King Maker
In our Old Testament reading for today we find Elijah returning to Israel after having fled it in fear of his life. You remember that story. The king of Israel had set up altars to Baal. Elijah had challenged the priest of Baal to a contest where they both would build an altar and offer a sacrifice with one twist, they both would pray to their god to light the sacrificial fire. The priests of Baal went first and could not get their altar ablaze. Elijah had his altar soaked with water and the fire that came down not only consumed the sacrifice but the altar as well. In the majesty of the moment he slew all the priests of Baal and thus angered the king. Out of fear for his life Elijah fled to the mountain where he heard God call him in the still small voice. Our text from Kings is that call.
That call was two-fold; to anoint those who God chose to be king (Hazael and Jehu) and to make Elisha his successor. Although later on we find that it was Elisha who anointed Hazael and Jehu. Which reminds us that these accounts were handed down by oral tradition before they were written. Some scholars suggest that both Elijah and Elisha were the same person. Others accept that they were two different persons but, in the oral transmission, some of the stories got mixed up.
We read this story today because of our Gospel. They connect in two ways. The first is that they mention the Samaritans. After King Solomon died Israel was divided into two kingdoms, the southern kingdom called Judah with Jerusalem as its capital and the northern kingdom Israel with Samaria as its capital. The Samaritans were the Jewish descendants of Israel. Since they no longer had access to Jerusalem they developed other forms of worship to God. The descendants of Judah, over the years, saw them as apostates and despised them. That is why the Samaritans ignore Jesus as he heads toward Jerusalem.
The second connection between Kings and Luke is the response to being called to serve God. Although to compare these two stories is comparing apples to oranges. First it is Elijah that calls Elisha by throwing his mantle over him. We hear Elisha wanting to tell his parents where he was going. Instead he used the instance to feed the people. This is possibly a sign of Elisha’s role as a prophet to give people the word of God as is the number of oxen. The people in Luke offer to follow only to bring up excuses for why they cannot. (I suppose there is a third connection. Elisha is plowing his father’s field and Jesus’ quote is about plowing. That may just be incidental.)
The question for us is which direction are we going? Are we walking with Jesus or heading back to where we once were. That seems to be the question Paul is dealing with in his letter to the Galatians. He reminds them that they were set free by Christ from the bondage that had held them in sin. Why did they want to return to that life? He even tried to remind them of how that life was compared to the new life that Christ had given them. He does this by two lists. The list of the works of flesh is chaotic – words thrown together in no particular order. In Greek they are hard to read together somewhat like a tongue twister. For the other list they are no longer works but the fruit of the Spirit. This list is orderly and easy to read.
How, then, will you use the freedom that Christ has gained for you? Will you use it in selfishness and desire? Or will you use it to feed God’s people? Paul tells us the choice is ours. Decide this day to choose to bear the fruit of love so that all who see you will meet your savior.