by David Kettner
Mark 9:9-13
9As they were coming down the mountain, he ordered them to tell no one about what they had seen, until after the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what this rising from the dead could mean. 11Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?” 12He said to them, “Elijah is indeed coming first to restore all things. How then is it written about the Son of Man, that he is to go through many sufferings and be treated with contempt? 13But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did to him whatever they pleased, as it is written about him.”
How will we recognize Elijah when he comes? As part of the Passover Seder, the Jews set a place at the table for Elijah, and leave the door open so he can come in. How would they recognize him? In our passage the disciples ask Jesus whether Elijah is coming. Jesus not only affirms he is coming, but also that he has already come – suggesting that John the Baptist was the “Elijah” who came ahead of Jesus. But no one then recognized John as such, and in the end he was arrested and killed. The Old Testament Elijah suffered much at the hands of his enemies – so much so he ran off and hid in a cave, telling God he had had enough. He was attempting to “set things right” as God had commanded him. It wasn’t an easy life for him; his enemies did not recognize him as a messenger from God.
Are there other “Elijahs” among us now, attempting to “restore all things” before the coming of Jesus? We pray we all can become like Elijah, “setting all things right” as best we can, even though our efforts may not be seen or understood.