This paragraph is like a “last testament” for Peter. He knows he will be executed soon and he wants to encourage the readers to keep what he has said in mind even after he is gone. Some of the language here is “stock language” used in last testaments, both in the Bible and I the literature of the Second Temple period.
The prediction of Peter’s martyrdom at the end of John’s gospel generated a number of extra-biblical legends about
the kind of death Peter would experience, including a legend that Peter met the resurrected Jesus on the road to Rome and Jesus told him he was about to be 
crucified (Acts of Peter). There is nothing historical in these stories since the point of Jesus’ prediction was only to tell Peter that his faith was not weak and that he would persevere all the way to the end.
In 2 Peter, he uses a vivid metaphor for death, he will soon be putting off the “tent of his body.” This phrase is usually associated with Bedouin who pack up their tent when they are ready to move on to a new location. Peter knows the time is near for him to leave be body and move on to what is next.
Since he knows he is about to die, Peter wants his readers to remember his personal testimony about Jesus. This would include his ethical teaching in the previous chapter he also is looking ahead to the personal testimony in the next few verses, that he was a witness to the transfiguration. For many of his readers, Peter will be a last connection to the life of Jesus. An eyewitness was respected more than a written source by many in the ancient world, so Peter wants his readers to remember what he is about to tell them in the next paragraph.
He wants to “stir up” his readers “by way of a reminder” (ESV). To “stir up” (διεγείρω) is a word used for rousing someone from sleep, to “awaken” a thought in the mind of the readers. The noun (ὑπόμνησις) is a reminder, so the meaning here is to awaken a particular thought. Think of this as a trigger for a flood of memories. Peter’s goal is to provide a trigger in the minds of his readers so they recall what he has taught them about Jesus and living an exemplary life. Alluding to the story of the transfiguration is part of that trigger.
Likewise, the phrase “make remembrance” (μνήμη, v. 15) refers to a memorial, a marker set up to remember someone or a special event. Some of my students create elaborate mnemonic devices to recall things for quizzes. I know this because they write random letters in the margins to help remember things, although sometimes remember the crazy word or sentence, but forget the thing they were supposed to remember in the first place! Peter’s words are to be like a memorial stone set up to remind people of the ethical teaching in the previous paragraph and the glorious revelation of Jesus in the following.
This “last testament” of Peter is a way of introducing the main goals of the rest of the letter. Peter wants his readers to recall his testimony about Jesus and his return in the face of opponents of the apostolic teaching about the return of Jesus.
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
It is interesting to me that Peter seems to know of his death. He seems to be expecting it. It is remarkable that his last words, or even the last few memories about him a directed back to Christ. I think of people today living a life so that they can make a name for themselves, but not dying to spread the name of Christ. It would be interesting if Christianity made a turn to live it out (as James brings up) and die to self rather than live for self and die to God.
I think that the fact that Peter references the transfiguration in his final letter is proof that he did indeed write this letter. Opponents who come against this letter for being pseudonymous I think really overlook the prophetic work of the Holy Spirit. I think that Peter is wise to encourage his readers to “recall”. As human beings, it is in our nature to forget. This is why patterns are such a huge part of Scripture, to help us remember. In the Old Testament, it was the festivals and sacrifices, in the New Testament, it is the remembrance of the Lord’s Supper. Peter, in recording his eyewitness account of Jesus’ transfiguration, is reminding his readers that he knew Jesus and His teachings, and that Peter’s own teachings had that backbone as authority.
Since Peter’s efforts, his ministry, his life’s work is nearing an end, he is lead to contemplate his impact on those he will leave behind. As an eyewitness of the life of Christ, Peter’s faith is strong, and he wants others to remain “firmly established in the truth” when he is gone (2 Peter 1:12). Peter chooses his words carefully. knowing this is likely his last letter to those under his guidance.
My dad is a pastor and has been in the ministry since 1952. He still preaches God’s Word every week, and he prays for many people who have been under his care throughout the years. Right around the time he turned 80, my dad seemed to become more intentional in the things he says to each of us. Conversations are more meaningful, prayers are more personal, and each goodbye is given a little more thought… just in case it’s our last. Like Peter, he wants to share what’s most important, encourage us in our faith, and be sure we’ll stay strong after he’s gone.
