Passing the Mantle
2 Kings 2:1-18
Sometimes we give in to pressure even when we know we are right.
Photo by Josh Soriano on Unsplash
Now when the Lord was about to take Elijah up to heaven by a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal. 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. 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." 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. 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; be silent." 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. Fifty men of the company of prophets also went, and stood at some distance from them, as they both were standing by the Jordan. 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, until the two of them crossed on dry ground. 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." 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." 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. 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. He picked up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood on the bank of the Jordan. He 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. When the company of prophets who were at Jericho saw him at a distance, they declared, "The spirit of Elijah rests on Elisha." They came to meet him and bowed to the ground before him. They said to him, "See now, we have fifty strong men among your servants; please let them go and seek your master; it may be that the spirit of the Lord has caught him up and thrown him down on some mountain or into some valley." He responded, "No, do not send them." But when they urged him until he was ashamed, he said, "Send them." So they sent fifty men who searched for three days but did not find him. When they came back to him (he had remained at Jericho), he said to them, "Did I not say to you, Do not go?" - 2 Kings 2:1-18
Transitions are hard.
Elisha knew that Elijah had gone up to God and would not be found anywhere on earth, yet he let them go look for him.
It was a futile effort, but they needed to see for themselves that Elijah was gone.
When Elisha asked for a double share of Elijah's spirit, it sounded like he was being selfish and greedy. What did he want? Was he trying to be better than his teacher?
But then he encounters his first challenge, winning over the faith and confidence of Elijah's supporters and believers. He could have insisted that Elijah was taken up and there was no point in looking for him, but how would they have taken that?
Some would have doubted. Maybe most would have. He would have missed an opportunity to get them on board.
Taking over for a great leader is hard. One needs a strong spirit to be able to manage the legacy of the old and chart a course for oneself.
By letting them go and look for Elijah, he let them come to their own conclusion, and that is a sign of true leadership.
When they come back, he reminds them that he had told them the truth, and that cements his leadership.
We all want to be the leader whose legacy lives on, but at some point, we need to pass the mantle to the next leader. Elisha earned the trust of Elijah by staying with him, and for that, God granted him what he asked for.
To become a good leader, we need to build on what the prior leader did, while charting our own course for others to follow.
It is a delicate dance, this transition of power, but we have several examples of how it can work for the people. One is here with Elisha. Another is from David to Solomon.
Sometimes, though, the transition is contentious, like from Saul to David. Maybe we can learn from Elisha.
More to come...