Sunday, February 15, 2026 — 2 Peter 1:16-21
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 had been eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For he received honor and glory from God the Father when that voice was conveyed to him by the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.” 18 We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven, while we were with him on the holy mountain.
19 So we have the prophetic message more fully confirmed. You will do well to be attentive to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
It can be difficult to convince other people of a truth based on your personal experience when their approach is from an intellectual or other point of view. No matter what you say or how strongly you represent your case, until they have shared in your experience, your truth and theirs may always be in conflict with each other. One person has noted:
“ … many truths might seem well suited to a diverse society. But when everyone is free to define truth as he or she prefers, as at present, the result is an intellectual and moral shouting match in which the people with the loudest voices are most likely to be heard.”[1]
That doesn’t mean they represent the truth. However, when we investigate truth from the perspective of holy scripture, we depend on the integrity and experiences of those who came before us, trusting their ability to convey what they believed to be true from their personal experiences, even above others' intellectual interpretations. And because of that, we always find ourselves with a different understanding of truth than those who don't know what we know, haven't experienced what we've experienced, and have yet to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit guiding them, leading them, and teaching them about life and God.
Peter’s witness about Christ was personal. He saw what he saw and heard what he heard and experienced more on a personal level with Christ than most of those who followed out of curiosity. So, for those who neither knew nor understood Jesus as God’s truth intellectually, Peter’s truth came from a much different perspective. For instance, those of us who have children and have raised children have a much different perspective on child raising than someone who has never lived through it. For Peter and the other two disciples to have eyewitnesses and ear-witnesses to the transfiguration of Christ, proclaiming Jesus as his beloved Son, to have lived with Jesus, walked with Jesus, experienced the death and resurrection of Jesus and then to have watched the ascension of Jesus and hear the angels say, “Men of Galilee “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”, (Acts 1:11) —the truth of Jesus was not a question to be debated. Jesus was God’s Truth to be trusted, and treasured, to be believed without doubting until Jesus returned as the angels prophesied.
- What experience have you had of God’s truth in Jesus Christ that defies intellectual understanding?
- How does your experience confirm the truth of Jesus’ transfiguration as verified by Peter?
- Why do you think others who lack your personal experience with God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit find it difficult to believe that Jesus is the Truth?
[1] Mary Lefkowitz, New York Times Book Review, January23, 2000
Todays Prayer
Today’s Prayer —
Gracious and loving God, let the truth of Your prophetic word in Holy Scripture continue to assure me, keeping me confident in my faith that Jesus Christ will return as the glorified Truth of God.
