Some Old Testament prophets loom larger than life. One of these in particular is Elijah, pronounced Elyahu in Hebrew. The story of Elijah, and his protégé Elisha is colorful, fiery, and bloody, as were the times in which they lived.

Some background for today's reading: Elijah has killed, with the help of a crowd of Israelites, 400 prophets of Baal and 450 prophets of Asherah, after dueling with them on Mount Carmel. Baal, which means lord in ancient Hebrew, was the sky god of the Canaanites and Sidonians, who were later called Phoenicians. Asherah was Baal's consort, a fertility goddess. Queen Jezebel, who worshipped Baal, was infuriated, and sent a message to Elijah that he will be killed. King Ahab's servant, Obediah, hid one hundred of Israel's prophets in caves before the duel, because Jezebel had been killing them.

Elijah escaped, but he begged God to let him die. He was melodramatic. He was no longer a young man. He was tired and felt quite sorry for himself, saying "I, I alone am left." God agreed to let Elijah pick his successor. Elijah picked Elisha, throwing his mantle over him. Elisha left everything and followed him from then on, as a servant, or understudy, until the end of Elijah's mission.

Now that Elijah is about to be swept up by God, at Bethel, at Jericho, and even near the Jordan, they are met by groups of prophets who ask Elisha if he knows Elijah is about to be taken away. Elisha sounds a bit testy. Basically, he sounds like he wants to say, "I know! I know already! I'm a prophet too! Hush!"

Note that there are only two times in the Tanakh, the Old Testament, where anyone is worthy of being taken by God without dying. Elijah is one, and Enoch is the other. Elijah and Moses are the two most honored prophets in Jewish scripture. Moses brought monotheism to the tribes of Israel, and Elijah brought it back to Israel. It is fitting in the New Testament, when Peter, James and John see Jesus robed in white during the Transfiguration, that with Him are both Elijah, and Moses.

Each Passover in Jewish tradition, a place is set and the door is left open for Elijah's return. A passage from the prophet Malachi explains this, it is Malachi, 4:5-6:

"Lo, I will send you the prophet Elijah before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. He will turn the hearts of the 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."

This is why the doors are left open and a place set for Elijah at every Passover meal, and why people asked whether or not John the Baptist was Elijah.

Elisha stuck to Elijah like glue throughout the end of Elijah's ministry because he did not want to miss seeing him go. I can't help thinking that Elisha really loved this crusty old man, in spite of his prickly personality. Elisha's love is returned, though it is subtle. Elijah asks him what he would like before God takes him away. Elisha asks for a double portion of Elijah's spirit. Just what was Elijah's spirit? Was it the Holy Spirit resting in Elijah? Whatever it was, Elisha performed more miracles than Elijah had. Most of the miracles Elijah and Elisha performed were later performed by Jesus. These miracles are like credentials to the Jews.

Elisha was allowed to see the fiery chariot and the horses that took Elijah away, and thus he got his wish to have a double portion of Elijah's spirit. Elisha tore his clothes, a traditional way of showing great anguish when mourning. He was separated from Elijah, and in his grief cried out, "Where is the God of Elijah?" and parted the Jordan river by striking it with his cloak, as Elijah had done on the way there. Perhaps he could not tell that God was with him because of the sorrow of being separated from his mentor so abruptly.

The company of prophets notice the difference right away, from a distance. Who were these companies of prophets Elijah and Elisha kept running into? God definitely speaks to more than one prophet at a time, here. There are some in Jericho, some in Bethel, and some near the Jordan river when Elijah and Elisha are coming and going. Are these the hundred prophets Obediah hid from Jezebel? We're never told. Tradition has it that Elijah established a school of prophets on Mount Carmel. I looked for a reference in the Bible, but there does not seem to be any, so it may be an oral tradition only. Still, how would you work up a curriculum for prophets? Are they supposed to know ahead of time what is on the test?

Elisha says "Father! Father! The chariots of Israel and its horsemen!" when Elijah was taken away. This was repeated only one other time, by King Joash, the King of Judah, at Elisha's death. Elisha was not swept up by a chariot of fire, but after he died, Moabite raiders killed a man, and when the Israelites threw his body in Elisha's grave, Elisha's bones brought the man back to life. Wow!

In the New Testament reading, Paul has a lot to say here about maturing in our Christianity, and in building up the body of the Church. He mentions several gifts Christians are given: Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Paul says these gifts are for the building up of the body of Christ. According to Paul, we not only have to mature in our Christianity, but we all have to get along with each other! Paul calls for us to grow up, and not be blown about by every question of doctrine, by lies, craftiness, or scheming. We must speak the truth in love.

Paul's uses the analogy of each Christian being a different part of Christ's body, with Jesus as the head. To make a musical analogy, if the parts harmonize, the music is much sweeter and uplifting. We should be God's orchestra, not a bunch of soloists with big egos. We work much better together if we keep our eye on the conductor, Jesus.

Mark's Gospel reading for today happens directly after feeding five thousand people with five loaves of bread and two fish. Jesus, like Elijah and Elisha, performed a food expansion miracle. Jesus retreats to pray after sending the apostles off to the other side of the Sea of Geneseret, or the Sea of Galilee, as it is called. Jesus is often mentioned in the Gospels as going off somewhere to pray. The apostles are rowing against a heavy wind early in the morning, and Jesus walks on the water to reach them. The Sea of Galilee is a very large inland lake, large enough to act like a small ocean.

None of the prophets in the Old Testament had ever walked on water. The apostles may not have even been able to see who it was walking across the water to them in the early morning darkness, but they were frightened, thinking it was a ghost of someone coming to them.

The Gospel reading says the apostles did not understand about the loaves, but their hearts were hardened. I take this to mean that they found it hard to believe what they had just witnessed and were trying to deny it was real--to explain it away. Remember that these men were coping with some very unusual circumstances. It was hard enough to understand having so little food and feeding such a multitude--with baskets of bread and fish left over--but to actually witness someone walking on water must have pushed them over the edge of belief. I think I would be astounded, too, if I saw someone walking on the sea toward a boat I was in.

Jesus could not have done this miracle by trickery. There are no stepping stones on the Sea of Galilee. They had to accept that Jesus had just done what was humanly impossible. Peter's attempt to walk on water is not here. It is only told in Matthew's Gospel.

When Jesus climbed into the boat, the wind died down, and there was calm. I can't help wondering if the wind was there in the first place to delay the apostles just enough that this particular miracle could take place.

These readings have a theme in common. Mentoring. Elijah did not just pick his replacement and walk off. He showed Elisha how things were done. Paul was writing to the Ephesians because he was their mentor, just as Jesus was his.

The apostles rowing on the stormy Sea of Galilee were struggling until Jesus walked across the water and climbed in their boat. Without him, they were quite literally at sea. Jesus was their mentor up to the crucifixion, and then after the resurrection--and when He did ascend, He promised not to abandon them. He sent the Holy Spirit at Pentecost to them to continue their mentoring.

We all need mentors. Without them, we have to make all the hard mistakes without benefit of anyone else's experience. I'd much rather learn with someone's help than by the school of hard knocks.

We, in turn, need to be mentors to others. After we have learned, we need to turn back and teach others. That is part of loving our neighbors, and being members of the body of Christ.

There are times when we all feel at sea. It's helpful to know that we have others to turn to for support, and even better, Christ is in our boat to help us, calming the wind even in the stormiest weather.

Amen