• Jacob Chanikuxzhy

“Pagans exalt sacred things; the Prophets extol sacred deeds.” This was the conviction of Abraham Joshua Heschel, the Jewish philosopher and theologian, whom the Catholic Church honoured by inviting him to participate in the Vatican Council as the representative of the American Jews. He viewed the teachings of the prophets of the OT as a clarion call for social action and was so actively involved in the struggle for the rights of the African-Americans that Martin Luther King Jr. called him “a truly great prophet.” Among the Hebrew prophets, the one who stands head and shoulders above other prophets in matters of humanitarian and socio-political action is the Prophet Elisha. A remarkable thing about Elisha is that although he was a faithful disciple of the Prophet Elijah, in his ministry Elisha followed a path that was very different from that of his master. The Prophet Elijah can be compared to a storm and thunder, whereas Prophet Elisha was more like a gentle breeze. For example, Elijah started his ministry by shutting the sky for 3½ years and making a drought, whereas Elisha started his prophetic ministry by healing a spring that had toxic water. He also miraculously provided water to the parched army of Israel, Judah, and Edom, as well as to the dry land. Whereas Elijah was always at odds with the kings, Elisha had a much friendlier relationship with them.

The major exception to this benevolent miracle working pattern is the story of Elisha cursing 42 boys who ridiculed him by calling him “baldheaded,” and as a result of his curse, three bears from the forest tear these 42 boys into pieces. The question is whether it was becoming for a prophet of Yahweh to punish so severely for such a trivial offence on the part of some mischievous boys. Some think that this is an illustration of the human weakness of a great prophet. There are moments when we are provoked beyond our limits. Others, however, think that the incident was not so innocent as one would initially think. They were not just boys but adult people because the Hebrew term used for “boys” is elsewhere translated with “men.” The literary context indicates that these men were hostile to Elisha, not without reason. It is possible that they were making a fortune by supplying drinking water to the people of Jericho, who had no drinkable water. Now, Elisha’s miracle of making the water again usable, was a serious blow to the business of these men. That is why they verbally abused the prophet. Elisha’s serious response suggest that these men may have been more violent, and Elisha might have feared that they would physically attack him.

Before Elijah was taken up to heaven, what Elisha requested of him was the double portion of the Spirit of his master. That Elisha was given a double portion of the Spirit is made clear by the author of the 2 Kings by describing double the number of miracles performed by Elisha compared to the number of miracles by his master. Remarkably, almost all the miracles performed by Elisha were benign: healing the water of Jericho, increasing the oil of a widow, blessing the woman of Shunem with a child, resuscitating the child when it was dead, miraculous feeding of 100 men with 20 barley loaves, healing of the poisonous food, making the ax head float on water, healing of Naman, etc.

Since Elisha had double the power of Elijah, he could have brought God’s wrath upon the unfaithful kings, disobedient people, and the gentile enemies in a devastating manner. However, Elisha used his power not to punish those who defied God, divine precepts, and himself, but to minister to those who were in need of help, healing, and life. The more powerful he was, the more compassionate he became. With greater power, he brought greater joy to others through his miracles. As Leo Buscaglia, American author and motivational speaker known as “Dr. Love,” said, “Only the weak are cruel. Gentleness can only be expected from the strong.” As in the case of the healing of Naman, the Syrian commander, Elisha did not set conversion to Yahweh as a condition to dispense his power but brought people to faith in Yahweh through his kind deeds. His gentle spirit won him more people, and more influence on the kings than the defiant spirit for Elijah.