1 Kings 19:19-21
Chapter 19
19
Elijah left. He found Elisha, son of Shaphat, plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his cloak over him.
20
Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said: “Let me say goodbye to my father and mother; then I will follow you.” Elijah said to him: “Return if you want; don’t worry about what I did.”
21
However, Elisha turned back, took the yoke of oxen, and slew them. He roasted their meat on the pieces of the yoke and gave it to his people, who ate it. After this, he followed Elijah and began ministering to him.
Commentaries
Elijah on Mount Horeb.
Pursued to the brink of death, Elijah begins a journey that resembles a pilgrimage, retracing his past. With him, a part of Israel reconnects with its true origins as a nation. It starts as a flight driven by Jezebel’s fury. His flight evolves into a pilgrimage: it’s not the queen’s power that terrifies him, but God’s power that draws him closer. At the boundary between culture and chaos (in the desert), a messenger of God helps him understand the significance of his journey. Before reaching the desert, his flight seemed destined for death; from the desert onward, a miraculous meal lifts him back to the experience of the original Israel. The stages of his journey include: the city, the desert, the mountain, the angel, and the presence. God’s question (9) prompts him to reflect on his actions and to unburden himself with confidence. In response to God’s inquiry, Elijah confesses. The Lord’s revelation (11-13), merely passing by, marks a crucial moment. Elijah, the fiery and impulsive prophet, encounters the Lord in a gentle breeze, in a barely audible whisper. The earlier dialogue is revisited (10), but it resonates differently (14).
The prophets came from a variety of backgrounds and social levels. Some were born in the city, like Isaiah, while others came from rural areas, such as Amos and Micah. Some were from priestly families, like Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Elisha was called to the prophetic work while plowing in the field. Almost all prophetic calls are marked by an external gesture, acting as a kind of sacramental sign. Elijah drapes his cloak over Elisha, symbolizing his commitment to the prophetic calling. Elisha leaves behind his fields, his oxen, and his family to follow Elijah. This act of leaving everything behind and breaking with his past is symbolized by the sacrifice of his oxen, which his people celebrate as a farewell gesture.