Proper 8
Preaching
Preaching and Reading the Old Testament Lessons:
With an Eye to the New
This is one of those texts that remains almost totally incomprehensible to the congregation when it is read on this Sunday of the church year. It therefore requires a good deal of explanation.
The ministry of Elijah is about to end. Even so great a servant of the Lord comes to the end of his labors, as the end comes to all of us. But Elijah, unlike the rest of us, will not experience death. Rather he will be "translated" or taken up immediately into heaven, as was our Lord at the time of his ascension.
Right there, of course, we have entered the realm of mystery, for we earth-bound human beings, made of the dust to which we return, know nothing of such a translation. And in fact, mystery permeates this whole account.
First of all, Elijah tries to rid himself of the company of Elisha, as if Elijah were withdrawing into another realm. When Elisha faithfully refuses to leave his teacher, Elijah leads Elisha on what seems a rather senseless journey, from Gilgal to Jericho, which is only a few miles from Gilgal, and then to the Jordan. At each place, they are met by "sons of the prophets," that is, by groups of those prophetic bands that lived together in colonies at the time. They warn Elisha of his teacher's departure, but are forbidden to speak of it further (vv. 4-5).
When Elijah and his pupil reach the Jordan, Elijah strikes the water with his mantle, and the two pass through on dry land, at which point, Elisha asks for a double share of Elijah's spirit. It is not a request to be greater than his master, however. Rather, Elisha is asking for the inheritance that was given a first-born son by his father (Deuteronomy 21:17). But he will receive such a gift only if he sees Elijah as he is being taken up into heaven. Suddenly there appear a chariot of fire and horses of fire between the two, and Elijah is lifted up into heaven by a whirlwind, whereupon Elisha cries out that strange phrase, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" Elisha is left the mantle of Elijah by which he too can strike the waters of the Jordan and pass back through on dry land. Elisha has become Elijah's prophetic successor, possessing his same powerful spirit of prophecy.
What does it all mean? Those fiery chariots and horses in the vision are symbols of the unseen power of God (cf. 2 Kings 6:15-18; 7:6-7). And that power has been concentrated in the prophetic Word that Elijah spoke and that will now be spoken by Elisha. Elijah's word was as powerful as a heavenly army, because it was the Word of the Lord.
Behind all of this story and behind our lives and the world around us, this text testifies to the fact that there is an unseen realm of God that constantly is influencing the course of affairs on our earth. God is at work, shaping events in our lives, sending forth his power to achieve his purposes on earth. And much of that power is concentrated now in the word that God speaks to us.
We do not receive that word from prophets like Elijah or Elisha any more. Rather, now God's word comes to us through the scriptures, written and preached. The word was incarnated in Jesus Christ our Lord, and now through the scriptural testimony to him, God's power works in our hearts and lives. It is a power greater than all the powers of earth, and it is symbolized in our text by those fiery chariots and horses. It is a power that transforms lives and heals broken spirits and overcomes the forces of evil and death. And that power works right now in the midst of this gathered congregation.
Is there anything, then, that you and I have to fear? Are we fearful of the future? God is at work. Do we wonder how evil can be overcome? God's victory is sure. Do we fear death and the valley of the shadow? God's incarnate word in Christ triumphed over death. The God of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the God of power, but also supremely the God of love. And he now encircles your life and mine. And so when you are afraid and anxious, despairing and afflicted in this world, remember the unseen world of God, and those fiery chariots and horses, and cry out to your Father in heaven, as Elisha cried, for in him is your sure salvation.
Lutheran Option: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
When the prophet Elijah was met by God on Mount Horeb and given God's command to get to work (see the preceding Sunday's lesson), one of the commands given to him was to return and anoint Elisha as a prophet in his place (v. 16). Verses 19-21 in this text now portray Elijah's obedience to that command.
Elisha is a very rich man in this story. He is plowing his field with twelve yoke of oxen, a team that stands in sharp contrast to the poor man's solitary yoked ox. But God's will has a way of interrupting the lives of all sorts of people, rich and poor, renowned and obscure, talented and unaccomplished. Let no one in any station of life think God has no role for them in his purpose.
God also has a way of interrupting our lives unexpectedly. Elisha is going about his business, when suddenly Elijah throws his prophetic mantle over Elisha's shoulders. There is no word before this that suggests Elisha expected such a thing.
