A lot of activity in the Late Night Bible Study community. We had a guest join us for a few days who wanted to let us in one some important opportunities. As one with Scots heritage who has never had a tan in his life, the offer of skin whitening cream didn’t interest me at all, but the spy software, now that was tempting. It is good to keep track of everyone, to have insider information, to know what is going on at all times. That would be cool, to say the least. Provided that it worked, which I doubt. As with most too good to miss kind of deals. So, despite my commitment to hospitality, I unceremoniously removed our interloper. So, you shouldn’t receive any further invitations of that ilk, at least for a while.
Unless you consider the invitations regularly issued in this space as also too good to be true. It isn’t usually a hard sell, I admit, but there is usually a call of some sort here. Sometimes it is a do or to be something. Sometimes it is to understand something. Sometimes it is an encouragement to take another look at something. And that something is often yourself.
This is the weekend before Lent begins and is, traditionally, Transfiguration Sunday. That’s that odd story in Matthew and Mark about Jesus on the mountain and the change in his face and clothes and the words from the cloud and the light. You remember that story. One of those we sit and listen to and say “huh.” Because it is, after all, about Jesus. It is just something for us to see, or to wonder about. It’s about Jesus and who he was and who he is. We are bystanders, observers, at best. It is about Jesus.
At least that is what we’ve always assumed. So, this year I decided to not read the Gospel story and to pick the Old Testament passage assigned for this Transfiguration Sunday. To see if maybe it might help us see this story a little differently.
2 Kings 2:1-12 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. 3 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." 4 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. 5 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." 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.
Like the Gospel story this “transfiguration” is all about Elijah. The old word was translation. This is the story of the translation of Elijah. It begins with the whole story in the first verse “When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind.” Wait. When the Lord was about to... When? That’s kind of an odd way to present the climax, the main point of the whole story, isn’t it? It almost makes you think that the point of this story is something other than the miracle. Something other than the special effects.
Please don’t misunderstand, I love the wide screen stuff. I like the lights and sounds and the awe-inspiring wonder of some of this Old Testament stuff here. Chariots of Fire, wow! Horses of fire, wow 2! A whirlwind carrying Dorothy off to Oz. I mean Elijah off to God’s heaven, wow to the max. I would have stood there with my mouth open not making a sound like the company of prophets who came and stood on the other side of the Jordan to watch the spectacle, standing at a safe distance so as not to get fiery horse droppings on their heads. I’m ready to applaud the awesomeness of God just like anyone else. But Jesus had a few words about miracles for show, as I recall, so I’m inclined to think that maybe the pyrotechnics are not the center of this story. Whether we are talking about the light show with Jesus on the mountain or the last round-up with Elijah and the whirlwind.
Let’s take another look at this story to see if we can figure out what it is really about. For example, why does God take Elijah on such an extended journey to the pick up point? Sort of a Close Encounters vibe, in a way. And yet would it profit Elijah (sorry, bad pun there) to make this journey? A farewell tour? If so, he didn’t say much, no proclamations, no final warnings or sermons. Just one foot in front of another, mile after mile - it was just a couple of miles short of a marathon, near as we can tell. Twenty-three miles of marching from place to place at the directions of a God who can’t read the timetables of the Jordan Cannonball.
Unless, it wasn’t for Elijah. What if, just suppose for a moment, it was all for Elisha? What if the constant suggestion that he go away was not a request from an old man about to meet his maker, but a test from a mentor prophet. The trip was for Elisha, a rehearsal of the activity of God with God’s people. The first destination was Bethel, where God dropped a ladder and made a promise of Presence. The second destination was Jericho, where God proved that there are no walls, no barriers strong enough to block that Presence and that Hope. Then there was the final destination, the Jordan River, the entrance, the welcome home, the gate opened by the hand of God.
Then because he went along, Elijah asked the question, what do you need still. “A double share,” answers Elijah. Greedy? Make me twice as good as you? Was that what he said? Well, no. A double share meant, let me be your heir. Let me stand for you, let me represent you, let me be you to those who miss you as I will miss you. Let me love like you loved, serve like you served. Let me be the one who carries on hoping in God, the one who points out the brokenness within only because there is healing to be found. Let me bring God’s word to God’s people.
Elisha was the one who was transfigured. Just like the disciples were the ones transfigured on that mountain with Jesus. Oh, I know it was His face and His robe that shown like light. But when that voice said “Listen to Him,” the disciples became something more than what they had been, something more than was within them to be. Transfiguration is about Jesus, yes certainly. But it is also about us. Like Elisha, we’ve been led on a journey and asked a question. Led through the Providence and Presence and Power of God and then asked what we need. And we reply, give us a double share. Let us speak for you, let us live for you, let us service for you, let us love for you, let us die for you.
