The story is about two men: one with a coat and one with a plough. And that’s all it took to bring about the beginning of a new era. Except for a huge portion of faith that was involved, and which became sight.
The one man was a loner. He was destitute and homeless. His name is considered telling: Elijah. Translated it means “my God is Yahweh”. He fought for the Lord, he fought against idolatry, and he fought against those who abused power.
The other man was from a good family. He was wealthy and hard-working. His name was Elisha. He was an activist and was the leader of a community of prophets who put as much effort into their defence of the one God. But he rather advised kings than fight them.
There was also a cloak, or mantle involved. It was made of camel skin. Elijah threw his cloak over Elisha’s shoulder just as the latter was ploughing a field.
Succession without turning back
This was the symbolic call that went out to Elisha. Elijah declared Elisha his successor. The disciple still wanted to quickly say goodbye to his family but then burned all bridges behind him. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them, and gave the meat to the people.
The scene is strongly reminiscent of the time Jesus called His disciples. While they were busy earning their livelihood, He came and called them to follow Him—and demanded consistency: “No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
This line from the Old to the New Testament can be traced right through to the present day.
Called but not privileged
Elisha asked Elijah for a double portion of his spirit, in other words, for the right of the firstborn. And some exegetes see the mantle as an image for the gift of the Holy Spirit. This raises the question: what does being chosen as a child of God, being called to be a firstling, mean today?
It definitely has nothing to do with prestige or privilege. The Chief Apostle makes this clear time and again. As a matter of fact, it is a mission. And this includes what Paul wrote to the Philippians: “[I am] forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead,”—namely eternal life.
Uncharted territory
Change of scene: Elijah, Elisha, and the mantle are at the banks of the Jordan. The old prophet took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water with it. The water parted—as it did at the time of Moses at the Red Sea, or when Joshua led the people across the Jordan River on dry ground. Elijah and Elisha also crossed the river on dry ground. And they broke new ground: the transfer of prophetic leadership to Elisha signified the start a new era. Following the rule of judges and kings, it was now the prophets who led God’s people.
Jesus Christ did not need to part the water, He simply walked on it. He led the people into uncharted territory of a completely different dimension: He showed what God is really like, namely a God of love and grace. And people are still walking with Him today, not just to a Promised Land, but to a new world, to the new creation.
When heaven opens
Another cut: suddenly, Elijah was gone. Only his mantle was still there. Elisha took it and went to the bank of the Jordan and struck the water with it. “And when he also had struck the water, it was divided this way and that; and Elisha crossed over.” This shows that for those who take up the mantle of calling, the ways are levelled and paved. And those who receive the gift of the Holy Spirit receive strength for their mission.
And what happened to Elijah? “Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven,” it says in 2 Kings 2: 11.
With his being taken up to heaven, God confirmed the belief for which Elijah had campaigned throughout his life. And in the same way, the return of Christ will be a confirmation for all those people who believed in it and prepared for it.
Photo: Neo – stock.adobe.com