Ask for a Double Portion
2 Kings 2:1 – 15a
We come this Sunday to the end of Epiphany, the season of revelation of who and what the person of Jesus is. In Epiphany there are three manifestations of the dual natures of Jesus, that is manifestation as both fully divine and fully human. Today we celebrate the last in the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ.
Over the past few weeks, we have been talking about the “Aha” moments that are found in the New Testament. We witnessed as the young Samuel had his “aha” moment in the middle of night as the Lord called him in the dark. Samuel’s “aha” moment led him understand that he was being called by God to do great things for the Lord and he responded by saying “yes Lord your servant in listening”.
We have seen “aha” moments in the last couple of weeks, as Jesus began his ministry in the synagogue in Capernaum. He spoke to those present as one with Authority over the scriptures and with control over the demon that possessed a man. Then last week we see Jesus cure Peter’s mother-in-law and all those sick and possessed people that came to him that day. Clearly this man was different. This man carried the power and authority of God and yet there he stood as man.
Today we come to the final “Aha” moment of our Epiphany journey. In our Gospel lesson is Mark’s telling of the Transfiguration event. The transfiguration was a vision which three Disciples, Peter, James and John viewed, a brief glimpse of the true Glory of Christ. It was special revelation of Jesus’ divinity to the three that had been called to be witnesses to the world.
It was God’s divine affirmation of exactly who Jesus was and everything that he had already done and was yet to do. The Transfiguration is a vision of things yet unseen but are to be. With Jesus shining like the noon day sun, our Gospel lesson tells us, Suddenly there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus.
Moses and Elijah are two of the greatest prophets in the Old Testament. Moses represents the Law, the Covenant of Moses on which the Jewish nation has stood for thousands of years. Elijah represented the prophets who foretold the coming of the Messiah and kept God’s people aligned with God’s plan for them.
And now the three stand together talking, a vision of what Jesus’ place will be when he returns to Heaven. Moses’ and Elijah’s presence alongside Jesus confirms his Messianic mission to fulfill God’s law and the words of God’s prophets.
Elisha presence in the story of the Transfiguration of Jesus brings significance to our message lesson for today. It is a tale of an event that happened almost 900 years before the Transfiguration of Jesus. It is a tale of two prophets, Elijah and Elisha, both of whom had a profound influence on the nation of Israel during the time before Israel was taken into exile.
Our passage records the events right before the “going home” of one of the greatest men in the Bible. Elijah the Prophet was greatly used by the Lord in his generation; his deeds and faithfulness were and are legendary to the Jews, but his time on the earth had come to an end.
Our lesson begins with the acknowledgement that Elijah would soon be taken up to heaven by God in a whirlwind but God’s work for His people is never done, and His voice will never be silenced. For Elijah’s apprentice and replacement, Elisha, there was still some challenges to overcome before he could receive the power that he would need to walk in the footsteps of Elijah.
Three times in these verses Elijah tells Elisha that God had commanded Elijah to take trips, to Bethel, to Jericho and to the Jordan River. At the first two places it seems that Elijah was being sent on a final farewell tour to say good-bye to those that had served faithfully with him over the years. But Elijah tells Elisha to sit out those trips and stay put.
Our text does not tell us why Elijah requested Elisha to stay behind. Some believe it was because of his humility. Perhaps he did feel worthy of what was to happen, he did not want anyone to see the glorious thing that was about to happen to him. But God wanted a witness to what happens to Elijah, similar to what happens with Peter, James and John at the Transfiguration of Jesus, God wanted a witness to the divine. God also wanted witnesses to transfer the prophet’s authority.
Each time, he was told to stay behind by Elijah, but Elisha refused to stay. All three times he said: “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” Elisha knew that Elijah would be taken away on a chariot and horses of fire. Elisha knew that being there when it happens, like Peter, James and John, was vital to his calling and the fulfillment of the work God had called him to do. He was determined, by God’s grace that nothing was going to keep him from being the person and the man that God wanted.
The last stop on their journeys that day was the Jordan River. Just like Moses before him parting the Red Sea with his powerful staff, and Joshua parting the very same Jordan River while carrying the Ark of the Covenant as the Jews entered the Promised Land, Elijah rolled up his mantel, which in Old Testament times was large, loosely fitting garment made of animal skin which was an indication of his authority and responsibility as God’s chosen spokesman. With this powerful mantel, he struck the Jordan, separating the waters, providing the two of them a path of dry ground.
After they crossed, we see the two prophets walking and talking like old friends do. Even while knowing that something profound was about to happen, they strolled along and exchanged parting words. Elijah essentially asked his protégé:
“What can I do for you before I go?” “Is there anything else you need to know? How can I help make the transition smooth as you take on your new prophetic role? What do you need from me to help you fulfill the heavy call God has placed on your life?”
Elisha replies,
“If it is possible, give me a double portion of your spirit.” “God knows I am going to need a double portion of your spirit if I am going to be able to do half of what you accomplished! Double the courage. Double the power. Double the creativity. Double the inspiration. A double dose of sensitivity to God’s voice”.
Elijah tells Elisha, “If God allows you to witness my departure, if he sees that you are worthy of witnessing my departure, then you’ll know that your request has been given to you.”
Then as they were walking and talking, a chariot and horses of fire separated the two of them, and Elijah ascended in a whirlwind into heaven and Elisha was allowed to witness his master being taken up in that glorious storm of holiness.
And with that God granted Elisha his request he received a Double Portion of Spirit. By staying loyal to his mentor and his God, he received what he needed to complete his task. After his mentor was gone, Elisha picked up Elijah’s mantel that had fallen off in the whirlwind and took it for his own.
When he had it back to the Jordan, he used the rolled up mantel, with the power and authority that Elijah had and parted the Jordan River so that he could re-enter the Promised Land. Then those who, at a distance were witness to what had happened said “The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha” and he went out to do great things for the Lord!
Hear the Good News my friends………
The point of this story is not only about what happened to Elijah, about how God takes care of those that he sends, but also it reminds us that God’s voice for His people is carried forward by those that are willing; literally and figuratively, to pick up the mantle that is left to us.
The voice of God is carried on by figures like Elisha and us, people that Ask for a Double Portion of the Spirit so that we too can glimpse upward and see the whirlwind of God’s work and are compelled to bend down and pick up that mantle of responsibility.
The same God who worked within Elijah and Elisha is ever present today and available to meet our needs, working intimately and personally with us. No matter what our problems or needs are, God cares for us and will work to enable us to do what He has called us to for as long as he calls us to do it.
My friends, we need to seek the Lord for spiritual power in these days! We need to Ask for a Double Portion of His Spirit. We need to be filled with the Spirit of God! We need to get before the Lord and request an influx of His power and His glory in these days! If we are to get the job done, we must have Him!
Like Elisha, we need have a teachable spirit, to be loyal, loving and committed to God’s work in us and through us and we need to be committed and devoted to God’s calling on our lives.
This kind of blessing and power does not come upon the uncommitted! It is reserved for those who will pay the price in prayer and holiness before the Lord! If you are willing to go all the way with the Lord, He will bless your life with His power and glory and He will go along with you and beside you!
It isn’t prideful to ask God to fill you with His Spirit and to use you for His glory, it is about faithfulness! The future demands that God’s servants be filled with God’s Spirit! We all need that Double Portion of His Spirit, the same spirit of faith, obedience and courage that rested on Elijah and Elisha can be placed within us today! Amen.