Near the end of his life, Peter makes “every effort” to see that after his departure they will “always be able to remember these things” (2 Peter 1:15). He is living and speaking and ministering intentionally, giving thought to the future of those under his care. “His major concern as he writes is to warn his readers about destructive heresies that will enter the church after his demise” (Jobes 369). Remembering Peter’s testimony of Jesus will help them stay strong in their faith in the face of adversity.
I liked how meticulously analyzed this small passage was. I think it is important to take notice in the verses shortly after that as well. I can only put myself in Peters shoes as he contemplates his own death and then shares his teachings to the churches. As he is thinking about his final days he is also thinking about what he ought to tell the truth. I think that this puts a severity of false teachers in the church at this time. Peter calls them myths in verse 16 and he tells the people how deceitful others can be and how the church has kept away from them (v. 16c). Jobes makes a credible point about this verse by saying that Jesus’ transfiguration was a mere vision of his power at the future second coming (Jobes, 373-374). Peter warns us about false teachers in the later verses and many of them deny Jesus’ transfiguration. This is an interesting book to attempt dissection but a little out of my own league. I find it interesting that these are the final thoughts of Peter before he died considering the setting and audience at the time.
Legacy is a very important thing, and it is something we do not necessarily think about very often. According to Jobes, 2 Peter was primarily written to keep the truth of Jesus established and avoid the heresies that were starting to spread (pg 369); to prevent the things he had seen from being wasted. Who would have thought that centuries later, people would be reading of his story and his letters? I certainly doubt he would. How much then should we keep in mind what we leave behind? What is it that we have experienced that we want to make sure those who remain know and can tell? While is it not a comfortable thought, I believe it is certainly worth thinking about.
Peter did not care if people knew all the details about his story. He wanted everyone to know about Christ. He wanted to make sure that Christ’s testimony was clear and not questionable. He wanted to make sure the truth of Jesus lived. Peter was big on making sure that heresies did not exist. It is crazy that he knew his death was underway, but still remained a faithful servant, just like Jesus predicted. Peter wanted to make sure that Jesus’ legacy goes on and not necessarily his own.
Personal Testimonies should always tell a little something about yourself and your life before Christ but mainly should glorify Christ himself and the power he has to transform ones life. What strikes me the most about Peters attitude during all of this is similar to what Taylor said, that even though he knew deep down that his days in his earthly body were coming to an end, he knew his life’s purpose was still to remain faithful to Christ and that his personal legacy reflected Jesus Christ. It is Peter’s recognition of the Holy Spirit in the production of Scripture that allows Peter to refer to Paul’s writing as he does. (Jobes, 374). It’s God working in Peters life to understand who he is as a person and how his life should be lived out. Jesus Christ is the reflection and image. Jesus truly is the perfect model.
Peter’s example of dying as a martyr for Christ is amazing. The fact that Peter knew his time was coming, but used his ability to write to stir up those who would read his words was amazing. The objective was to awaken them as if they had fell asleep. Peter of all would know what it was like to sleep on Christ. He denied Christ 3 different times, but we see this come full circle so much so to the point he makes his readers remember Christ through his example of death on the cross. Peter now stirs the heart of millions of believers world-wide because of his actions.
Something that I have always wondered was why the plan for Peter was to deny Christ, and then be a leading apostle for the spread of the Gospel. Yet, I always find the answer in the question and to me I believe the reason for this was because of the guilt he would feel after the denial. Guilt is a strong feeling in which can cause people to react certain ways or achieve great things out of the fact that they wished certain things in their life didn’t happen. Although Peter was aware that his life was coming to an end soon, he needed people to remember the mistakes he previously made, so that they might be spared from those same mistakes. Peter speaks about the righteousness of Christ, in which faith is understood by Peters readers (Jobes 373). This just demonstrated the way that Peter needs to reach his audience. Only by reminding them about the power and love that Jesus Christ had while on this earth will the readers be reminded to pursue God, and let the Holy Spirit work through them.
