2 Kings 2:9-12 "When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask what I shall do for you..."

"When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, 'Ask what I shall do for you, before I am taken from you.' And Elisha said, 'I pray you, let me inherit a double share of your spirit.' And he said, 'You have asked a hard thing; yet, if you see me as I am being taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if you do not see me, it shall not be so.' And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. And Elisha saw it and he cried, 'My father, my father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!' And he saw him no more" (2 Kings 2:9-12 RSV).
 

Comment:

According to biblical tradition, only two men in Hebrew scripture were deemed worthy of being “lifted” to heaven without having to die first: Enoch at Genesis 5:24 and Elijah in this passage. It is because Elijah was lifted up and did not die that Jewish tradition held that the prophet would return prior to the appearance of the Son of David who would be the Messiah. Hence many people thought that John the Baptist might be Elijah returned. And even today, the tradition is to set an extra place at the Seder table in case Elijah should decide to return.   These stories of magic and miracles are intended to establish Elijah as a great and powerful prophet. Metaphysically, I think this passage is about the continuity of divine inspiration. Elijah was a great prophet whose time was ending; it was time for him to pass the role off to Elisha. Elisha was a young prophet with his own vision and ideas; but for his power to express, he had to "take up the mantle of Elijah" (v. 14) and base his own work firmly on the accomplishments of his predecessor. It's so for us, as well. We cannot complete our spiritual journey by clinging tenaciously to one set of beliefs or actions. Simply repeating the past, over and over again, will not serve our purpose. There will come times when we need to release the past and step forward to new possibilities. It's important that we be willing for that process to unfold within us. But it's also important that we 'take up the mantle' of the past by recognizing and appreciating the many ways in which it has served us and carried us forward. Spiritual progress requires that we be always willing to release the past, but not that we reject the past.   Blessings!

Rev. Ed