2 Kings 2:1-14 Commentary

Illustration:

I am a younger sister. My brother is five years older than I, which meant two things: I thought he was the coolest and he got to do a lot of things I wasn’t allowed to do yet.  Which means I know what it feels like to get left behind, envious of the great adventures being had without me.  I wonder if anyone has ever recruited Elisha as the patron saint of the younger sibling since, in his relationship with Elijah, he is our exemplar. Elijah keeps trying to shake Elisha: “Stay here, because the Lord has send me to Bethel…to Jericho…to the Jordan.” And each time, Elisha responds, “As the Lord lives and as you live, I won’t leave you.” Like white on rice, as the proverbial saying goes.

But there is another proverbial saying, advice to disciples in following their rabbis, from the Jewish Mishnah that — depending on translation — goes something like this: “and be powdering yourself with the dust of their feet.” The idea, picked up by many Christian pastors and theologians is that we are to follow Jesus so closely that the dust he kicks up lands on us.  And, again, in this story, Elisha is our exemplar of what it means to follow Jesus, with the tenacity of an annoying younger sibling bound and determined not to miss out on the next adventure.

Commentary:

As we are still in the season of Pentecost, this morning’s text from Hebrew Scripture gives us an excellent vantage point on three key features of the Holy Spirit: (1) our longing for the work of the Spirit, (2) the close link between following Jesus and the Spirit’s equipping in our lives and (3) the miraculous  power of the Holy Spirit.

(1) After years of following and watching Elijah’s ministry, the blessing Elisha most desires is a double portion of his mentor’s Spirit. On the surface of it, a double portion might sound a bit greedy, as though Elisha is eager to outdo his mentor.  However, Robert Alter explains that this request “could just as easily reflect a sense of inadequacy: feeling himself to be no more than an ordinary man, Elisha wants a supercharge of the spirit in order to be Elijah’s successor.”  I wonder, then, if it works similarly when Jesus promises His Spirit to the disciples so that greater things may be done by them in his absence.  Although Jesus was like us in our humanity, none of us can claim to be at the starting line, equal to Jesus except by the work of the Spirit. Thus it is by the Spirit’s work in us that we can follow Jesus.

(2) The Lectionary seems to be working with us to develop the close link between following Jesus and the Spirit’s equipping in our lives. We see it in the Gospel reading as Jesus’ disciples work to follow him but demonstrate their own inadequacy in the process.  Then we see the work of the Spirit highlighted in the epistle reading from Galatians, the idea that we are free from the tyranny of sin in our lives by the work of the Spirit in us.  Through the Spirit, our lives become more and more characterized by those things that marked Jesus’ life.  These are the fruit of the Spirit.

Every indication of this text leads to the conclusion of Elisha’s loyalty to Elijah.  He follows him so closely and watches him so carefully that, when it is his turn, his first miracle is a perfect imitation of the one Elijah had recently accomplished.  By sticking close to Elijah, he is there to observe Elijah’s miraculous ascent into the heavens, flanked by angels in heavenly armor and regalia.  Fire and whirlwind are symbols of theophany, the revelation of God among us.  We’ve seen both these elements before in Elijah’s ministry: at Mount Carmel and while hidden in the rock.  Here they are also given, as though a legacy being handed down, to Elisha as well. And because God has allowed Elisha to see it, God’s call on Elisha’s life to take up the mantle of Elijah is confirmed.

(3) Speaking of the mantle, there is a strange reference in verse 12 to Elijah’s clothing.  Robert Alter translates this to mean that Elisha had been holding on to Elijah’s tunic so that, when he ascended, the garment ripped, with Elisha left standing with a piece in his hand.  Alter muses, “This is an ironic reversal of the request for a double portion of the Spirit because now he holds half a garment.  But this is the tunic; Elijah had already removed his mantle before ascending and so it is this symbol of authority that Elisha takes back to the Jordan, using it to strike the water, which effects a mirror image miracle of the one Elijah effectuated earlier in this scene.  A miracle weighted with meaning for its close parallels to Moses parting the Red Sea and Joshua parting the Sea of Reeds on their way out of slavery and into the Promised Land respectively. In this way, the text highlights a continuity of leadership and of God’s purposes toward the people of Israel.

This demonstration of power transferring from Elijah to Elisha is especially important against the backdrop of the other prophets referenced in this text.  Each time Elijah shows up in town, there is a delegation of prophets or, more accurately, a group of prophets in training.  Robert Alter calls them “acolyte prophets” to signify that “they are not full-fledged prophets.” They are not free-agents but perhaps participate in a guild of prophets, learning from their own mentors.  So, for this reason, perhaps it makes sense that they are able to peel Elisha off to the side, taunting him as someone at their own level, asking “you know your boss is leaving, right?” “You know he’s trying to ditch you? Then what are you you going to do.” Each time, Elisha quiets them with a verbal rebuke.  But, in the end, Elisha takes up Elijah’s mantle (quite literally) and effectuates a miracle with it. Now take note that it was his playground bullies that witness the event and, by it, they are compelled to confess, “Elijah’s spirit has settled on Elisha!”