June 27, 2010

The Mantle of Discipleship

2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Luke 9:51-62

Dr. Jimmy R. Watson, St. Andrew UCC

 

A man returned to his car in a parking lot and found a note under the windshield wiper. The note read as follows: “I just smashed into your car. The people who witnessed the collision are watching me. They probably think that I am writing down my name and address. I am not. They are wrong.” There was nothing more written on the note.

This may sound cynical, but I believe most people shy away from their responsibilities whenever they can get away with it. For example, a college professor gave his class a chance to evaluate his course. One of his students wrote, “I think this is an excellent class, but I am concerned that the professor puts too much responsibility for learning on the students.”

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase, “mantle of responsibility.” All of us have a mantle of responsibility, whether it’s our jobs or just taking out the trash. All of us are responsible for something. Then there is what I call the mantle of volunteerism. Volunteerism is on a higher ethical plane than responsibility. Responsibilities are what are expected of us. We volunteer for things, however, that are beyond what is expected of us. I hope you catch the distinction. Here in the church we volunteer to wear what I call the mantle of discipleship. A “disciple” is a pupil or follower of a teacher. In our case, we are disciples of Jesus.

            Many people have noted that the spirit of volunteerism, in the church or otherwise, is not what it used to be. Robert Parham, in his book, Bowling Alone, provides ample research to show that people are not “joiners” today like they once were. Today, he says, there is less political and civic participation, less altruism, philanthropy, and volunteerism. There is also less religious participation than there used to be. In other words, people continue to fulfill their normal everyday responsibilities—family, work, etc.—but fewer people are volunteering to do more than that.

The volunteer spirit of discipleship was alive and well, however, in the Old Testament prophet we know as Elisha. He wore this mantle well. Elisha was a disciple of Israel’s first great prophet, Elijah (circa 9^th century BCE). I know their names are very similar, which might confuse you, but their names are worth exploring, so allow me to digress for just a moment. Elijah and Elisha were both prophets of El (or Elohim), an ancient Hebrew name for God. “Elijah” actually means “The Lord is God.” Both of the two most popular Hebrew words for God are included in his name: El and Yahweh. Thus, “El-i-jah” “the Lord is God.” Similarly, “Elisha” means “God is salvation.” His name consists of El and sha, which is the same root as the word shalom. El-i-sha: God is salvation. Two appropriately named prophets, don’t you think?

The story we read from 2 Kings 2 takes place on the day when Elijah is about to be taken “up to heaven by a whirlwind.” Pretty cool way to go, right? But like a dog who knows his time is near, he wants to travel off by himself for his “departure.”

His prize pupil, however, wants to go with him and be with him until the very end. Elijah basically says to Elisha, “No, this is not your responsibility.” But Elisha understands that discipleship is about more than just one’s responsibilities, so he begs Elijah to allow him to go with him.

Elijah relents and they travel to Bethany, which is apparently the location of a school of prophets (a seminary?) because there they are met by fifty of these so-called prophets. My guess is that Elijah had been their teacher and he wanted to say goodbye to them. After that he tries to convince Elisha to stay in Bethany, to fulfill his responsibility as the new head of the school of prophets, because Elijah has to go to Jericho. Once again Elisha objects, saying, “As the LORD lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave you.” And so Elisha and the entire company of prophets tag along with Elijah to Jericho.

I get the feeling reading this story that Elijah is really trying to shake free from Elisha and the other students because when they get to Jericho he again tells Elisha to stay put. He says he is going to the Jordan River, his final destination. Of course, once again Elisha says no, I’m coming with you. When they get to the Jordan River the fifty student-prophets stay at a distance watching with curiosity and expectation what will happen next. And boy, do they get an eye full!

Elijah takes his mantle, a sleeveless garment he wore around his body, a symbol of his power as a prophet, and strikes the waters of the Jordan. And as with Moses and Joshua before him, the waters part. Elijah and Elisha walk to the other side of the river.

Elisha, of course, wants some of that! It’s not enough for him to just inherit his mantle of responsibility—the seminary for prophets—he wants Elijah’s mantle of power!  He asks for a “double share” of Elijah’s power, referring to what a first-born son would inherit from his own father. After that, the story teller gets very creative. A chariot and horses of fire descend on the two men and Elijah ascends “in a whirlwind into heaven,” presumably riding in the chariot. Again, pretty cool way to go, huh? Elijah’s mantle is left behind. So Elisha picks it up and uses it to part the Jordan River again to walk back across to the awaiting company of prophets.

