Friday, February 8, 2013
2 Peter 1:16 We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.
CHERISH THE BIBLE AS YOUR DEAREST TREASURE
In two days it will be Transfiguration Sunday. We'll give attention to the biblical account of Jesus escorting three disciples up on a mountain of Galilee where He shows them His glory. His body radiates the brightness of God. Two prophets appear and engage Him in conversation about His impending death. A luminous cloud descends from which the Father's voice is heard: "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."
Fast forward 30 years. One of those who witnessed the transfiguration event refers to it in a letter addressed to Christians being sorely tried for their faith. They are enduring ridicule from the world. They are suffering persecution for no other reason than that they have grounded their faith in Jesus. To buck up these Christians Peter reminds them of what he and his fellow apostles witnessed on the mountain. He emphasizes that this isn't a fanciful story which they ha d cleverly contrived. The transfiguration of Jesus really happened! We saw it! We were there! So take courage, dear Christians! Hold fast to the hope God has given you in Christ. You've got an inheritance awaiting you that can never perish, spoil, or fade, ready to be revealed in the last time. Now for a little while you may have to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. But know most assuredly that your victory day is coming!
Peter's words of encouragement are meant for disciples today as well. We who live in a world that holds the teachings of the Bible in contempt. A world that claims that the miracles of the Bible are fairy tales. What a source of comfort it is for us to view Jesus with eyes of faith transfigured on the mountain. It confirms that our Christian hope isn't built on the stuff of legends. It's anchored upon the historical fact of God's Son coming to earth, existing in human flesh, and living here for a while so that we poor sinners might be reconciled to our holy God.
Let modern theologians treat the stories of the Bible as myths. Let unbelieving skeptics attack Scripture and deny its authority. Let them disparage the reliability of what the Bible authors have recorded. We will cherish the Bible as our dearest treasure. We will sing with the hymn writer:
Abiding, steadfast, firm, and sure, The teachings of the Word endure.
Blest he who trusts this steadfast Word; His anchor holds in Christ, the Lord.
(The Lutheran Hymnal, 290:4)