But Elisha knows what the gesture means. He is called to be Elijah's disciple; he is called to leave all and follow, much like those disciples of Jesus were called to leave their fishing nets and to follow after him. It is a call to an unknown future. The disciples of our Lord did not know that Golgotha awaited them. And Elisha does not know on what course Elijah will lead him.
As an obedient son who honors his father and his mother, however, Elisha asks that he be allowed to say goodbye to his parents. And Elijah respects that request. The fact that Jesus denies such a wish, according to our Gospel lesson, shows the radical nature of our Lord's call to each one of us. But Elijah lets Elisha go back and say farewell. He gives him an admonition, however, in verse 20. That verse should be read, "Go back again, but remember what I have done to you." Remember now that you have been called to a higher loyalty than that which you owe your family, and indeed, that is what Jesus tells each one of us also. Our commitment to him and his kingdom is not to be hedged by any reservation on our part.
Elisha shows that he has no such reservation. There is no notice in our text that he does in fact go home to say goodbye to his parents. Rather, he simply goes back to his oxen that have been standing in the field, kills them, and distributes their meat to others. In short, he makes an absolute break with his past. He sheds his trappings of wealth and follows after Elijah to serve him in his prophetic calling.
Most of us are not called to leave our homes and families and familiar surroundings to follow after Jesus, although there are Christian missionaries who have done exactly that. But most of us are called to a new way of life in the place wherever God has put us. And there is to be no hedging in that call. We cannot dally occasionally in some sin of the past, which our Lord has shown us to be contrary to his will. We cannot retain old hatreds and grudges, when Christ has called us to a life of forgiveness. We cannot continue to ignore persons whom we thought were insignificant, when we now know as Christians that every person is loved in God's sight. We cannot continue to believe that our desires, our thoughts, our habits are supreme, when we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord. And surely, we cannot continue to lead lifestyles of conspicuous consumption when we have turned over everything we are and have to God.
The call to a Christian life is a radical call, as the call to the life of prophecy was a radical call to Elisha. It is a call that gives us an entirely new perspective on everything we have and are. But it is a call that gives back a thousand-fold for everything that we leave behind. Above all, it is a call to become what we were meant to be -- servants of our Lord Jesus Christ and witnesses of his gospel. There is no higher calling in this world, nor does any life give our living more meaning. To serve in the name of Jesus Christ -- there is no greater joy.
The ministry of Elijah is about to end. Even so great a servant of the Lord comes to the end of his labors, as the end comes to all of us. But Elijah, unlike the rest of us, will not experience death. Rather he will be "translated" or taken up immediately into heaven, as was our Lord at the time of his ascension.
Right there, of course, we have entered the realm of mystery, for we earth-bound human beings, made of the dust to which we return, know nothing of such a translation. And in fact, mystery permeates this whole account.
First of all, Elijah tries to rid himself of the company of Elisha, as if Elijah were withdrawing into another realm. When Elisha faithfully refuses to leave his teacher, Elijah leads Elisha on what seems a rather senseless journey, from Gilgal to Jericho, which is only a few miles from Gilgal, and then to the Jordan. At each place, they are met by "sons of the prophets," that is, by groups of those prophetic bands that lived together in colonies at the time. They warn Elisha of his teacher's departure, but are forbidden to speak of it further (vv. 4-5).
When Elijah and his pupil reach the Jordan, Elijah strikes the water with his mantle, and the two pass through on dry land, at which point, Elisha asks for a double share of Elijah's spirit. It is not a request to be greater than his master, however. Rather, Elisha is asking for the inheritance that was given a first-born son by his father (Deuteronomy 21:17). But he will receive such a gift only if he sees Elijah as he is being taken up into heaven. Suddenly there appear a chariot of fire and horses of fire between the two, and Elijah is lifted up into heaven by a whirlwind, whereupon Elisha cries out that strange phrase, "My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" Elisha is left the mantle of Elijah by which he too can strike the waters of the Jordan and pass back through on dry land. Elisha has become Elijah's prophetic successor, possessing his same powerful spirit of prophecy.
What does it all mean? Those fiery chariots and horses in the vision are symbols of the unseen power of God (cf. 2 Kings 6:15-18; 7:6-7). And that power has been concentrated in the prophetic Word that Elijah spoke and that will now be spoken by Elisha. Elijah's word was as powerful as a heavenly army, because it was the Word of the Lord.