It’s a hard thing, Elijah replies to us. We know that. We’ve wrestled with it before. But in the end it is an offer we can’t refuse. Give us a double share.
Unless you consider the invitations regularly issued in this space as also too good to be true. It isn’t usually a hard sell, I admit, but there is usually a call of some sort here. Sometimes it is a do or to be something. Sometimes it is to understand something. Sometimes it is an encouragement to take another look at something. And that something is often yourself.
This is the weekend before Lent begins and is, traditionally, Transfiguration Sunday. That’s that odd story in Matthew and Mark about Jesus on the mountain and the change in his face and clothes and the words from the cloud and the light. You remember that story. One of those we sit and listen to and say “huh.” Because it is, after all, about Jesus. It is just something for us to see, or to wonder about. It’s about Jesus and who he was and who he is. We are bystanders, observers, at best. It is about Jesus.
At least that is what we’ve always assumed. So, this year I decided to not read the Gospel story and to pick the Old Testament passage assigned for this Transfiguration Sunday. To see if maybe it might help us see this story a little differently.
2 Kings 2:1-12 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. 3 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." 4 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. 5 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." 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.
Like the Gospel story this “transfiguration” is all about Elijah. The old word was translation. This is the story of the translation of Elijah. It begins with the whole story in the first verse “When the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind.” Wait. When the Lord was about to... When? That’s kind of an odd way to present the climax, the main point of the whole story, isn’t it? It almost makes you think that the point of this story is something other than the miracle. Something other than the special effects.
Please don’t misunderstand, I love the wide screen stuff. I like the lights and sounds and the awe-inspiring wonder of some of this Old Testament stuff here. Chariots of Fire, wow! Horses of fire, wow 2! A whirlwind carrying Dorothy off to Oz. I mean Elijah off to God’s heaven, wow to the max. I would have stood there with my mouth open not making a sound like the company of prophets who came and stood on the other side of the Jordan to watch the spectacle, standing at a safe distance so as not to get fiery horse droppings on their heads. I’m ready to applaud the awesomeness of God just like anyone else. But Jesus had a few words about miracles for show, as I recall, so I’m inclined to think that maybe the pyrotechnics are not the center of this story. Whether we are talking about the light show with Jesus on the mountain or the last round-up with Elijah and the whirlwind.
Let’s take another look at this story to see if we can figure out what it is really about. For example, why does God take Elijah on such an extended journey to the pick up point? Sort of a Close Encounters vibe, in a way. And yet would it profit Elijah (sorry, bad pun there) to make this journey? A farewell tour? If so, he didn’t say much, no proclamations, no final warnings or sermons. Just one foot in front of another, mile after mile - it was just a couple of miles short of a marathon, near as we can tell. Twenty-three miles of marching from place to place at the directions of a God who can’t read the timetables of the Jordan Cannonball.
Unless, it wasn’t for Elijah. What if, just suppose for a moment, it was all for Elisha? What if the constant suggestion that he go away was not a request from an old man about to meet his maker, but a test from a mentor prophet. The trip was for Elisha, a rehearsal of the activity of God with God’s people. The first destination was Bethel, where God dropped a ladder and made a promise of Presence. The second destination was Jericho, where God proved that there are no walls, no barriers strong enough to block that Presence and that Hope. Then there was the final destination, the Jordan River, the entrance, the welcome home, the gate opened by the hand of God.
Then because he went along, Elijah asked the question, what do you need still. “A double share,” answers Elijah. Greedy? Make me twice as good as you? Was that what he said? Well, no. A double share meant, let me be your heir. Let me stand for you, let me represent you, let me be you to those who miss you as I will miss you. Let me love like you loved, serve like you served. Let me be the one who carries on hoping in God, the one who points out the brokenness within only because there is healing to be found. Let me bring God’s word to God’s people.
Elisha was the one who was transfigured. Just like the disciples were the ones transfigured on that mountain with Jesus. Oh, I know it was His face and His robe that shown like light. But when that voice said “Listen to Him,” the disciples became something more than what they had been, something more than was within them to be. Transfiguration is about Jesus, yes certainly. But it is also about us. Like Elisha, we’ve been led on a journey and asked a question. Led through the Providence and Presence and Power of God and then asked what we need. And we reply, give us a double share. Let us speak for you, let us live for you, let us service for you, let us love for you, let us die for you.
It’s a hard thing, Elijah replies to us. We know that. We’ve wrestled with it before. But in the end it is an offer we can’t refuse. Give us a double share.
Shalom,
Derek
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