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Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. Elijah said to Elisha, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel." But Elisha said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they went down to Bethel. The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" And he said, "Yes, I know; keep silent." Elijah said to him, "Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So they came to Jericho. The company of prophets who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" And he answered, "Yes, I know; be silent." Then Elijah said to him, "Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan." But he said, "As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you." So the two of them went on. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me what I may do for you, before I am taken from you." Elisha said, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." He responded, "You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it will be granted you; if not, it will not." As they continued walking and talking, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Elisha kept watching and crying out, "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" But when he could no longer see him, he grasped his own clothes and tore them in two pieces. (2 Kings 2:1-12 NRSV)
Good morning, dear Reader. I pray this finds you well. The passage for today reminds me that this is very close to moving week for pastors in the United Methodist Church of the Río Texas Conference. This is a period of mixed emotions for both the outgoing pastor, the pastor's family, and the church; add to that the incoming pastor and families; a time for serious prayer for all who are moving. Pray also for those pastors staying, that God will renew their hearts and spirits for another year of faithful and fruitful ministry. Pray for one another. Pray for yourselves.
Saying goodbye can be tough! And this story is about a tremendous prophet saying goodbye to his protege and the protege's struggle with saying goodbye to his mentor. Last week we studied the life and struggles of the prophet Elijah and how he reached the point of asking God to take him home to heaven. And as we read, today is that day when it was going to happen. Elisha was the protege, and he had been appointed to take Elijah's place. Elijah had had a very impressive but difficult ministry as God's prophet. He had been successful in facing and defeating the prophets of Baal; in sharing God's word to the nation, and having God's personal reassurance that God was with him. Now on the cusp of his returning home to God, Elijah sees it as a personal and private event. He tries to convince Elisha that he should stay while he makes his departure. Elisha is adamant that he will not leave him alone. Elijah has a journey to make from Gilgal to Bethel, and he wants to take that journey alone. Elisha does not agree. It gets interesting and comical when a group of prophets form Gilgal purposely come towards Elisha and taunt him about his mentor's departure. It's Monday at the office at the water cooler: "Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?" This is not what the boy wanted to hear! And this scene gets repeated by another group of prophets, this time from Jericho; and guess what they said. Yes, the very same thing as their brothers back in Gilgal. Elisha replies, "I know, I know! Now, just shut up!" Again, the master tries to get Elisha to stay put. He again says no. And as they travel, their entourage grows. A group of about fifty prophets are following the two. They realized the departure of the master prophet Elijah was something to experience. Elisha begins with a miracle of taking his mantle and having rolled it, strikes the water and the water parts, one side to the other, and the two are able to walk through the opening. A minor Red Sea miracle. Here the master asks the protege what goodbye gift he can give him. Elisha may have been thinking about this for a while, for he says, "Please let me inherit a double share of your spirit." Elisha knew the setup of the ministry, and the powers that were and that were to be. He knew the story of how the Queen, mean ole Jezebel, tried to kill his master. He knew how the King sided with her, and how he had led the nation away from God. To ask not just the spirit that blessed Elijah, but a double portion of it, was a wise request. The master says that if he saw the way he was taken away into Heaven, then it would be given to him. If he did not, then it would not happen.
As the two walked, "a chariot of fire and horses of fire" came between the two and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven. Though he was a prophet, the separation and the sight of this incredible thing amazed and saddened him. He cries out of his sadness and out of this event that is at once historical and powerful. "Father, father! The chariots of Israel and its horseman!" Elijah makes the connection back to their traditions and also affirms the presence and power of God in the moment. He stares at his master ascending upward into Heaven and when he could no longer see him, grieves in the ancient manner of tearing his garments in two.
The Bible records two events where a human did not die, but was taken by God. The first was Enoch, a man who loved God so much that he walked with God so closely that one day the walk did not end.(Genesis 5:21). An incredible way to leave this earth. And we just read the second event; Elijah got a fiery Uber from Heaven to carry him into the presence of God. Years later, another man asked, "What must I do to inherit eternal life?" a question asked even today by so many, perhaps in different forms, but all wanted to know how can we get life to not stop? Even the disciples when others were deserting Jesus, when asked why they did not leave, "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of eternal life." (John 6:60-69. This is easy to remember because John 6:66 (great combo of numbers!) is the verse where it says many who followed Jesus deserted Him.)
You and I have heard the words. You and I have our names in the Book of Life; the promise is that because of our faith in Jesus Christ, we shall not die, but have eternal life. We may not get the Lyft of fire, and our walk with God may not take us straight to heaven like Enoch, but we will get there if we continue to love and trust God, and to love one another and to do what we can to help others and bring others into the faith.
PRAYER: Loving Father, pour out Your Spirit on us as we travel through this life. Empower and embolden us to be the witnesses the world needs to see. Help us to bless the poor in spirit and the ones who have lost all hope. Renew us for faithful and fruitful service. This we pray in Christ Jesus' strong name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Walk closely with the Lord today (and don't turn down a fiery ride from God if it shows up!).
Blessings of love,
Eradio Valverde
