04. Are You Elijah? Elijah On the Way 792 Words
Tubal jumped to his feet. “Gaddi, wha’d you do?”
Jerusalem
07 BC
Elijah turned to Peleg. “So, we skip the birth—?”
“Relax, boy.” Gaddi gave the reins a twist.
The horses whinnied and the chariot shuddered.
“Gaddi, wha’d you do?” Tubal and Peleg stood in the back seat.
“No worries, my dears.” Gaddi crooned. “Behold the Jordan River Valley crammed with people eager to be baptized by the son of Zachariah and Elizabeth.”
He lowered the reins and guided the chariot to a grassy stretch beside the river.
Two little boys stood on the bank dangling lines in the water from long, green poles. No one else appeared.
Nothings happening much.
“What’d I do wrong, guys?” Turns to Tubal. “How did you…
Tubal tells him, “It’s all in the wrist.”
Peleg shows how he gripped the reins. “Easy does it. A grocer never has to use real force. I think you were trying too hard.”
Gaddi tries again. And lands them on the east bank of the Jordan. 31 years after Zachariah, when John started his ministry.
OKAY! Elijah: “So we’re in the right time and the right place. But what’s the huge crowd about, Gaddi?”
Gaddi doesn’t know. He was only given the coordinates. And told Jordan Valley.
How did they give Gaddi the coordinates?
Gaddi said, “We came to the front desk when they heard the announcement Chariot driver needed to haul Elijah the Tishbite. This guy… did you catch his name Tubes?….came around and lined us up. He started with Tubal. “You’re first. You’ll take Elijah to the messenger in Jerusalem.” He squeezed Tubal’s hands. “There, feel that? You’ve got the Messenger the coordinates. Then Peleg. Squeezed his hand. There’s the coordinates for Zachariah.
Elijah sees all the people. “Guys, we need help. Does the Lord still hear us? I mean, nobody else does.”
“Um, look, Lord. I know this is way under scale for you. I’m not asking for a bottomless flour barrel. No fireball or rain storm, okay? But if I could just talk to somebody out there and—” He stepped out of the chariot
(Tubal reaches for him. “Don’t.”)
Elijah approached a man at the edge of the crowd.
(Peleg says, “Careful not to bump him.)
(Gaddi is doing what?)
He stands next to the man.
Who doesn’t seem to notice.
Elijah glances at the chariot with a discouraged face.
But two little boys sell hotcakes to the guy next to him. The guy buys four and offers Elijah two.
Elijah thanks him and clears his throat. “Um, what’s everybody doing out here?”
The guy gives him a conspiratorial smile. “Wish I knew. Somebody said Elijah’s baptizing people.”
[Are You Elijah?i]
John 1:21-22: “And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
[“John may not have known he was Elijah.” (Leon Morris).]
[“Are you a prophet?” To our surprise, he also answered, “no.”]
[John was likely aware that in the early church, the title prophet was identical to the title Christ (Acts 3:22; Deut. 18:15). The question “Are you a prophet?” was then another way to ask, “Are you the Christ?” To maintain his unique role as the humble witness, John concludes that I am not. ]
[All John cared about was exalting the glorious Christ (1:7). ]
After the scene with John Baptist, Elijah asks Tubal, etal, “where to next?”
Nobody seems to know.
“I though you guys knew where we were going.”
“No. Not really. We don’t know any more than you do. They gave us time slots and coordinates. That’s all.”
“Who gave you? Michael the archangel?
“No. No. He didn’t look that important.
Tubal asks Peleg. “What did he say his name was?”
Peleg says, “Frank or Fred or something.” [Can I work Francine or Freida in here?]
Gaddi. “So, I guess we go back to our time slot when we picked you up.”
But nobody knows how.
New driver walks up. Not a driver really. He just stands off to the side and wiggles the reins, and the chariot goes to the right time. No. That won’t work. We need somebody driving it to land it in the right spot. So maybe his stranger person does drive, eh?
Background
“Are you Elijah?” — John 1:21-22
“Are you a prophet?” meant “Are you the Messiah?” — Deuteronomy 18:15, Acts 3:22
