Previous: https://universalistheretic.blogspot.com/2023/07/mosaic-christology-and-human-messiah.html
In the last two posts, we saw how Jesus is portrayed in the New Testament in similar ways to Adam and Moses. In his earthly ministry, he was uniquely connected to God’s power and bore God’s glory and name, just like Moses; and in his exaltation, he became the image and glory of God, and the ruler of all things, just as Adam was before he sinned. In this post, we will examine the Messiah’s connection to two other prophets from the Old Testament: Elijah and Elisha. Jesus said that John the Baptist was the new Elijah (Matt. 11:14); by the same token, Jesus himself is the new Elisha, and he does directly compare himself to both of these Israelite prophets (Luke 4:24-27). And as it happens, many of his miracles directly parallel Elisha’s former miracles.
Note: The idea for this series is from J. R. Daniel Kirk’s book A Man Attested by God: The Human Jesus of the Synoptic Gospels, as well as episodes 48 through 55 of Dustin Smith’s Biblical Unitarian Podcast. It wouldn’t have been possible without their extensive research, so please check out their work for a fuller treatment of the high human Christology of the New Testament!
Power over water
One of the miracles which was shared by Elijah, Elisha, and Jesus was the ability to control water:
And Elijah the Tishbite, one of the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Ahab, “As Yahweh God of Israel lives, whom I stand before, there will be neither rain nor dew these years, except by my word.” (1 Kings 17:1)
And Elijah took his cloak and rolled it up, and struck the waters [of the Jordan River], and they were divided here and there, so that the two of them [Elijah and Elisha] crossed over on dry ground. (2 Kings 2:8)
Then the men of the city said to Elisha, “Behold now, the location of this city is good, as my lord sees; but the water is bad and the land is unfruitful.” He said, “Bring me a new jar, and put salt in it.” So they brought it to him. He went out to the spring of water and threw salt in it and said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘I have purified these waters; there shall not be from there death or unfruitfulness any longer.’” So the waters have been purified to this day, according to the word of Elisha which he spoke. (2 Kings 2:19-22)
[Elisha] said, “Thus says Yahweh: ‘Fill this valley with ditches.’ For thus says Yahweh: ‘You will see neither wind nor rain, but the valley will be filled with water, so that you may drink, and your cattle, and your livestock.’”... And it came to pass in the morning, when the grain offering was offered, that (behold) water came from the direction of Edom and filled the valley. (2 Kings 3:16, 17, 20)
When they came to the Jordan, they cut down trees. But as one was felling a log, his ax head fell into the water; he cried out [to Elisha], “Alas, master! It was borrowed.” Then the man of God said, “Where did it fall?” When he showed him the place, he cut off a stick, and threw it in there, and made the iron float. (2 Kings 6:4-6)
In these passages, Elijah and Elisha demonstrate their power over the water, acting on the authority of Yahweh. They aren’t merely declaring Yahweh’s miracles, but are actually exercising power which has been given to them; both of these prophets say that they are completing these miracles by their own word. Likewise, in the gospel accounts, Jesus performs miracles by controlling water:
And early in the morning he came walking toward them on the sea. But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” (Matt. 14:25-27)
A great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But [Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on the cushion, and they woke him up and said to him, “Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And waking up, he rebuked the wind and said to the sea, “Be silent! Be still!” Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. (Mark 4:37-39)
Now standing there were six stone water jars for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons. Jesus said to them, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. He said to them, “Now draw some out, and take it to the person in charge of the banquet.” So they took it... the water had become wine (John 2:6-9)
Each of these miracles involving water directly parallel the miracles of Elijah and Elisha. Like the two Israelite prophets, Jesus displays his power over weather events (1 Kings 17:1; 2 Kings 3:16-20; Mark 4:37-39). Jesus causes himself and Peter to walk upon water, similarly to when Elisha caused an ax head to float upon the water (2 Kgs. 6:4-6; Matt. 14:25-31). Finally, he transforms water into another substance, which Elisha also did (2 Kgs. 2:19-22; John 2:6-9). These miracles occur by Jesus’ own word, just as Elijah and Elisha controlled the water by their own word.
