Bible Text: 2 Kings 2:1-12 and Mark 9: 2-9 | Preacher: Rev. Jenn Geddes
Last summer, while Mike and I were visiting Ontario, we decided to drive up to my family’s cottage- a cottage that had been built by my Grandfather some 50 years earlier on the shores of Lake Huron. My parents, Mike and I bundled into the car and began the normally 2.5 hour drive. Now, the drive from Hamilton to Kincardine is relatively simple and transforms from main highways like the 403 and 401 to rural roads once you pass Kitchener-Waterloo. In fact K-W is really the last big city and then it is a succession of smaller communities often dominated by farmland, most of which is owned by Old Order Mennonites. It can be quite a pleasant drive. What Mike perhaps didn’t know is that the drive along the rural roads also passes ancestral homesteads on both sides of my family. It even passes both cemeteries were most of my relatives are buried. So, the drive from home to cottage which usually only takes 2.5 hours can sometimes take a little longer because we tend to retrace our steps. We pass the house in Belgrave where my paternal Grandfather was born, the storefront in Lucknow where my maternal Grandmother lived, the community where my ancestors first lived when they emigrated from Scotland and we sometimes stop at the cemeteries to check on the stones. This particular drive this past summer involved all of those stops because it had been a while since I had traveled this route. The simple 2.5 hour drive quickly turned into 6.5 hours. Through it all Mike was a good sport and it had been years since I had physically retraced this family history. There is something tangible about being able to pass these places and know where I am from, know my roots. I tend to enjoy that journey, that drive, from Hamilton to Kincardine.
Today’s Old Testament passage is also about not only a journey, but a retracing of steps so that the people can remember from whence they came. Second Kings 2 begins with a startling sentence, the Lord is about to take Elijah up to heaven. It is unclear if Elijah is aware of this fact but certainly Elisha knows what is about to happen. This is a startling sentence in part because it should stun us with how casual it is. Elijah is known as the most famous and dramatic of Israel’s prophets. He not only warned about events like droughts and confronted those who worshipped Baal but he also had incredible healing power. He restored life to a dead child and made fire come from the sky. These miracles confirmed to those who would listen that he was God’s spokesman. This is a very important person in the life and history of Israel, and yet in just one casual sentence it mentions that his time on earth is coming to an end. Elijah does not seem shaken, but it would appear that Elisha, Elijah’s protégé, would like to have as much time as possible with him and so they begin a journey.
This journey is not simply a walk from point A to point B. It is a retracing of steps not only in the life of Elijah, but also a passage that highlights the history of the Israelites. It is a journey from Gilgal to the Jordan River, a journey through the past to the present for the people of Israel. First they travel from Gilgal to Bethel. The first time the place Gilgal is mentioned is within the story of Joshua in which he places twelve stones marking the first time the Israelites crossed the Jordan River into the Promised Land. This place name would trigger the cultural memory of the first time the ancient Hebrews stepped on to the Promised Land. The second time Gilgal is mentioned is also in Joshua in which the whole nation is circumcised. The point being that this is the place where God claims the Israelites as God’s own people. For the Hebrew people it is the beginning of the journey as Israelites. For Elijah and Elisha it is the start to Elijah’s final journey- a journey that will solidify him as one of the great prophets of old.
The next stop on this journey is Bethel. It was Jacob in Genesis who gave Bethel its name. Jacob names it Bethel or “House of God” following the dream in which God promises that Jacob’s descendants will spread out to the west and to the east, the north and the south. All the peoples of earth will be blessed through Jacob and his offspring. Bethel marks the place where God creates and establishes covenants with God’s people. It is in Bethel that Elijah and Elisha begin to be surrounded by a company of prophets. God’s creative power is made known through others.
Then Elijah and Elisha arrive in Jericho. When I hear the name Jericho I immediately think of the battle of Jericho, in which the Israelites conquered the Canaanites despite being grossly outnumbered. They beat the odds, but the Scriptures remind us that they did not win through their own doing but because the Lord was with them. In the story of the battle of Jericho, Joshua is often questioned and challenged regarding his plan but he constantly reminds them to have faith. Jericho is the place where faith in God pays off. Jericho is a reminder to the Israelites that faith in God and God’s plan is essential.
Finally Elijah and Elisha arrive on the banks of the Jordan River and note the first thing that Elijah does is take his mantle, roll it up and strike the water and the water parts. This recalls the story of Moses striking the water as the Israelites escaped the pursuing Egyptian army. It is the Jordan River which the people cross to get into the Promised Land. Elijah and Elisha are retracing the roots of their people, so that through this story the Israelites are reminded of God’s presence, God’s covenants and the importance of faith in God. But here’s the thing: Gilgal and the Jordan are so close to each other that it was rocks from the Jordan that Joshua used to mark Gilgal. They are meters apart. Yet Elijah takes Elisha on this lengthy journey. Why? Perhaps because Elijah wanted to teach Elisha one more thing. He wanted to remind Elisha of the hard-learned lessons of the people of Israel before handing over the mantle. Gilgal reminded the Israelites that God claimed them as God’s own, Bethel reminded them that God is present, Jericho reminded them to have faith, and the banks of the Jordan remind them of from whence they came. It is important for us to retrace our steps and reflect on our relationship with God.
It is exactly this retracing of roots that also causes Elijah and Moses to appear on that mountain with Jesus. Now, instead of place names signifying a link between the past and the present, people have come to represent the history of God. Moses represents the law and Elijah represents the prophets. Jesus represents God’s presence among the people. And the awestruck disciples represent the millennia of people who will witness to God. The story of the transfiguration is a journey in and of itself too. Jesus and a few of the disciples make their way up a mountaintop, and they witness this bright light that literally changes Jesus’ appearance and ties Jesus with the important people of the past. They even retrace roots not far in the past, as once again they hear a voice from a cloud declaring who Jesus is.
Notice how, at Jesus’ baptism the voice declared, “with whom I am well pleased” has now become “listen to him”. On our journeys, whether we are retracing our roots or blazing new trails, if there is ever doubt or uncertainty then we must listen for Christ’s words. Namely, “when we are in doubt about what our faith is calling us to do- remember the love, the forgiveness, the healing and teaching and feeding that Jesus did- follow Christ” because those are our roots. And in the story of transfiguration Jesus and the disciples do not remain on the mountain. Their journey continues as they are brought back down from the mountain and back into a world that is full of need. In knowing our roots and in retracing them through the stories of Scripture we bear witness to the limitless power of God and live a life that listens to Jesus. Amen