I've heard it said that one reason people in Haifa can
coexist in relative peace is because Moses never came here, Jesus never came
here, and Mohammed never came here. However, Elijah – an important figure in
Judaism, Christianity and Islam – did spend quite a bit of time in these hills.
And if you travel around the area enough you will find various memorials, holy
sites, and tributes to this great prophet. A discussion at an inter-faith event
at one of these sights this spring prompted me to think about this question:
who was Elijah to the writers of the New Testament? How is he portrayed by
these early followers of Yeshua? Who did they understand him to be, and how did
they understand his role and relevance to their lives?
As time passes, heroes of the past tend to be idealized or
particular aspects of them are remembered more than others. In later Jewish
tradition, Elijah is seen as the prophet who heralds the Messiah’s coming,
makes surprise visits to people, works miracles, makes amends for an unjust
sufferer, or even acts almost like an intermediate commentator between the
sages and the divine. He also makes an appearance in the Qur’an in a recounting
of his showdown with the priests of Ba’al.
There are 10 distinct mentions of Elijah in the New
Testament. Of these, 7 are in a narrative context and 3 are in a context I
would call homiletic. Here are the references. Below, I include some of my
observations and interpretations of the individual passages to give some context
for my conclusions.
Narrative
- The annunciation of John the Baptizer’s birth (Luke 1:2-25)
- During John the Baptizer’s ministry (John 1:21-27)
- Account of John the Baptizer in prison (Matthew 11:2-9 cf. Luke 7:18-30)
- Rumors about Yeshua's identity (Mark 6:14-15, Luke 9:7-8)
- Peter’s confession of Yeshua as the Messiah (Matthew 16:13-16, Mark 8:27-29, Luke 9:18-20)
- The Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-13, Mark 9:2-13, Luke 9:28-36)
- Yeshua’s crucifixion (Matthew
27:45-50, Mark 15:33-37)Homiletic
- Yeshua rejected in Nazareth (Luke 4:23-27)
- Paul writing about the remnant of Israel (Romans 11:1-6)
- James writing about the power of prayer (James 5:13-18)
These passages paint an interesting picture of who Elijah
was understood to be at the time of Yeshua and the first apostles. In the
narrative passages, Elijah is portrayed as the archetypal prophet who when
placed alongside Yeshua magnifies his glory. These stories highlight several
roles of Elijah including the herald of Messiah, the restorer of all things,
and the unexpected visitor. Although there is the expectation that Elijah is
yet to herald Messiah’s coming in glory, his role heralding Yeshua’s first
coming is accomplished through John the Baptizer. It is almost as if in John
the Baptizer, Elijah is here as a visitor in disguise. These stories also deal
with the people’s expectations of Elijah, mainly that he vindicates the
unjustly accused, works miracles, and brings purity (through immersion).
The homiletic passages each draw on a particular aspect of a
story of Elijah to support a point. When Yeshua was teaching in the Nazareth
synagogue, he focuses on Elijah’s mission and audience in comparison with his
own. In the epistles, the writers emphasize the common nature of Elijah making
him relatable to their readers. Overall, though, these passages focus more on
God’s work in the situations than on Elijah himself. In general, Elijah is
portrayed as the archetypal prophet who despite his legendary status is similar
and relatable to the reader.
For the most part, the narrative passages deal with Elijah
as described in the prophets, while the homiletic passages deal with truths
from the stories of Elijah’s life. So how did the New Testament believers see
Elijah? He is portrayed as a visitor with a message of restoration and the
coming of the Messiah. He is also a reminder that we serve the same God that
makes him a great prophet. Therefore, Elijah’s greatness primarily serves to
magnify the greatness of the Lord Yeshua.
