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 were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
There is something about being a witness to events. I don’t know that I have ever witnessed anything particularly dramatic in my lifetime. I know someone who saw the planes fly into the twin towers on 911. I know another man who attended the Ice Bowl, an infamous Green Bay Packer game where the temperatures fell to a negative 18 degrees by the end of the game. He is a Packer fan, so I imagine it was even colder for the Cowboys fans whose team lost the NFC championship that day.
Nothing anyone has ever seen compares with what Peter, James, and John saw on that mountain when Jesus was transformed. Elijah and Moses came spoke to Him. I imagine that Peter recounted that story many times after the resurrection of our Lord. He probably worked it into his sermons regularly. Or do you suppose he preferred the story of jumping in the lake to meet the resurrected Jesus? Perhaps he recounted the story of the day Jesus fed the multitudes. Peter had a deep reservoir of stories he could tell, the many things that he had seen.
But today he wants us to see this event through his eyes and hear that voice through his ears and his conclusion is important. Jesus is the fulfillment of all the promises of the Old Testament. They have and will all come to fruition in Jesus. This is so because Jesus is God’s beloved Son. Peter heard that voice. Listen to the witness tell you what he saw and heart. Believe him.