Mission FPC
“…anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet[1].” Elijah has reached the end of a blessed ministry and is exhausted. But the prophetic ministry will not end with him. It will continue with Elisha and the schools of prophets that he will create. Having received the command, Elijah sets off straightaway. He doesn’t need to ask himself who will succeed him. God Himself, who knows all things, has designated the person to follow him. Once Elijah arrives at the place where Elisha is, he says nothing. He goes up to Elisha and throws his cloak around him[2]. The gesture is unequivocal. The cloak is the distinctive sign of the prophet. Elisha understands that Elijah is calling him as his successor.
Now that the handover has been clearly indicated, Elisha immediately abandons what he is doing in order to run after Elijah. He says goodbye to his parents and sacrifices a yoke of the oxen that he was leading, thus marking a total break with his past life. In this way, Elisha enters Elijah’s school by becoming his servant for a time, a term which expresses the same relationship that existed between Moses and Joshua.
Then comes the moment when Elijah is taken up to heaven. Elisha, having been warned in advance, does not want to leave Elijah. Elijah asks Elisha what he can do for him before his departure. Elisha replies that he wishes to inherit a double portion of Elijah’s spirit, who consents. Elisha’s request is heard. Wearing the cloak that Elijah had left behind, Elisha pursues the ministry of his mentor with double the strength.
Mission FPC
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