“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.” 2 Peter 1:16
How do we distinguish between myths and events that are truly majestic and miraculous?
As an eight-year-old child, I loved the idea of Santa…the fat, jolly figure who loved children and spread happiness. I loved the idea of a magical land where snow glistened like diamonds—white and pristine, but not bone-chilling. (I lived in the south where we rarely saw snow, so what did I know?) Reindeer who could fly… toy-making elves… a sleigh that traveled around the world overnight…I loved all of it.
I knew, of course, Santa’s magic didn’t mesh with reality. But I ignored the clues…like the time our family went shopping for a gift for the “boss’s daughter,” only to find that same gift under our tree on Christmas Day.
The Santa Myth
I tried to rationally explain the problems with the Santa myth. For one thing, our family didn’t have a chimney, and my parents locked the house at night. But maybe Santa came through the vent in the attic or the air conditioning ducts. Or maybe Mama and Daddy waited up and let him in.
I wanted desperately to believe he was real.
But my third-grade teacher shattered my faith. One day she told the class, “We know Santa’s not real, but we have to pretend for the benefit of our little brothers and sisters.”
I had to face the devastating truth; if the teacher said it, it must be so.
There are some who liken belief in God to belief in Santa. Like Santa, God works invisibly. We see some evidence of His presence—that is, we see the things He’s made and the gifts He leaves. But we can’t see Him.
The other day, in a moment of discouragement over a particular unanswered prayer, the vaguest shadow of doubt flickered across my mind. “What if it’s all a myth?”
God’s Reassurance: Jesus Is Not a Myth
Unlike the Santa myth, genuine truth can withstand scrutiny.
God reassured me by pointing me to an unlikely passage, Peter’s second epistle. You probably won’t find Second Peter in your Advent readings. But this passage answered my skepticism.
“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. 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,’ we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.” 2 Peter 1:16-18 ESV
Peter wrote to Christians who were persecuted for their faith and scattered throughout the Mediterranean world. Those believers probably had moments when they wondered if their faith was worth fighting for.
But Peter witnessed Christ’s glory and majesty. What Peter saw and heard galvanized him to devote the rest of his life to passionately preaching the gospel, even to the point of martyrdom.
Jesus in All His Majesty
In his epistle, Peter recalls a mystical, majestic moment when he saw Jesus in all His glory and heard the voice of God with his own ears. (Matthew 17:1-8)
Jesus took Peter, James, and John up on a mountain, and there they saw Jesus transformed. His face shone like the sun. His clothes became dazzling white. And Peter heard the voice of God coming out of a cloud saying, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”
John, too, in his gospel and epistles, dispels the idea of a mythical Jesus. Jesus was flesh and blood. Someone the disciples could touch and see. John saw Jesus in His humanity, but he also saw His glory.
“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14
“That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ.” 1 John 1:1-3
Peter and John wanted us to know: Jesus is real. The gospel is true. And the early church leaders did careful research as they put together the books of the New Testament, to ensure that the testimonies recorded there are authentic.
In his book The Case for Christ, Lee Strobel investigates the reliability of the disciples’ eyewitness accounts. He quotes Craig Blomberg on page 57:
“‘We see them reporting the words and actions of a man who called them to as exacting level of integrity as any religion has ever known. They were willing to live out their beliefs even to the point of ten of the eleven remaining disciples being put to grisly deaths, who shows great character.’”
For more evidence on the reliability of the disciples’ testimonies, read the book.
Strobel, Lee. The Case for Christ: A Journalist’s Personal Investigation of the Evidence for Jesus. Willow Creek Resources. Zondervan, 1998.
The book also gives evidence of the credibility of the Bible.
Learn more about how early church leaders decided which documents to include in the New Testament:
What was the process of deciding on the New Testament canon? | GotQuestions.org
Scoffers
How do we answer those who point out that today we don’t see angels in the sky or witness Jesus coming in the clouds?
The early church dealt with scoffers, too.
“… scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. They will say, ‘Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.’” 2 Peter 3:3-4
“Where is this Jesus?” they say. “We don’t see miracles. We don’t see evidence of a second coming of Christ.”
Peter had an answer for them.
“But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8-9
God answers the questions of those who honestly desire truth. His patience provides opportunity for many more to discover the truth of the gospel and respond to His invitation to believe.
Believe the Miracles and Behold His Majesty
Maybe you didn’t find everything you hoped for under your Christmas tree this year.
Maybe you had high expectations for 2025, but 2025 failed to deliver.
Or maybe you’ve prayed the same prayer over and over, but to no avail. You look up to heaven and, like the scoffers, you think, “Nothing ever changes.”
Hang on to your faith. God keeps His promises and is working all things together for your good and His glory.
If you’re discouraged in your faith or if you’re doubting (even a little bit), the second epistle of Peter will encourage you.
We have the evidence.
Reliable witnesses.
Careful research.
A world transformed.
Our Savior is not a myth.
Embrace the mystery.
Believe the miracles.
One day we will behold Him in all His majesty.
Stained glass image courtesy of Alvin David on Unsplash.