Behind all of this story and behind our lives and the world around us, this text testifies to the fact that there is an unseen realm of God that constantly is influencing the course of affairs on our earth. God is at work, shaping events in our lives, sending forth his power to achieve his purposes on earth. And much of that power is concentrated now in the word that God speaks to us.
We do not receive that word from prophets like Elijah or Elisha any more. Rather, now God's word comes to us through the scriptures, written and preached. The word was incarnated in Jesus Christ our Lord, and now through the scriptural testimony to him, God's power works in our hearts and lives. It is a power greater than all the powers of earth, and it is symbolized in our text by those fiery chariots and horses. It is a power that transforms lives and heals broken spirits and overcomes the forces of evil and death. And that power works right now in the midst of this gathered congregation.
Is there anything, then, that you and I have to fear? Are we fearful of the future? God is at work. Do we wonder how evil can be overcome? God's victory is sure. Do we fear death and the valley of the shadow? God's incarnate word in Christ triumphed over death. The God of the prophets Elijah and Elisha, and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the God of power, but also supremely the God of love. And he now encircles your life and mine. And so when you are afraid and anxious, despairing and afflicted in this world, remember the unseen world of God, and those fiery chariots and horses, and cry out to your Father in heaven, as Elisha cried, for in him is your sure salvation.
Lutheran Option: 1 Kings 19:15-16, 19-21
When the prophet Elijah was met by God on Mount Horeb and given God's command to get to work (see the preceding Sunday's lesson), one of the commands given to him was to return and anoint Elisha as a prophet in his place (v. 16). Verses 19-21 in this text now portray Elijah's obedience to that command.
Elisha is a very rich man in this story. He is plowing his field with twelve yoke of oxen, a team that stands in sharp contrast to the poor man's solitary yoked ox. But God's will has a way of interrupting the lives of all sorts of people, rich and poor, renowned and obscure, talented and unaccomplished. Let no one in any station of life think God has no role for them in his purpose.
God also has a way of interrupting our lives unexpectedly. Elisha is going about his business, when suddenly Elijah throws his prophetic mantle over Elisha's shoulders. There is no word before this that suggests Elisha expected such a thing.
But Elisha knows what the gesture means. He is called to be Elijah's disciple; he is called to leave all and follow, much like those disciples of Jesus were called to leave their fishing nets and to follow after him. It is a call to an unknown future. The disciples of our Lord did not know that Golgotha awaited them. And Elisha does not know on what course Elijah will lead him.
As an obedient son who honors his father and his mother, however, Elisha asks that he be allowed to say goodbye to his parents. And Elijah respects that request. The fact that Jesus denies such a wish, according to our Gospel lesson, shows the radical nature of our Lord's call to each one of us. But Elijah lets Elisha go back and say farewell. He gives him an admonition, however, in verse 20. That verse should be read, "Go back again, but remember what I have done to you." Remember now that you have been called to a higher loyalty than that which you owe your family, and indeed, that is what Jesus tells each one of us also. Our commitment to him and his kingdom is not to be hedged by any reservation on our part.
Elisha shows that he has no such reservation. There is no notice in our text that he does in fact go home to say goodbye to his parents. Rather, he simply goes back to his oxen that have been standing in the field, kills them, and distributes their meat to others. In short, he makes an absolute break with his past. He sheds his trappings of wealth and follows after Elijah to serve him in his prophetic calling.
Most of us are not called to leave our homes and families and familiar surroundings to follow after Jesus, although there are Christian missionaries who have done exactly that. But most of us are called to a new way of life in the place wherever God has put us. And there is to be no hedging in that call. We cannot dally occasionally in some sin of the past, which our Lord has shown us to be contrary to his will. We cannot retain old hatreds and grudges, when Christ has called us to a life of forgiveness. We cannot continue to ignore persons whom we thought were insignificant, when we now know as Christians that every person is loved in God's sight. We cannot continue to believe that our desires, our thoughts, our habits are supreme, when we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord. And surely, we cannot continue to lead lifestyles of conspicuous consumption when we have turned over everything we are and have to God.
The call to a Christian life is a radical call, as the call to the life of prophecy was a radical call to Elisha. It is a call that gives us an entirely new perspective on everything we have and are. But it is a call that gives back a thousand-fold for everything that we leave behind. Above all, it is a call to become what we were meant to be -- servants of our Lord Jesus Christ and witnesses of his gospel. There is no higher calling in this world, nor does any life give our living more meaning. To serve in the name of Jesus Christ -- there is no greater joy.