Wonderful story, but what does it mean for us? When people read this story they get distracted by the magical mantle and its ability to part the Jordan River and the chariot and horses of fire (which symbolized Yahweh as a God of war). That’s interesting, but impractical. What we should get out of the story is that Elisha wants more than just the mantle of responsibility. He wants to wear the mantle of discipleship. His responsibility is to stay behind and run the school of prophets after Elijah’s departure. But he wants more than that. He wants to continue to follow Elijah to the end. So he shirks his responsibilities in order to pursue higher and loftier goals. (Because of that, the students at the prophet seminary get a free day off from school.)

What we learn from Elisha is that discipleship is about more than just fulfilling our required or expected responsibilities. Anyone can do that. Most people do that. A disciple, on the other hand, is one who goes the extra mile, one who follows their teacher to the very end—in the case of Elisha from Gilgal to Bethel to Jericho to the Jordan River and beyond.

This mantle of discipleship is the lesson Jesus tried to teach his followers. In our reading from Luke 9, Jesus, like Elijah, has a destination in mind. For Jesus it is Jerusalem. According to the mythology of the Bible, Jesus also will eventually ascend into heaven, but not before he endures the pain of the cross. His departure wasn’t quite as cool as Elijah’s.

One day Jesus and his would-be disciples are making their way to Jerusalem, but they first have to travel through Samaria. The Samaritans didn’t like Jews traveling through their land on their way to Jewish territory. They felt slighted by that, so they were inhospitable to Jesus and his traveling school of disciples. The disciples, perhaps remembering Elijah’s chariot and horses of fire, or the fire that came down from heaven to consume an offering during a contest with Baal’s prophets, believe they should “command fire to come down from heaven and consume” the Samaritans. Jesus says no, and they continue on their journey. (While reading this I couldn’t help but think of the big Jesus statue struck by lightning a couple of weeks ago in Ohio. If you want to hear a funny song, get on the internet and find “Big Butter Jesus,” because that statue looked like a big piece of butter carved into a Jesus figure.)

As Jesus and his followers were walking along, an anonymous person from his entourage, wanting to at least sound like Elisha, said to Jesus, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus makes it clear to this person that following him is no bed of roses: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” The Elisha-wannabe probably faded quickly back into the crowd at this point. Then Jesus looks at someone else, who no doubt heard Jesus speak to the other fellow, and says pointedly, “Follow me.” No way, he must have thought, am I going to follow someone who doesn’t even have a place to sleep at night! So he points out his responsibilities. He makes his pragmatic excuse: “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Of course, no one’s father had just died. He is essentially saying, “Jesus, I will follow you after my parents are deceased. I have responsibilities, you see.” Jesus’ response to this man makes it clear that there is more to life than mere responsibilities. He says, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Another straggler overheard this and thought to himself, “Hey, I don’t need to hang around until my parents are deceased. I can follow Jesus right now.” So he says to Jesus, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Sounds like a reasonable request, right? But again, Jesus makes it clear through the art of exaggeration that discipleship can be a radical departure from one’s normal responsibilities. He says, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” This is a radical comment because tillers of the ground were required to look back and make sure they were going in a straight line. They had a responsibility to do so! Try to imagine how surprised Jesus’ agrarian listeners would have been to hear that following him meant abandoning any notion of looking back in a responsible fashion to make sure they are going in a straight line.

These two stories teach us what it means to wear a mantle of discipleship. A disciple is not someone who merely fulfills their required responsibilities. A disciple is one who volunteers freely to go the extra mile, even if it means shirking their responsibilities. This begs the question: In terms of your involvement in the church, are you wearing a mantle of responsibility or a mantle of discipleship?

Last week I was given this stole by Caroline Martinson. She bid on it at Annual Meeting a couple of weeks ago. A stole is a contemporary version of the mantle worn by the Hebrew prophets, including Elijah. Some might see this as a mantle of responsibility—my responsibility as an ordained pastor, teacher, etc. But I see it more as a mantle of discipleship, because like you, this is what I am trying to be first and foremost. We should all be wearing a stole or a mantle. Even though our tradition says that only those who are ordained should wear them, I would love to poke that tradition in the eye! I believe it is time to acknowledge that all of us should be wearing the mantle of discipleship, regardless of our responsibilities in the church. And a good way to symbolize that is by wearing a stole.

But barring a miracle of changed hearts and minds, your mantle of discipleship will have to be expressed in less symbolic ways, but more practical ways. So, go out and follow the Christ, wherever he leads you. Let the dead bury the dead; proclaim the kingdom of God. And when you put your hand to the plow, don’t look back. Wear the mantle of discipleship with love, power, and grace. Amen.