Elijah’s Ascension and Passing of the Prophetic Mantle—Lectionary Reflection for Transfiguration Sunday, Year B (2 Kings 2)

2 Kings 2:1-12 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

2 Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. ² Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, for the Lord has sent me as far as Bethel.” But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” So they went down to Bethel. ³ The company of prophets who were in Bethel came out to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that today the Lord will take your master away from you?” And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent.”

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. ⁵ The 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; keep 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. ⁷ Fifty men of the company of prophets also went and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. ⁸ Then Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the water; the water was parted to the one side and to the other, and 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.” ¹⁰ 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.” ¹¹ 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. ¹² 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.

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              On the day of Jesus’ transfiguration, with Peter, James, and John in tow, went up a mountain where Jesus encountered Elijah the Prophet, and Moses the Lawgiver. While the reading from Mark 9:2-9 tells the story of the transformative encounter on the mountaintop, here in 2 Kings 2, we read a background story, the story of Elijah’s ascension when he was taken into heaven in a whirlwind aboard a chariot of fire pulled by horses of fire. The reading from the Old Testament helps provide context for Jesus’ mountaintop encounter. The story of Elijah’s ascension reminds us of the important role Elijah plays in the history of Judaism and the story of Jesus. Since this is Transfiguration Sunday, we are invited to connect the story of Elijah’s ascension with the transfiguration of Jesus. In the latter story, Elijah represents the prophetic witness to Jesus’ mission, while Moses symbolizes the witness of the Law (Torah).

                Although the reason this passage is chosen for this particular Sunday has to do with Elijah’s presence on the mountain, the story itself has important implications for how we view the overall biblical story. Elijah is not only a prophet of God, but as this story indicates, he doesn’t die. Instead, he is drawn into heaven, much like Jesus at his ascension. While that plays a significant role in this passage, the passage also marks an important passing of a prophetic torch from Elijah to Elisha.

                Our story begins with a notification on the part of the narrator, telling the reader that Elijah is about to be summoned to heaven in a whirlwind. With that preface, we learn that Elijah and his protégé Elisha journeyed from Gilgal, which was near Jericho, to the Jordan River. Along the way to the Jordan, the two men stop at Bethel and Jericho. Each time Elijah tells Elisha to stay behind in the city, but Elisha wouldn’t hear of it. He was going to stay with Elijah no matter what. At each of the two cities, a company of prophets approaches the two men and informs Elisha that his master will be taken from him. Each time Elisha tells the prophets that he is aware of what is coming and that they should stay silent. So, they journey on toward the Jordan.

                As they made their way to the Jordan, a company of fifty prophets followed them to the Jordan where they watched what happened down by the riverside. In a sense, we are included among that company of prophets who watch from a distance what transpires at the Jordan. Since Elisha refused to stay behind at Bethel or Jericho, now that they have reached the Jordan, he can’t go any further with Elijah. This is the end of the road for this pairing of mentor and mentee. Think of the parting of Obi-Wan and Luke in the first Star Wars movie (New Hope).

                When the two prophets arrive at the Jordan, Elijah takes his coat or mantle, rolls it up, and hits the water. When he hits the water with his mantle, the river parts so they can walk across on dry land to the other side, reversing the path that Joshua and the rest of Israel took when entering the Promised Land (Josh 3). It is worth noting that the two prophets began the journey at Gilgal, which is the location where Joshua and the people set up Twelve Stones to mark their residency in the Promised Land (Josh 4). Why they cross over is not revealed, but it might suggest that the time of separation has arrived. Elijah will continue on a spiritual journey, but Elisha must stay behind and take up his calling.

                Having crossed through the River, Elijah asks his protégé what it is he desires from Elijah. Elisha answers his mentor by asking for a double portion of his spirit. Why ask for a double portion? Perhaps Elisha believes that he’ll need more help if he is going to be successful in continuing the mission begun by Elijah. It’s not a matter of greed. It’s a question of respect. Elijah tells Elisha that this can be done, but Elisha must not lose sight of his master as he is taken up in heaven. The good news is that Elisha did exactly what Elijah asked of him, making it possible for him to receive that double portion of Elijah’s spirit, which is really a double portion of God’s Spirit within him. So, even though Elisha grieves the loss of this father figure, he has received the calling and power to continue the work Elijah began.

