Epiphany Celebration of God Manifested in the World February 10, 2015
Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 2:1-12
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
What is it of Elijah that the heir of his work, Elisha, is asking? The word “spirit” is very important in both the Hebrew and Greek languages in describing our faith work. The word “spirit” comes from the root for breathe, wind, spirit. As used in the scripture today, it seems to relate more to the temperament or disposition of the prophet.* Being a prophet is not for the faint of heart. Prophets seem to be the people who are totally immersed in God’s supernatural nature while their feet are planted firmly in the realities of life. Prophets are students of what is happening about them and seers of the ultimate outcomes of such behavior. Most of us do not want to hear that if we eat just one more piece of chocolate repeatedly we will gain weight. It is this type message Elijah and the other prophets had to deliver in regard to the reality of the world related to the Israelites and the requirement to have the ability to deliver this type message is why Elisha felt the need for a double dose of Elijah’s spirit to enable Elisha’s faith work.
It is that immersion into fuller fellowship with God, I believe, that Elisha saw in Elijah and knew he needed. He recognized the magnitude of the work ahead and realized that without God’s spirit in his life his work would be so much less fruitful. We each need that double dose of God’s spirit and love so that our work can bear much fruit toward the fulfillment of the Kingdom of God.
Prayer: Lord, give me the courage of Elisha to open my heart fully to your love and your spirit. Amen.