More Than a Good Story

We all have moments in our life of faith when we wonder if we are following something that is merely a nice invention, a way of trying to make sense of a world that does not make much sense—or perhaps even some kind of formulation that we might have made up in our own minds. It might happen when confronted with a major life challenge when we need to consider whether our faith has an adequate response to the tragedy or disappointment we are experiencing. Or it might be in those quiet moments when we are alone with our thoughts and allow ourselves to wonder if our faith is any more real than our imagination.

Peter had his journey of questions to faith, from denial to forgiveness, from fear to boldness. But he also had his own experiences with Jesus as a person and in His power, specifically referencing the disciples’ experience of the Transfiguration (see Matthew 17:1–6). No, he insisted, we are not simply making this up. As the ranks of the eyewitnesses to Jesus’ earthly life were beginning to thin, Peter wanted the second-generation believers to be sure that the Jesus they had been told about was more than a good story, that His life, death, and resurrection were embedded in the history of our world, as well as in the testimony of those witnesses. Facing real threats and active persecution, as well as their own questions and doubts, Peter urged that their testimony of Jesus also fit with the words of the prophets as a reliable guide for their lives, their perseverance, and their witness. “We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19).