Eyewitnesses

My wife and I moved to Punta Gorda in 2007.  We noticed several homes and businesses that still had the blue tarps covering their roofs after Hurricane Charlie three years earlier.  We talked to many people who experienced firsthand the fear, the devastation, and destruction of the hurricane.  They also related to us the resultant stress and even depression that Charlie brought to town.  I listened to the survivors, looked at pictures, read about it and even watched news clips of Hurricane Charlie.  But I was not an eyewitness. I did not see firsthand the flying debris, I did not hear the terrifying sounds, and I did not have to hide in the bathtub.  However, fast-forward to 2022 and Hurricane Ian, and then 2024 with Hurricane Milton.  I finally became an eyewitness.

Peter, James, and John accompanied Jesus up a mountain.  When they arrived, a supernatural phenomenon occurred.  Jesus was transfigured before their eyes.  His physical appearance was altered.  His face shone like the sun and his clothes became as white as snow.  Peter later records this event in his epistle and tells us: “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ but were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory when such a voice came to Him from the Excellent Glory: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased”. (2 Peter 1:16,17).  Peter and the others became eyewitnesses of the majesty of Jesus.  They caught a glimpse of His brilliant glory, His majestic deity, and His future exaltation.  I can only wish that I could have seen it myself.  I wish I was one of those eyewitnesses. However, as Peter reassures us, we have a more sure word of prophecy (2 Pet. 1:19).  What can be more sure than seeing the event for ourselves?   What can be more convincing than eyewitnesses.  The more sure word is the written Word of God.  We weren’t on the Mount of Transfiguration.  We did not watch the Savior die on the cross or watch as He ascended into the heavens.  Even though we didn’t see, we still believe, because of God’s written Word.