Wednesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
2 Kings 2:1, 6–14
The story of Elijah being taken up into heaven is unique in the Old Testament.
And in a hidden way, it prepares us for the Ascension of Jesus to the right hand of the Father.
In most of the Old Testament, death is the end of our earthly journey.
Everyone goes down.
Down to Sheol. Down to the silence of the dead. Down to the shadowy place where all human greatness disappears.
Not even Moses escaped this destiny.
Some point to Enoch as another mysterious exception. Genesis says that Enoch “was not, for God took him” (Gen. 5:24).
But what exactly this means remains wrapped in mystery.
Elijah is different.
Elijah does not simply disappear. He is taken up.
A chariot of fire. Horses of fire. A whirlwind. A prophet carried beyond the ordinary limits of human destiny.
This strange departure of Elijah left a deep mark on Jewish faith and imagination.
Elijah became the prophet of return. The prophet of expectation. The prophet who stands between the present world and the coming of the Messiah.
Jewish tradition came to believe that Elijah would prepare Israel for the Messiah’s arrival.
Until that day, he travels between heaven and earth, helping the people of God on their difficult journey through life.
At the end of the Sabbath, the Jewish people invoke his name, hoping that the new week may be the week of the Messiah’s coming.
When a child is born, they invoke his name, hoping that perhaps this child may be the one for whom Israel has waited.
And many stories tell of Elijah appearing quietly, often in disguise, to help the poor, to comfort the suffering, and to protect those in danger.
In Jewish tradition, then, Elijah is close to redemption. Close to hope. Close to the Messiah.
Christian tradition receives this expectation and sees it fulfilled in a surprising way.
The Old Testament in the Christian Bible ends with the prophecy of Malachi:
Elijah will come before the great and terrible day of the LORD (see Mal. 3:23–24).
Then, as we turn to the New Testament, we hear of John the Baptist.
John comes before Jesus. John prepares the way. John speaks with fire. John calls Israel to repentance.
He comes, as the angel says, “in the spirit and power of Elijah” (see Luke 1:17).
Jesus Himself confirms that Elijah has come, and the disciples understand that He is speaking of John the Baptist (see Matt. 17:11–13).
Jewish tradition helps us see one more connection between John the Baptist and Elijah.
When Elijah came to prepare the way of the LORD, he would suffer, like the prophets of old.
And that is exactly what happened to John the Baptist.
When Elijah was taken up into heaven, he left something behind.
His mantle.
But when Christ ascended into heaven, He left His Church something far greater than a mantle.
He left us His Body and Blood.
Elijah’s mantle divided the waters of the Jordan.
The Eucharist does something more wonderful.
It unites us to Christ. It separates us from sin. It strengthens us for the journey. It feeds us with a life stronger than death.
Elijah left a mantle.
Christ left Himself.
And every time we come to the altar, we do not merely remember a prophet taken up.
We receive the Lord who came down from heaven, died for us, rose for us, ascended for us, and now gives Himself to us as the Bread of eternal life.
Scripture Attribution
New Revised Standard Version Bible: Catholic Edition, copyright © 1989, 1993
the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of
Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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© 2025 Krakus.
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