Elijah Has Come

Reflection

My sister Barbara loved life. When she was only fifty-four, she was diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer. Barbara stormed heaven, asking the Lord to heal her. She even drove from her home in New Jersey to Worcester, Massachusetts for a healing service conducted by a priest who was noted for his gift of healing. We prayed with him for Barbara, but chemotherapy soon became ineffective and the cancer continued to eat away at her life.

While Barb’s body weakened, her spirit began to soar. She found forgiveness and was able to let go of long-held grudges and animosity. She became more accepting of others.

Barb’s daughter’s boyfriend, Colin brought Donna to see her mother in the hospital. He stayed in the waiting room; he feared a visit—it was no secret that Barb disapproved of him. Knowing he was there, Barb asked for him. When he explained he didn’t think Barb would want to see him, she replied, “None of that matters anymore,” and they embraced. Barbara had indeed experienced healing, but not in the way she had prayed; God heals us the way we need to be healed, not how we want to be healed.

Jesus’ discussion with his disciples about the messianic role of Elijah reminds us that God does what he does in the way he chooses to do it, and while it may not always look like his power is in play, make no mistake about it: it is. Peter has just professed that he believed Jesus to be the promised Messiah. The disciples thought Jesus would be the Messiah they expected, the one who would defeat the Romans, re-establish David’s kingdom, and sit on its throne. The Father had his own plan.

Jesus affirmed the expectation that Elijah would come and prepare for the Messiah. Malachi foresaw the mission of Elijah as one of proclaiming the promise of reconciliation: “He will turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the hearts of the children to their parents…” (Malachi 4:6). In John the Baptist, Elijah comes and has come. The Messiah would restore all things, but not as the disciples imagined. God had a different, far better plan.

John preceded the crucified Jesus in ministry and martyrdom. Both proclaimed the good news of God’s love; both antagonized the powers of the privileged elites. The world put both to death.

What the world sees as defeat, God sees as victory, the victory of his divine purposes. The world could not defeat God’s plan: not in the case of the Baptist, not in the case of the Messiah. Nor can the world defeat God’s plan for us. My sister’s prayers were heard in ways better than we could imagine. His ways are not ours, nor is his wisdom our wisdom, but in Jesus crucified and risen, we see the power and wisdom of God that cannot be resisted, thwarted, or overcome, not by cancer, not by evil. God wins—no matter how things might look.

Elijah has come, Christ Jesus has come, the victory is won, and in Jesus’ death and resurrection, life triumphs over death forever.