This
morning we’re beginning a series on mentoring, beginning with Elijah and Elisha.
Elijah first meets Elisha soon after defeating Jezebel’s prophets on Mount
Carmel. Elijah, in fear of Jezebel, runs away, depressed and afraid, thinking
he’s the only one still following God. God comes to Elijah, builds him up and
encourages him, and then tells Elijah in 1 Kings 19, “Go back the way you came, and go to
the Desert of Damascus. When you get there, anoint Hazael king over Aram. Also,
anoint Jehu son of Nimshi king over Israel, and anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat
from Abel Meholah, to succeed you as prophet. Jehu will put to death any who
escape the sword of Hazael, and Elisha will put to death any who escape the
sword of Jehu. Yet I reserve seven thousand in Israel—all whose knees have not
bowed down to Baal and whose mouths have not kissed him.” Elijah leaves
his hiding place and finds Elisha, placing his cloak over Elisha as a sign that
he’s chosen Elisha as his mentee.
A
Taizé website talks about Moses and Elijah and their successors, “Among
the different figures that people the Bible, two have a special place—Moses and
Elijah. The fact that both appear beside Jesus when he is transfigured on the
mountaintop says a lot about their importance…. True co-workers with God, they
were able to inspire other witnesses and, in that way, open ways forward for
their entire nation. For that reason, the stories about the end of their lives
also occupy an important place: Joshua continues the work of Moses and Elisha
that of Elijah…. God’s compassionate activity does not change the world only
through isolated witnesses, but through a kind of fabric woven from witness to
witness, by which men and women ceaselessly inspire one another.”
Our
passage this morning gives us a glimpse into how close Elijah and Elisha have
become. Elijah knows that his time on earth was coming to an end and he takes a
journey and visits two of the schools of prophets that he had likely planted
after the battle with Jezebel’ prophets. Elijah did a lot in bringing back
God’s visible presence in the land of Israel and he now tries to quietly slip
away to be alone when God takes him. He tells Elisha to stay behind, but Elisha
answers, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live,
I will not leave you.” I’ve often wondered if Elisha senses something is
going on with Elijah and he knows how important it is to stay close to him.
they get to Bethel and the company of prophets show up and it becomes real
clear what’s going on, “Do you know that the Lord is
going to take your master from you today?” and Elisha says, “Yes, I know, so be quiet.” Elisha is committed to
being with Elijah to the end. The same thing happens again at Jericho and then
at the Jordan River, prophets show up and Elijah keeps telling Elisha to stay
and Elisha replies the same way each time, “As surely
as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.”
After
they cross the Jordan River in a scene that echoes back to Moses dividing the
Red Sea and Joshua dividing the Jordan River, Elijah finally realizes that
there’s something Elisha still needs from him, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am
taken from you?” Elisha, knowing that his mentor is leaving him, asks, “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit.” Elisha
sees Elijah as his spiritual father and his request for a double portion of
Elijah’s spirit also shows us that Elisha wants to carry on the work Elijah has
been doing for the Lord, to carry on Elijah’s legacy of making God more present
in the land.
This
is what mentoring in the church is all about, investing in each
other, walking alongside someone to help them grow their gifts and talents to
carry on the work of God; making Jesus more present in our communities and
land. We want the children of our church, the youth, and the young adults to
grow deep in their faith, to come to know Jesus as their Lord and the guide of
their lives. Mentoring is the strongest relationship outside of parents, to
help them develop deep lasting faith. What happens in a mentoring relationship
is that the person being mentored sees faith being lived out in real life;
they’re able to see how what they’ve been taught in church, school, and at home
works out in life. Mentors don’t need to have all the answers, they simply need
to love Jesus, and to regret their sin, and commit themselves to following
Jesus, to trusting in Jesus and his teaching and life, and being willing to
share what they’ve learned while being open and curious with the person they’re
mentoring in what that might look like in their life. A time ago someone called
faith mentoring “God-centered friendship,” a beautiful picture of what
mentoring’s all about!
Elijah
tells Elisha that a double portion of his spirit is something that
can only be given by God, but if Elisha sees Elijah when he’s taken away, then
Elisha can be confident that God will give him what he asks for. I love how the
writer to Kings tells what happens next, “As they were
walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of
fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a
whirlwind.” Elijah goes to heaven while walking and talking with Elisha,
their friendship and relationship the central focus right up to the end of
Elijah’s time with Elisha. Elisha is also allowed to see Elijah go to heaven on
the chariot of fire, Elisha takes his garment and tears it in two, an act of
grief, he then picks up Elijah’s cloak and strikes the water of the Jordan with
it and it divides in two, just as it had with Elijah, affirming that God has
given him his spirit to continue on with the work that Elijah has been
mentoring him in to make God more present in the land.
Jesus
mentored and invested in 12 disciples to carry on the work he came here to do,
calling us to repentance and belief, to make disciples of all nations. Jesus
practices God-centered friendship, calling his disciples friends in John 15, then
saying, “everything that I learned from my Father I have
made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to
go bear fruit—fruit that will last.” Jesus passed on what he knew and
what the disciples need to carry on his work by spending time with them,
getting to know them deeply, and allowing them to get to know him as their
rabbi and teacher, but also as a friend.
I’ve
had many teachers in my life, but the ones who’ve made a lasting impact
on who I am as a person became more than teachers, they showed genuine interest
in who I was, searching for any potential in me; some had to look pretty hard
at times, I’ll admit. One of the earliest mentors in my life was a lieutenant
in Air Cadets. I came to Air Cadets looking for a place to belong, hoping to
find some real friends. This young lieutenant took an early interest in me,
offering me solid life advice that I still listen to today. He didn’t say
anything much different from people in church or school, but he offered it out
of a different kind of relationship, one where he took time to learn who I was.
He really cared about this lonely kid who might have some potential, he
believed in me when I didn’t always believe in myself. He kept me from drifting
too far off the tracks.
Pastor
Gerrit Haagsma was another mentor, taking time to listen to my story and my
heart for broken hurting people. He tried to understand this rather rough young
husband, father, and doubter of church, and even faith at times because of all
the brokenness I’d already seen. He helped me begin to see Jesus and the Holy
Spirit in hard places, helped me to offer hope, even in difficult situations.
He did it with a compassionate heart and patience. This became a holy
friendship that I still cherish today, a holy friendship that helped me stay in
the church.
Professor
Ellen Davis of Duke Divinity School writes, “Holy friendship addresses the
basic human need to draw close to God…. nurturing that desire and meeting that
need is the sole reason for the church’s existence. We may provide a few
valuable social services and something we rather vaguely call “community,” but
the purpose of the church is to enable people to grow toward God in Christ.”
Worship is a big part of coming close to God, mentoring, or holy friendships,
is another part of this picture, especially for youth and young adults.
Jesus
walked with his disciples, listening to their questions, fears, and confusions.
Jesus helped them to see themselves and the world through his eyes. Jesus saw
the potential in people and modeled trust in God which gave him the courage to
face the cross and the grave. This is what we offer when we, as individuals and
as a church, embrace mentoring and holy friendships.
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