Transfiguration Sunday 2 Peter 1:16-21

Context

Text Clues

While all pericopes, of course, need to be read in context, sometimes we get clear textual clues that we are to do this. In this week’s text we get that by way of a bookended “for” (gar) and “but” (de) in verses 16 and 22, explicitly connecting our opening verse to the logic of the preceding text, and the subsequent passage to the argument of our highlighted lectionary text.

The opening verses of 2 Peter 1, which lead into verse 16’s “for,” speak of supporting and confirming one’s faith, with an emphasis on memory and recall (don’t be “forgetful of the cleansing of past sins”; “I intend to keep on reminding you of these things,” and to “refresh your memory”; the importance of…

1. Why is light such a common image in Scripture for God? Why is Jesus called the Light in John and why, in the transfiguration, does Jesus shine with light?

2. What are some times in your life when you have desperately wanted light? Have you ever jumped at something you thought was light, only to discover that it you were mistaken? How did you respond?

3. What are some ways that we can discern true from deceptive light?

4. How would you explain our role as “witnesses” in relation to the “witness” of the apostles? How can our personal experience with Christ strengthen our witness without becoming an overly subjective basis for our witness?

5. (Esp. for pastors) How can we balance the ministerial authority to expound God’s word with…