Resurrection of the dead
Another miracle shared by Elijah and Elisha was the power to raise the dead. In fact, the only three resurrections recorded in the Old Testament were connected with these two prophets:
[Elijah] cried out to Yahweh, “O Yahweh my God, have you brought calamity even upon the widow with whom I am staying, by killing her son?” Then he stretched himself upon the child three times and cried out to Yahweh, “O Yahweh my God, let this child’s life come into him again.” Yahweh listened to the voice of Elijah; the life of the child came into him again, and he revived. (1 Kings 17:20-22)
When Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed. So he went in and closed the door on the two of them and prayed to Yahweh. Then he got up on the bed and lay upon the child, putting his mouth upon his mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands, and while he lay bent over him, the flesh of the child became warm. He got down, walked once to and fro in the room, then got up again and bent over him; the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his eyes. (2 Kings 4:32-35)
As a man was being buried, a marauding band was seen and the man was thrown into the grave of Elisha; as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he came to life and stood on his feet. (2 Kings 13:21)
Likewise, Jesus during his earthly ministry raised three people from the dead, two of them children (Mark 5:35-42; Luke 7:11-17; John 11:38-44). In fact, one of these instances directly parallels the resurrection performed by Elijah in 1 Kings 17:
As he approached the city gate, one who had died was being carried out. He was his mother’s only son, and she was a widow, and with her was a large crowd from the town. When the Lord saw her, he was moved with compassion for her and said to her, “Do not cry.” Then he came forward and touched the bier, and the bearers stopped. And he said, “Young man, I say to you, rise!” The dead man sat up and began to speak, and Jesus gave him to his mother. Then fear seized all the people, and they began glorifying God, saying, “A great prophet has arisen among us!” (Luke 7:12-16)
In both instances, the prophet encounters a widow at the “city gate” (1 Kgs. 17:10; Luke 7:12). The prophet discovers that the widow’s only son has died (1 Kgs. 17:17-20; Luke 7:12). The prophet is moved with compassion for the widow, and commands the child to arise (1 Kgs. 17:20-22; Luke 7:13-15). The witnesses to the miracle conclude that the prophet is truly a prophet of God (1 Kgs. 17:24; Luke 7:16). Clearly, Jesus is intentionally being compared with Elisha here. This shows how much greater a prophet he is than Elisha, because whereas it took Elisha considerable effort to raise the child, Jesus simply spoke and the child was resurrected.
Purifying the unclean
Elisha was also given the power to purify unclean food and disease:
Now it happened, as they were eating the stew, that they cried out and said, “O man of God, there is death in the pot!” They could not eat it. He said, “Then bring some flour.” He threw it into the pot and said, “Serve the people and let them eat.” And there was nothing bad in the pot. (2 Kgs. 4:40, 41)
And Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance to Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and you shall be clean.”... So he went down and immersed himself in the Jordan seven times, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean. (2 Kgs. 5:9, 10, 14)
Likewise, Jesus had the ability to purify what was unclean:
[Jesus] said to them, “Are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from the outside cannot defile, since it does not enter the heart, but the stomach, and goes out into the sewer?” Thus all foods are purified. (Mark 7:18, 19)
On the way to Jerusalem, [Jesus] was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. As he entered a village, ten men with leprosy approached him. Keeping their distance, they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. (Luke 17:11-14)
Jesus displays the same powers as Elisha, but to a much greater extent. Whereas Elisha only purified a single stew, and healed one leper, Jesus purified “all foods” [1] and miraculously cleansed ten lepers.
Multiplying food
Another specific miracle that was performed by Elijah and Elisha was multiplying quantities of food:
[The widow] said, “As Yahweh your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug; I am now gathering a couple of sticks so that I may go home and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.”
