2 Kings 2:1-14

Pentecost +5 - Year C

2 Kings 2:1-14

Was Elijah testing Elisha with a command to "sit and stay" at Bethel and Jericho? Was Elisha faithful or disobedient when he went to fetch a "double" portion?

Did Elisha see Elijah taken away? Do fiery horses and a heavenly whirlwind count as seeing or an imaginative approximation of an experience?

How is this scene different than Jacob getting a double portion with a birthright or Ruth receiving a first-born blessing from Boaz?

Why would Elisha think he would need a double portion? Fear of what he was going to face as a leader of Prophets? Simple greed? Does it go back to his call and knowing the need for being yoked, and simply express his desire to continue being yoked with Elijah?

Ever wonder about the 50 extra prophets? Were they spiritual Peeping Tom's, inquisitive? Were they protecting the Elijah/Elisha transition from interruption? Were they getting a better perspective on Elijah's leaving so they could claim leadership (with or without doubling)? This entry point raises a question about a Spirituality of Distance or a Spirituality of Presence - Can one be too close or too far from a Thin Place and miss it? It is this question that I think will stick with me over these next days.