{"id":942611,"date":"2026-01-14T14:43:53","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T19:43:53","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2026-06-23T17:24:47","modified_gmt":"2026-06-23T21:24:47","slug":"bible-study-last-sunday-after-the-epiphany-a-february-15-2026","status":"publish","type":"bible_study","link":"https:\/\/staging.episcopalchurch.org\/es\/bible_study\/bible-study-last-sunday-after-the-epiphany-a-february-15-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Bible Study: Last Sunday after Epiphany (A) \u2013 February 15, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

RCL:<\/strong>\u00a0Exodus 24:12-18;\u00a02 Peter 1:16-21<\/strong>; Psalm 2; Matthew 17:1-9<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Where<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Opening Prayer<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

O God, who before the passion of your only begotten Son revealed his glory upon the holy mountain: Grant to us that we, beholding by faith the light of his countenance, may be strengthened to bear our cross, and be changed into his likeness from glory to glory; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Context<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In modern usage, a \u201clast will and testament\u201d is a legal document that provides instructions concerning a person\u2019s final wishes following their death. It concerns one\u2019s legacy and what that person wants to leave behind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2 Peter is a similar type of writing. This epistle is an example of the ancient Jewish literary genre of testament. 2 Peter is a testament in letter form. A testament, in this sense, is also concerned with one\u2019s legacy and final wishes. This genre of writing was a leader\u2019s way of saying farewell to their followers when death loomed (2 Pet 1:14). It usually includes reminders of their teaching, ethical advice, warnings, and, perhaps, predictions for the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Testaments were typically not written by the leader in question, but by someone else writing in their name, perhaps one of their followers. 2 Peter is no exception. Most New Testament scholars, as far back as the third century, do not think the apostle Peter actually wrote 2 Peter. Several factors lead to this conclusion but the likely date of when this epistle was written is key. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Peter 3:16 mentions \u201call\u201d of Paul\u2019s letters being misunderstood in the same way as \u201cother scriptures.\u201d This implies not only that Paul\u2019s writings are complete, but that they are regarded as scripture. This did not occur until the second century, though Peter and Paul both died in the mid-60s. The epistle also borrows heavily from Jude. This puts 2 Peter as probably the last New Testament text to be written, likely in the early to mid-second century or possibly late first century. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Someone writing in Peter\u2019s name fits the testament genre. The writer frequently employs the first-person plural, indicating a likely role as representative of an apostolic group. The writer may have been a part of a group that was closely linked to Peter and his teachings. The later date of this epistle also contributes to the problem it addresses: the need for faithful endurance in Christian living while awaiting Christ\u2019s return. The earliest generations of Christians, including Peter, were dying, but Jesus had yet to come back. This led to \u201cfalse teachers\u201d (2:1) saying that Jesus would not return, and therefore moral, faithful living did not really matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theological Reflection<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today\u2019s reading comes from early in the writer\u2019s argument against these false teachers. The writer rejects the notion that Christ\u2019s return is a \u201ccleverly devised [myth]\u201d (v. 16) and states two ways that the community can be assured of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

First, Peter, James, and John were \u201ceyewitnesses of [Christ\u2019s] majesty\u201d (v. 16). The writer recounts Peter\u2019s witnessing of Jesus\u2019 Transfiguration on the mountain and hearing God the Father say, \u201cThis is my Son, my Beloved, with whom I am well pleased\u201d (v. 17). This event is told in today\u2019s Gospel reading, Matthew 17:1-9 (cf. Mark 9:2-8, Luke 9:28-36).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMajesty,\u201d \u201chonor and glory,\u201d and \u201cMajestic Glory\u201d as well as the proclamation from \u201cGod the Father\u201d (vv. 16-17) all emphasize Jesus\u2019 status as God\u2019s Messiah who will save humanity and ultimately rule the \u201cnew heavens and a new earth\u201d (2 Pet 3:13). \u201cGlory\u201d is often used in the New Testament in association with Christ\u2019s Second Coming (e.g. Mark 8:38, 13:26, Luke 21:27), and these descriptions are also linked with the Transfiguration account (Matt 16:27 precedes today\u2019s Gospel reading). The Transfiguration marks an inbreaking of Christ\u2019s full glory in the physical world now, and the writer views this as a preview of the glory of Christ at his Second Coming. The argument for Jesus\u2019 return is rooted in the lived experience of Peter and the other apostles. This was not something they \u201ccleverly devised,\u201d but something they witnessed firsthand (v. 16). The false teachers the writer warns about deny the reality of Christ\u2019s Second Coming, but Peter\u2019s eyewitness of the Transfiguration establishes the trustworthiness of Jesus\u2019 return.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it is not only experience that establishes that trust. The \u201cprophetic message\u201d of scripture also points to Jesus and his return. The writer says that \u201cno prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God\u201d (v. 21).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, 2 Peter 3:2 urges readers to remember not just the words of the \u201choly prophets,\u201d but also \u201cthe commandments of the Lord and Savior spoken through your apostles.\u201d This, combined with the mention of Paul\u2019s writing in 3:16, implies that the writings of the apostles themselves are seen as inspired by the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The writer\u2019s defense of Christ\u2019s Second Coming is based on the apostles\u2019 historical witness of the Transfiguration and the divine inspiration of scripture. The scriptures weren\u2019t written only \u201cby human will\u201d or imagination (v. 21). Just as Peter and the others witnessed the glory of the Transfiguration and told about it, so too is God\u2019s word communicated through human participation in writing scripture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Experience and scripture establish the trustworthiness of Peter\u2019s teachings regarding Christ and his return. Because the apostles experienced Jesus, and because scripture tells about him, Christians can have faith that Christ will return. And we can strive to live faithful, virtuous lives now. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the season of Epiphany, the gospel readings have shown us the rippling revelation of Jesus\u2019 identity, culminating in Christ being transfigured in glory today. Scriptures such as these are one way we know Christ. But, like Peter, we can also know Christ through experience: the Sacraments, prayer, worship, relationships with others, time spent in creation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This \u201cknowledge of [Christ] who called us by his own glory and excellence\u201d (2 Pet 1:3) allows us to \u201cbecome participants of the divine nature\u201d (1:4). Through Christ, we have been \u201cgiven\u2026everything needed for life and godliness\u201d (1:3). When we are faced with false teaching, doubt, or discouragement, we, like the writer of 2 Peter, can turn to the trustworthiness of experience and scripture to bolster our faithful endurance, as we wait and \u201cgrow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ\u201d (2 Pet 3:18).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussion Questions<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n