Elijah said to her, “Do not be afraid; go and do as you have said, but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. For thus says Yahweh God of Israel: ‘The jar of flour will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail, until the day that Yahweh sends rain on the earth.’” She went and did as Elijah said, so that she as well as he and her household ate for many days. The jar of flour was not emptied, neither did the jug of oil fail, according to the word of Yahweh that he spoke by Elijah. (1 Kings 17:12-16)
A man came from Baal-shalishah bringing food from the first fruits to the man of God: twenty loaves of barley and fresh ears of grain in his sack. Elisha said, “Give it to the people and let them eat.” But his servant said, “How can I set this before a hundred people?” So he repeated, “Give it to the people and let them eat, for thus says the Lord: They shall eat and have some left.” He set it before them; they ate and had some left, according to the word of the Lord. (2 Kings 4:42-44)
The same miracle was performed by Jesus on two different occasions:
[Jesus] answered them, “You give them something to eat.” They said to him, “Are we to go and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “How many loaves do you have? Go and see.” When they had found out, they said, “Five, and two fish.” Then he ordered them to get all the people to sit down in groups on the green grass. So they sat down in groups of hundreds and of fifties.
Taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and blessed and broke the loaves and gave them to his disciples to set before the people, and he divided the two fish among them all. And all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of broken pieces and of the fish. Those who had eaten the loaves numbered five thousand men. (Mark 6:37-44)
The disciples said to him, “Where are we to get enough bread in the desert to feed so great a crowd?” Jesus asked them, “How many loaves do you have?” They said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” Then ordering the crowd to sit down on the ground, he took the seven loaves and the fish, and after giving thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And all of them ate and were filled, and they took up the broken pieces left over, seven baskets full. Those who had eaten were four thousand men, besides women and children. (Matt. 15:33-38)
Again, he performed the same miracle as Elijah and Elisha, but with fifty times more people. This deliberately identifies Jesus as a prophet greater than any who came before him.
Extending physical presence
Finally, one last miracle which was uniquely shared by Elisha and Jesus was their ability to extend their physical presence into far off locations. Elisha displays this power when talking to his servant Gehazi:
He went in and stood before his master, and Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” He answered, “Your servant has not gone anywhere at all.” But he said to him, “Did I not go with you in my heart when someone left his chariot to meet you? Is this a time to accept silver and clothing, olive orchards and vineyards, sheep and oxen, and male and female slaves? Therefore the skin disease of Naaman shall cling to you and to your descendants forever.” So he left his presence diseased, as white as snow. (2 Kings 5:25-27)
According to this passage, Elisha ‘went with Gehazi in his heart’ when he scammed Naaman out of two talents of silver (2 Kgs. 5:20-24). This clearly implies something more than just being with him ‘in spirit,’ since Elisha knew exactly what Gehazi had been doing; he must have miraculously extended his physical presence so that he was present with Gehazi. Likewise, Jesus in the gospels is able to extend his bodily presence to be with his disciples:
“For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” (Matt. 18:20)
“And behold, I am with you always, even until the end of the age.” (Matt. 28:20)
Whereas Elisha only extended his physical presence in one instance, Jesus is continually extending his presence to be with his disciples. This occurs miraculously by the power of the holy spirit, which connects believers to Jesus and his teachings (John 14:26; 16:13; Rom. 8:9, 10; Eph. 3:16, 17).
Conclusion
Many of Jesus’ miracles recorded in the gospel accounts directly parallel the miracles performed by the prophets Elijah and Elisha in the Old Testament. These Israelite prophets were humans empowered by God to an incredible degree, and Jesus performed miracles even greater than theirs. Nonetheless, this does not remove him out of the realm of so-called ‘mere’ humanity. In fact, according to Acts 2:22, it was God who performed these miracles through the man Jesus, to show Israel that he was the true Messiah.
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[1] There is debate as to whether Mark 7:1-19 implies that Jesus purified all unclean meat, or merely all ceremonially defiled meat; either way, he was still purifying what was unclean.
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