by cmcentral

Is Jesus and the gospel story true? And what makes it so? Many people who haven’t encountered God and think Jesus is anything from a simple prophet to a myth might consider the gospel story to be fabricated. To them, it might be intriguing, but it’s far from ‘truth.’ Christians believe it is the truth. And I know many Christians who are intelligent and not easily deceived, which leads me to believe there’s more to it than just a story.

The Bible addresses this quandary in various ways. I thought I’d focus on part of Peter’s account.

Can you imagine being Peter, witnessing the Mount of Transfiguration event as depicted in the Synoptic Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke? He saw Jesus both in the presence of, and heralded by, the chief prophet, Elijah, and the chief law-giver, Moses, as they proclaimed—with God the Father overseeing and providing His own testimony to the event—Jesus’ anointing in fulfilling the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17; 7:12) as Israel’s longed-for, yet later denied, Messiah.

And Peter proclaims this in his second letter, crucially arguing the God-inspiration of both the event and the prophecy that foretold Jesus’ coming, and importantly reinforcing his apostolic authority as one of only three eyewitnesses to the event beyond question:

“We did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased.'[1] We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain” -2 Peter 1:16-18 (NIV).

And we too are witnesses of His majesty through the experience in our own lives.

Jesus, by His will and ours (i.e., our faith), broke in and revealed His fullness to us, His glory never-ending. We truly couldn’t comprehend it fully and still can’t. This is not an experience we can explain, nor can others relate to until the individual revelation occurs for the first time. Then we understand.

It’s at this point that “the story” that many unbelieving people think is fictitious becomes a fervent and pulsing reality for us. Like Jesus was, we too have been transfigured!—spiritually, mentally, emotionally. Suddenly we’re alive to the movement of the Spirit; our blindness has receded. We begin to see beyond this existence and into eternity.

How can we not share this good news? This story of truth is bound to the reality of our transformed lives of compassion, empathy, good humor, and good cheer. We are not blown by the prevailing winds; we are guided on the path of truth and grace. We finally start living the way we always wanted to live.

The “story” makes sense only when our doubts evaporate enough to be open to faith; this is when Jesus—the real Person via the Holy Spirit—is able, finally, to make a home within me or you.

We are destined for our own Mount of Transfiguration (and many of them) if our hearts and minds are open to receiving the Presence of God in Jesus. We have a God of personal transfiguration and transformation in our midst.

In Him, for ourselves, we can achieve the seemingly impossible and immeasurable. What was once beyond us now becomes, of itself, transfigured and transformed. Many challenging things lie before us, but with His help, our relative mastery over these demonstrates His existence and Presence with us.

Manuel Marino

Manuel Marino is a seasoned Senior Producer, Music Composer, and Artist with over a decade of experience. He specializes in branded entertainment across various mediums, including video games, films, and advertising campaigns. With 20+ years as a game music composer, Manuel has worked on numerous platforms, creating diverse orchestral soundtracks. HIRE ME