Clever Myths
Christopher B. Harbin
2 Peter 1:16-21
I got a card this week. It said, "Just wanted to say Happy Valentine's Day." Without any context, we could interpret that many ways. There is the Third Grade class in which everyone sends everyone else a similar card. There is the card sent by a Middle schooler to their crush. There is the card sent to one's spouse. There is the card sent to one's child or grandchild. In each case, the meaning attached to that phrase can shift radically based on the relationship between sender and receiver. There is background even to the simplest words. How do we interpret the Scripture in front of us with no background into the larger conversation to which it belongs? Are we reading a timeless myth, a legal treatise, a commencement address, or a message from God sent through other people?
A portion of today's text is reminiscent of a passage we recently read in Matthew's account of Jesus' baptism, "This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I am well-pleased." Matthew records these words again at Jesus' transfiguration. It is that second event Peter discusses in today's passage. His take on the matter, however, has undergone some serious reflection since he had first heard this declaration. Back then, he was struggling to grasp the significance and implications of seeing Jesus transformed with this heavenly voice speaking of Him. Peter has had decades to process, and the significance he gives to that experience has shifted far from that of the anxious man who suggested making shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah to remain on the mountain.
We find Peter at the end of his life and ministry. This is a man who has had time to mature in his understanding of all Jesus had taught and done in his presence. In this letter, Peter was responding to attacks on the gospel, specifically regarding any basis for claiming Jesus' future coming. Some doubted the Hebrew Scriptures as providing a foundation f ...
Christopher B. Harbin
2 Peter 1:16-21
I got a card this week. It said, "Just wanted to say Happy Valentine's Day." Without any context, we could interpret that many ways. There is the Third Grade class in which everyone sends everyone else a similar card. There is the card sent by a Middle schooler to their crush. There is the card sent to one's spouse. There is the card sent to one's child or grandchild. In each case, the meaning attached to that phrase can shift radically based on the relationship between sender and receiver. There is background even to the simplest words. How do we interpret the Scripture in front of us with no background into the larger conversation to which it belongs? Are we reading a timeless myth, a legal treatise, a commencement address, or a message from God sent through other people?
A portion of today's text is reminiscent of a passage we recently read in Matthew's account of Jesus' baptism, "This is my Son, the Beloved, in whom I am well-pleased." Matthew records these words again at Jesus' transfiguration. It is that second event Peter discusses in today's passage. His take on the matter, however, has undergone some serious reflection since he had first heard this declaration. Back then, he was struggling to grasp the significance and implications of seeing Jesus transformed with this heavenly voice speaking of Him. Peter has had decades to process, and the significance he gives to that experience has shifted far from that of the anxious man who suggested making shelters for Jesus, Moses, and Elijah to remain on the mountain.
We find Peter at the end of his life and ministry. This is a man who has had time to mature in his understanding of all Jesus had taught and done in his presence. In this letter, Peter was responding to attacks on the gospel, specifically regarding any basis for claiming Jesus' future coming. Some doubted the Hebrew Scriptures as providing a foundation f ...
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