“Moving Together” February 11, 2024; St. Andrew Presbyterian Church; Transfiguration Sunday; Mark 9: 2-9; 2 Kings
2 Kings 2.4-14 4 Elijah said to him, ‘Elisha, stay here; for the Lord has sent me to Jericho.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So they came to Jericho. 5The company of prophets* who were at Jericho drew near to Elisha, and said to him, ‘Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?’ And he answered, ‘Yes, I know; be silent.’
6 Then Elijah said to him, ‘Stay here; for the Lord has sent me to the Jordan.’ But he said, ‘As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.’ So the two of them went on. 7Fifty men of the company of prophets* also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 8Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up, and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, until the two of them crossed on dry ground.
9 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.’ 10He 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.’ 11As 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. 12Elisha 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.
13 He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. 14He took the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and struck the water, saying, ‘Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah?’ When he had struck the water, the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and Elisha went over.
Introduction: Transfiguration Sunday!
Last Sunday before Ash Wednesday and the Lenten preaching series.
No puzzle pieces this morning, but we roll out the white paraments and read some familiar, exciting stories.
Elijah being taken up in whirlwind.
Peter, James, and John on the mountaintop
Moses, Elijah, and Jesus transfigured in brilliant white.
As I reflected on these stories this year, I kept coming back to the groupings in each story: Elijah and Elisha;
Moses, Elijah, and Jesus;
Peter, James, and John.
so I want to explore for a few minutes how these groupings exemplify how moving together in ministry.
Move 1: We begin with Elijah and Elisha
a. Elijah, a well-known prophet, and Elisha, the prophet probably best known for having a name that sounds a lot like Elijah.
1. Elijah was a strong, prophetic leader with several stories we probably know:
his encounter with the widow of Zarephath as Israel suffers through a drought;
the contest on Mt. Carmel when Elijah defeats the prophets of Baal
Elijah battling with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel;
2. As Elijah’s end approaches, the question hangs in the air - who will replace Elijah.
3. not just a question about succession in terms of which person will follow the prophet Elijah, but it is also a question about God’s continuing presence in the world and as the God of Israel.
b. At its core - this story declares that God’s work continue and the leadership of God’s people will be passed down to the next generation.
1. Not just a simple, who is the next-in-line, like the vice president taking over when the president of a company retires, but a dramatic story with lots of implications.
2. As it begins, it seems as if Elijah wants to just disappear on his own.
3. but, Elisha will not let him
c.. Elijah asks Elisha what he might want and Elisha makes a bold request: a double portion, the rightful inheritance of the eldest son as laid out in the patriarchal rules of inheritance at work in the time of Israel.
1. in other words, Elisha asks for what a legitimate heir might ask, which signifies that leadership will be handed down to the next generation.
2. Elijah agrees, but tells Elisha what he must do to receive the double portion.
3. Notice the mutual responsibility involved in the passing down the mantle of leadership:
Elijah has to be willing to share with the next generation’s leader.
Elisha has to do the work. it is not just handed to him.
d. After Elijah ascended in a whirlwind, Elisha picks up the mantle, literally, and parts the water.
1. A repeat of what Elijah had just done before ascending.
2. Elisha will move forward serving God in the way Elijah did.
3. “to be Elijah’s heir, as it turns out, means far more than simply to do similar miracles, it is to go wherever the prophet goes, to near the same burdens, to rush the same hardship, to venture into time of both solitariness and solidarity in order to receive and ultimately bear a word of the Lord.” (Feasting on the Word, David Lose, 437)
4. A reminder that we are part of a continuing tradition of serving God in the world.
5. in each generation we face the challenges of following Christ in the world;
we share together the work and pass it on to the next generation - God’s people continually moving forward into the unknown future serving God of Elijah and then Elisha and then….
Move 2: Moses, Elijah, and Jesus - all three there when Jesus was transfigured on the mountaintop.
a. they share several things in common.
1. We might also note that in Jewish tradition the mysterious circumstances of Moses’ death on Mount Nebo (Deut 34.5–6) and Elijah’s being taken up to God on a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2.11) earned them the title of ‘the deathless ones’. (https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/what-is-transfigured-in-mark-9/; February 10, 2021 by Ian Paul), which connects with Jesus’ death and resurrection
2. . These three symbolically cover it all for God’s people.
Moses, the law.
Elijah, the prophets,
Jesus, the one who fulfills the law and the prophecy of Israel.
b. I find it fascinating that apparently Moses, Elijah, and Jesus share in some conversation on the mountaintop.
1. wouldn’t you like to have overheard that conversation!
2. maybe they were talking about their deaths:
“Elijah - what was it like to ride a chariot into the heavens?”
Or “Moses, What exactly happened on Mt. Nebo?”
or “Jesus, what was really going on in the tomb that day after you were crucified and before you were resurrected?”
3. Maybe they were talking about dealing with the people:
Elijah, noting how hard it was to deal with kings and queens.
Moses, discussing how hard it was to deal with the people God sent him to lead.
Jesus, well I think Jesus’ story probably one-ups both Elijah and Moses.
c. But as they stand transfigured on the mountaintop, they remind us of the ongoing work of God in the world.
1. In Christ, we meet the Son of God, but also the one who connects us to the God who has been actively at work since creation.
2. We are tied to those who have come before us, even as we hand off to those who come after us.
3. Our call to follow Christ is not new to this generation, but traces back to when God called the world into being and decided to engage all of humanity.
Move 3: finally, let’s look at Peter, James and John
a. climb up the mountain together with Jesus.
1. An act of discipleship they do together.
2. Assuming Peter, James, and John remember their history - mountains can be scary, exciting places:
A place to meet God
to receive God’s commandments
to do battle with other prophets
3. Seeing Elijah, Moses, with the transfigured Jesus will add to the stories of mountaintop experiences.
4. Together to climb the mountain;
together, they share the experience.
b. together, they come back down the mountain together with Jesus.
1. Together in what is before them off the mountaintop.
2. they are told not to tell anyone what they have seen.
3. how hard it must have been to keep it a secret - but at least they have each other to talk with about what they saw,
and what it might mean for their future as followers of Christ.
to imagine what awaits them
together.
c. In their story, we see our story of discipleship.
1. Mountaintop experiences.
2. Coming off the mountain and doing ministry in the reality of our daily lives.
3. either more than perhaps any of us can handle by ourselves.
But together. Together, we can move into discipleship.
Conclusion: Moving together with each other,
called by God,
following Christ
led by the Holy Spirit.
Together.
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