Prophet for the Day: Elijah

The readings for today are about Elijah. 
And based on the readings, I can only surmise that Elijah was a rock star as far as prophets are concerned. 
(True enough, the Catholic Encylopedia says Elijah was "The loftiest and most wonderful prophet of the Old Testament". Rock star, indeed) 


The First Reading is from Sirach. 


like a fire there appeared the prophet Elijah (great entry)
whose words were as a flaming furnace. 
Their staff of bread he shattered,
in his zeal he reduced them to straits;
By the Lord's word he shut up the heavens
and three times brought down fire. (see #5, #10, #11 below)
How awesome are you, Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! (awesome!)
Whose glory is equal to yours?


Quick scans of his life story suggest that Elijah boldly confronted Ahab and Jezebel which is par for the course for a prophet. But he also worked a number of miracles and came up with a number of prophecies that were fulfilled. A convenient summary is provided by David Pyles here: 


1) Causing the rain the cease for 3 1/2 years (1Ki 17:1)
2) Being fed by the ravens (1Ki 17:4)
3) Miracle of the barrel of meal and cruse of oil (1Ki 17:14)
4) Resurrection of the widow's son (1Ki 17:22)
5) Calling of fire from heaven on the altar (1Ki 18:38)
6) Causing it to rain (1Ki 18:45)
7) Prophecy that Ahab's sons would all be destroyed (1Ki 21:22)
8) Prophecy that Jezebel would be eaten by dogs (1Ki 21:23)
9) Prophecy that Ahaziah would die of his illness (2Ki 1:4)
10) Calling fire from heaven upon the first 50 soldiers (2Ki 2:10)
11) Calling fire from heaven upon the second 50 soldiers (2Ki 2:12)
12) Parting of the Jordan (2Ki 2:8)
13) Prophecy that Elisha should have a double portion of his spirit (2Ki 2:10)
14) Being caught up to heaven in a whirlwind (2Ki 2:11)


Note #3: which previews the multiplication of loaves by Jesus. 
Note  #4: resurrection of a widow's son. According to one source, only four people in the bible resurrected dead people: Elijah, Jesus, Peter and Paul. 


And his exit was equally awesome: 

You were taken aloft in a whirlwind of fire,
in a chariot with fiery horses.


He was also expected to signal the coming of the Kingdom:


You were destined, it is written, in time to come
to put an end to wrath before the day of the LORD,
To turn back the hearts of fathers toward their sons,
and to re-establish the tribes of Jacob.


Then in the Gospel, Jesus says John the Baptist is the Elijah that the Scriptures foretold and that "and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased" which suggests that John would suffer and die. And just like John, "So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands."


What these three gentlemen have in common (throw in Peter and Paul too), is that they didn't have an easy life. Elijah has to flee twice (and at one point, prayed for death at which point, he is fed by an angel). At one point, he was being fed by ravens. And it's no joke to confront a King and his Queen. At one point he was so full of despair that he thought of himself as a failure. 


But a prophet's got to do what a prophet's got to do.