Elijah’s Mantel

July 15, 2001

Luke 10:25-37 / 2 Kings 2:1-18

Elijah was of course the greatest prophet of the Hebrew people. His place in the history of Israel is as prominent as Moses or David. That is why when the disciples were trying to figure out the identity of Jesus one theory was that he was Elijah who has come back to earth. That is how prominent Elijah was and how hopeful that the disciples were. Because Elijah did not die but was taken up in a whirlwind there has always been some expectation that he would return from heaven.

Although Elijah was not a leader like Moses or King David or even Solomon he still was a central character in the story of Israel.

He was a prophet who did things that prophets do. He even brought a young boy back from the dead through prayer. That is why there was so much speculation about Jesus being Elijah because Jesus was a healer and prophet too, far more than he was a king or leader of people.

Elijah also challenged the hierarchy of the day. He chastised King Ahab for his wicked ways. He slew the four hundred prophets of Baal by reigning fire down upon them. He was a miracle worker and spiritual leader. He ended a drought through prayer. He miraculously provided an unending supply of flour for a widow. He was the most noted prophet of Israel.

He was followed by Elisha. He too was a great prophet. He does not get the same notoriety as Elijah but he too is an important figure in the history of Israel. In the reading from the Hebrew Bible today we hear a little bit about the going of Elijah and the coming of Elisha. In this story Elisha, for whatever reason, would not leave Elijah’s side. It reminds me a little of the story of Ruth when she remains loyal to her mother-in-law and stays with her until the end. Elisha won’t let Elijah out of his sight and because of this devotion he actually sees Elijah be taken up into heaven. And for that he enjoys a double portion of the Elijah’s spirit. I am not sure what that means but I guess it is a double portion of Elijah’s spiritual power because he shows he is able to part the water of the Jordan just like Elijah did.

It is a nice story. Good people doing good things and getting rewarded for it. I wish the world worked this way more often.

The world would be a better place if God worked in ways like this more often. If God would grant to us blessings and favors more easily and readily. If we were to receive like Elisha, Elijah’s mantel, or a double portion of the spirit wouldn’t we do so much better?

Jesus thought so and this is one thing that made him provocative and special. He saw God reigning down blessings everywhere in ways that his disciples never quite understood and the world has been trying to grasp ever since. Jesus believed this mantel, the mantel of God came upon us regularly and we were almost always bombarded with a double or even triple portion of the spirit. I think that is how he lived out his life with such conviction and was able to endure even in those times when he was greatly challenged. He was sure that this mantel was placed upon him regularly and everyone else for that matter. He explained this phenomenon through one of the stories that he told.

The occasion of this story was a question, as it was so many times with Jesus. He hardly ever answered a question with a simple answer, rather he answered the question with a story that would make the listener think about the answer to his or her question for a long time. It was how Jesus taught. He wasn’t the answer guy rather he almost always made everyone sit with the good questions so as to find their own answers. And today’s question is a great question to ponder.

He was asked, “How shall we inherit eternal life?”

Now please remember this is not necessarily a question about heaven. It might be but Jesus had a different idea about eternal life. One was the after life of the apocalypse and that was not in heaven but on earth after the return of God At that point the righteous live on earth eternally with God. That is probably one way that Jesus thought about it. The other is born out in what he says about eternal life throughout scripture and in this passage. Eternal life, to Jesus, is about the quality of life now. How can one live the kind of life that is of God or eternal right now? This might be the way Jesus heard this question. And as I said he answers with a story.

The story is the story that we have all heard many times. It has currency in our culture and language. If someone talks about a Good Samaritan they are speaking of the quality of one’s behavior and not the place they are from. The story is so familiar and means so many things to us that I think it is easy to miss the point. The point is about how to inherit eternal life. Not how to be good, not how to be righteous, not even how to do what God requires. The question is about eternal life. That is in other words, “How do I improve the quality of my life?” Or as Elisha might say, “How do I inherit a double portion of the Spirit?” Or, “How do I inherit the mantel of Elijah?”

It may be, as I said, that Jesus thought of this question as a question about the end time. His answer would be consistent with other things that he said about the end time. Please note in the parable the question is about behavior and not anything anyone believes. You are not doing right believing any which way. That is made clear by the fact that this man is a Samaritan. That means that his faith is not recognized as legitimate by any Jew of the day. But in the parable Jesus does not care. You don’t have to have right faith to inherit eternal life or have a better quality of life you merely have to act like this Samaritan. It is a very inclusive story if it is about the age to come.

But I think it is more about the quality of life now because when Jesus begins the story he says that he is talking about life and not the age to come. He says love the Lord your God and your neighbor and you will have life. He is speaking of the quality of your life, my life, this lawyer’s life in the present.

And this is what he says about it. There are four characters in this story. Three of them are faced with the same situation. They are faced with the misfortune of the fourth character. It is a story for the ages because there is not anyone who has ever lived on this earth who has not been faced with this problem. Countless books have been written about the problem suffering and what should be done about it. Philosophies and religions live and die on the basis of how they answer this question. There is not anyone who has not felt the need to help and at the same time wondered if they really had the time or resource to really help. Anyone who has ever walked through Grand Central Station is faced with the Good Samaritan imperative almost every time through.

And maybe that is why the first two don’t stop. They were as savvy and hardened as any New York commuter. We don’t know if the priest and the Levite traveled that road a lot. Perhaps they were commuters and they passed by there every day and they knew the tricks of the robbers and beggars. Perhaps they knew that to stop was to put them in great peril. Perhaps they knew this man and knew him for who he was and wanted to have nothing to do with him. Maybe he too was a known outlaw. Perhaps the priest and the Levite were being good according to their religion. You know that they could not touch a dead man or become unclean.

I know almost any excuse you make for them sounds hollow but it is the same for all of us. Every one here has walked by someone at some time and said to himself or herself, “I can’t be bothered I have other things of a higher priority to attend to.” There is not any one who has lived who has not done something like that. Even Mother Theresa admitted to it. And that is the power of this story; it captures all of us.

But more powerful than that is the out come of the story. Jesus says something that is hard to believe but is completely true. These moments are not burdens. These moments are not what keep us from living. These times when we run into someone who truly needs our help are not the distractions of life they are life, true life. And if you want to live take full advantage of every opportunity that might come your way.