I believe that Peter dying for Christ is a great reminder of what we are willing to do for Christ as well. Although Peter denied Christ 3 times, he loved Him very much. Jesus knew, that his faith would be remember. I believe that Peter is a great example of what we are to do as believers. We will go through troubling times and we are to have a remembrance of who Christ was and what he did in order for us to be alive today. He was being put to death and he still spoke of the name of Jesus. He wanted that name to be known throughout the world. It is a great reminder that we are not to be perfect, just willing. That we can love God and still make mistakes and through those mistakes we praise God for the learning process and strengthen our relationship with Him. Peter wanted to make sure Christ was known, that should be our goal as well.
It seems as though from the beginning of this paragraph in 2 Peter 1:12-15 that he is yearning for his audience to understand the weight of his teaching but also the weight of his departure. Had I been in the position of Peter, I would have also wanted to let those whom I loved to know what I want them to do. I would also have hoped that they would hold fast to my teaching. With the revelation that your life is coming to an end, things become a bit more serious a little weightier. Peter wants to wake them up from the slumber that, quite honestly, he might have also been in. Death has a way of changing your perspective and adjusting your priorities. If we all had this impending death near we too would be more aware of what is truly important to us than the trivial things that we dabble in daily. Death is “stirring” Peter is such a way that he too wants to “stir” his readers with a reminder (v 13). You write that the Greek word used for “stir up” is to be roused awake. I wonder if death is giving Peter a new awakening to the desperate need to share his knowledge with his audience. Clearly, these things are so important that Peter is trying to make known that remembering his words is his goal. Death is something that usually causes people to do interesting things. It is a timeline that most are not prepared for. Some people ask, “If you know you had “x” amount of time left how would you use it?” This is basically what Peter is going through.
It is quite interesting to me how Peter talks about Jesus. It seems quite different than John who was also a close confidant of Jesus who also witnessed the transfiguration. How wonderful that even in very similar relationships, there is new perspective, different moments valued, two completely different emphases on different parts of their relationship with the savior.
I found it interesting to consider, inspired by the post above, if I were in Peter’s shoes. I can agree that in relationships with those I love I desire clarity so that there might be beneficial understanding between myself and others. It seems quite loving to me the way that Peter communicates not only in his words about Jesus, but also to his audience of the early church. Jesus’ death had a deep impact on Peter and adds a direct approach as well as an urgency to his message in 2 Peter. I can gather that his authority and his mission combined, as well as his identity in Christ, gave Peter a confidence in his own wisdom and ability to convey truth. This idea made me think of two things. First, I appreciate hard truths spoken in a way that is both loving and direct. Two, I think back to the Peter we read about in the gospels, and marvel at the maturity that is produced in him from the gospels to 1 and 2 Peter. I can only hope that as I grow with Jesus, as I make memories with and learn from him, that i could mature in this way as well. Our experiences with God imprint memories, hardships, and suffering into our brain which shape the rest of the human experience. They are not simply memories, but steps on a staircase on a spiritual journey.
I really enjoyed this Blog post because P.Long states that 2 Peter is a book that will help Christians. 2 Peter helps Christians in a way that will allow them to never forget about the majesty and miracles of God and Jesus Christ. The passage from the blog post that stuck out to me the most would be that of “Jesus’ prediction was only to tell Peter that his faith was not weak and that he would persevere all the way to the end” (P.Long). This passage resonates with me the most because it is a prediction that we should never forget from Jesus about Peter. Stating that Peters faith is not weak and because of that Peter will be crucified upside down. I think this is important because Jesus knew that Peter would always have a powerful faith in Him and God; thus, Peter will be judged righteous and live a life of eternal peace. 2 Peter 1:12 is a very moving verse because Peter knows that because of what he believes in, he knows that he will be put to death soon. However, he is making a point that even when he is gone, the work of God and Jesus will still live on, and we Christian believers can never forget about what God and Jesus Christ has done for mankind. “Therefore, I intend always to remind you of these qualities, though you know them and are established in the truth that you have. I think it right, as long as I am in this body, to stir you up by way of reminder” (2 Peter 1:12-13).