Tuesday’s (6/22/2010) Scripture: 2 Kings 2.1-2, 6-14

Tuesday’s (6/22/2010) Scripture: 2 Kings 2.1-2, 6-14

Now when the LORD was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 2 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. (NRSV)
2 Kings 2:6-14
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6 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. 7 Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8 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.
9 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.” 10 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.” 11 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. 12 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.
Elisha Succeeds Elijah
13 He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14 He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.


So, where do you see the theme of following unconditionally into the future in this text? Certainly, Elisha is persistent in following Elijah, even when Elijah tries to turn him away. But of course, following involves more than just walking after someone. It is about more than simply “tagging along.” To follow involves aligning one’s life with the life of another. It means adopting and assimilating their passion, vision, and mission into your own life. When Elisha requests a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, it wasn’t a self-serving request, one motivated by a desire for prestige, honor, or power. We need to remember that Elijah’s career as a prophet was that of “the troubler of Israel.” It was hardly one of prestige, honor, or power. Elisha’s request was that he may follow in Elijah’s calling as God’s prophet. Before Elisha ever caught Elijah’s spirit, he caught Elijah’s passion, he caught Elijah’s vision; Elijah’s mission had captured Elisha and he desired to extend that mission into the future.

It is interesting that after Elisha watches Elijah being taken up into heaven, he doesn’t linger long. He doesn’t build a monument or a memorial, lamenting the way things were. There is remorse at his loss—he tears his clothes in two. But that remorse doesn’t keep him locked in the past. Instead, he picks Elijah’s mantle and walks into the future. Elisha not only continues the mission, he extends it. You see, to carry the mission into the future isn’t about repeating the past; it’s not about doing what has already been done. It’s about finding new ways. It’s about creating new venues for God’s Spirit to be encountered. It’s about opening up new opportunities to engage our world with the transforming message of God’s love.

To follow unconditionally into the future presupposes two interrelated things. First, that we believe the future is something that holds enough hope and possibility that we are willing to walk into it. And second, that we have something/someone worth following. Personally, I believe the answer to both is an unequivocal ‘yes.’ The passion, vision, and mission of Jesus contrasts sharply with the prestige, honor, and power that drives our culture. It is that passion, vision, and mission that fills me with confidence that our future is full of promise and potential. It is that passion, vision, and mission that is worth risking everything to follow. It is that passion, vision, and mission that is worth any sacrifice no matter how great, no matter how radical, no matter how ridiculous.