A witness is one who has seen something and is willing testify to it. There are myriads who have never seen Christ, and there are still others who have seen Him, yet (like Peter) are not willing to acknowledge Him openly.
But those who do acknowledge Him are rightly called witnesses, because in doing so they testify to what they have seen and heard. No one has ever seen God, for
“Man shall not see me and live.”
And yet Emmanuel Himself walked among us, full of grace and truth, and whoever has seen Him has seen the Father also. No one has ever seen or can see God; and yet, when we behold Jesus by faith, we see God as He is.
A city on a hill cannot be hidden; how then can we hide the light of our testimony under a basket? When told not not preach or teach in Jesus’ name, the apostles responded,
“Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you rather than to God, you must judge, for we cannot but speak of what we have seen and heard.”
Indeed, Jesus Himself said,
“I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you as a servant and witness to the things in which you have seen me and to those in which I will appear to you.”
Jesus desires that we declare Him boldly before all people:
“We have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.”
And when all else conspires against us, even when our testimony is deemed foolishness and we are persecuted, that calling still holds true:
“You will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Lord, give me grace to declare you boldly, and if persecution be my lot, to rejoice that I am counted worthy of suffering reproach on behalf of the name!