“For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (II Peter 1:16).
The apostles were not only eyewitnesses of the coming of Jesus Christ, they were eyewitnesses of His power. His power confirmed His identity. Anyone can claim to be the Son of God, but only the true Son arrives with the power of God upon Him. Jesus said as much when He healed the paralytic who was lowered to Jesus through the roof (Mark 2:1-12).
Jesus proclaimed the man’s sins forgiven. But, of course, no one could see that with their eyes. So Jesus said, ” ‘Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven”; or to say, “Get up, and pick up your pallet and walk”? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, get up, pick up your pallet and go home.’ And he got up and immediately picked up the pallet and went out in the sight of everyone, so that they were all amazed and were glorifying God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this’ “ (Mark 2:9-12).
Jesus did not just come with words announcing His identity as the Messiah. He came with God-sourced power to heal and to save.
The apostle John used the powerful miracles of Jesus as proof of His divinity throughout his gospel. And concluded with this summary, “Therefore many other signs Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:30-31).
Another demonstration of Jesus’ power was at His transfiguration; witnessed by Peter, James, and John. The account in Mark starts with, “Truly I say to you, there are some of those who are standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God after it has come with power” (Mark 9:1). The next verse starts the story of the transfiguration six days later. It would seem odd if this is the fulfillment of verse 1 regarding some not tasting death since it is only six days later. This promise of Jesus may relate to the coming of the Holy Spirit with power at the day of Pentecost. Either way, the transfiguration of Jesus (Mark 9:2-8) was filled with power; radiance, white light, God speaking. And Peter was an eyewitness.
In fact, it is this event that Peter uses to illustrate the power and coming of Jesus that we referenced in our opening verse. Here is more of the II Peter passage. “For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased’ – and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain” (II Peter 1:16-18).
We believe Peter. We believe that he was an eyewitness to divinity. We believe that he was an eyewitness to the power and coming of Jesus. We believe that nothing about the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is a hoax. We believe it happened just as it is recorded in the gospels. Why? Because this is the testimony of the eyewitnesses. The disciples of Jesus were eyewitnesses of the power and the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.