                After this exchange, Elijah comes to the moment when he will depart. That chariot of fire, pulled by horses of fire, appears before them. After Elijah steps into the chariot, he and the chariot are drawn up into heaven. He is gone but clearly, he’s not dead. This part of the story is important because it led to the development of views of Elijah’s future ministry, with the expectation that he would return to prepare the way for the Messiah (Mal. 4:5-6). It’s for this reason that the Gospel writers connect John the Baptist with Elijah (Mark 6:14-15;Matt. 14:1-2; Luke 9:7-9). Of course, at each Passover Seder, the front door is left open, just in case Elijah returns to join in the feast. Ron Allen and Clark Williamson not that “This liturgical act reminds us that the world is not yet redeemed, that Elijah and Elisha still have work to do” [Preaching the Old Testament, p. 247].

                The passage closes by noting Elisha’s grief. As Elijah disappeared into the whirlwind, Elisha called after him, “Father, father!” Then, when he couldn’t see Elijah, he tore his clothing into two pieces as a sign of his grief. That is where the lectionary leaves us. Elisha is alone, standing on the far side of the Jordan. The reason for choosing this passage is rooted in Elijah’s witness, which is enhanced by his departure from the earth into heaven without first dying. In essence, what happens on the mountaintop with Jesus and Moses is a reminder that Elijah may still have had work to do. The same could be said of Moses, who apparently died, but was buried by God so no one knew the place of his burial. Maybe he was taken up like Elijah? The imagination allows us to consider such possibilities.  

                To get the full story, we might want to continue at least for a couple more verses. In verse 13 the narrator tells us that after Elijah had departed, and Elisha shared his grief at his loss, he picked up Elijah’s mantle that had fallen off him. Then he took Elijah’s mantle—the same mantle that Elijah had thrown over Elisha when Elijah called Elisha’s to follow him (1 Kings 19:19-20)—and rolled it up. Just as Elijah had done earlier, he hit the river, and called out: “Where is the LORD, the God of Elijah?” What happened next is that the waters he hit with the mantle parted so he could cross over to the other side of the Jordan, back into the Promised Land, where he would continue the work that Elijah had begun, but which now fell upon him (2 Kings 2:13-14). 

                Once again, the connection between Elijah and Jesus is rooted in the words of Malachi, who speaks of the return of Elijah: “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of parents to their children and the hearts of children to their parents, so that I will not come and strike the land with a curse” (Mal.4:5-6). As Julián Andrés González Holguín notes: “Elijah is expected to ‘come again’ as a harbinger of God’s full rule. Jesus reflects to Christians of all times a similar expectation and an awareness that in him, as in Elijah, someone larger than life will be on the scene as the embodiment of Yahweh’s full power that becomes visible and active.” [Connections, p. 311].

                As Jesus stands with Moses and Elijah, we might imagine the moment of transfiguration serving as a passing of the baton from these two important figures from the past who represent the Law and the Prophets to the one God has designated as God’s son, the beloved (Mark 9:2-9). Now Jesus will continue this ministry that has its roots in the call of Abraham, even if Abraham is not mentioned. That Peter, James, and John are there to witness this moment suggests that eventually the mantle will be passed on to them, from them to their spiritual descendants.

                Returning to the exchange of the baton from Elijah to Elisha, it is important to remember that not only must Elisha pick up the mantle, but he has to cross the river back to the place where the ministry initiated by Elijah takes place. If he is to carry on this ministry, he can’t stay on the safe side of the river. The same would be true of Peter, James, and John and their colleagues after Jesus’ ascension. The same is true for us, as we pick the mantle given to us by Jesus through the Spirit. 

 Image attribution: Swanson, John August. Elijah, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56543 [retrieved February 2, 2024]. Original source: Estate of John August Swanson, https://www.johnaugustswanson.com/.