Not Cleverly Devised Tales
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
It is an odd thing that people celebrate the death of a loved one. When looking back at great historical figures, people typically celebrate their birthday or a historically significant day in their lives. People might observe their death for mourning but not typically for a celebration. It is noteworthy then that Jesus set up for his followers to specifically commemorate his death. The emblems themselves point to this, as they represent his broken body and shed blood.
While Christians received a command to celebrate his death, that celebration did not happen on the day of his death. Instead, the Lord’s Supper is observed on every first day of the week, the same day that Jesus rose from the dead. John refers to that day as the Lord’s day.
The resurrection of Jesus is why we can celebrate his death. We know that his death is not the end of the story, but instead the beginning of his kingdom. Death was not able to contain Jesus. In his victory over it, he paved the way for all men to have victory over death. His death allowed for the forgiveness of sins, without which we could never enter heaven. And so his death is a time of mourning, but also a time of celebration.
That means that the resurrection then is of utmost importance to our faith and our salvation. As Paul says, if it never happened, we are the most pitiable of all men (1 Corinthians 15:19). So it is vital that as we come together and worship, that we are not falling for a “cleverly devised tale.” Instead, we understand that God gave us witnesses who could testify to the truth of the resurrection. Paul tells us that up to 500 men saw Jesus after his resurrection. We then have the apostle’s preaching and teaching with miracles to confirm the word. These things were written down by the prophets and apostles. This was so we could read of them later and know what they witnessed.
In reviewing these witnesses, we can have confidence that we do not follow cleverly devised tales. We know that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. That resurrection means that he is both our Lord and Savior (Acts 2:36). Therefore, we can have confidence that we have salvation through Him if we will follow his word.
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