The Prophet Malachi foretold that Elijah, the great prophet who did not die, would come again before the “Day of the Lord” appeared: “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse” (Malachi 4:5-6).
For this reason, the Pharisees ask John the Baptist, in today’s Mass reading for Gaudete Sunday, if he is Elijah: “’Who are you?’ He confessed, he did not deny, but confessed, ‘I am not the Christ.’ And they asked him, ‘What then? Are you Eli′jah?’ He said, ‘I am not'” (John 1:19-21). This appears confusing because Jesus, on the other hand, says, “For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come” (Matthew 11:13-24; see also Matthew 17:10-12 and Mark 9:13). Why would John deny this identity while Jesus affirms it?
First of all, we can say that John is not the same person as Elijah. The Pharisees wondered if Elijah perhaps had come back to earth after he was taken to heaven in fiery chariots. This has not occurred, and so John was right to say “no.” The beginning of Luke’s Gospel explains what is meant by Elijah’s coming again: “And he [John] will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared” (Luke 1:16-17). The angel Gabriel is the one who explains that John comes in the “spirit’ of Elijah. Does this mean something vague, that he is somewhat like Elijah, or does it mean something more specific?
There are a number of connections between the two prophets:
1. Elijah confronts a wicked king who has entered a bad marriage which corrupts the people, as Ahaz allowed the prophets of Baal into Israel through his marriage to Jezebel. Ahaz and Jezebel seek to kill Elijah for his witness to the Lord against their plans. Likewise, John boldly confronts Herod who had married his sister-in-law, giving his life for this witness.
2. Elijah stands against the priests of Baal who are exposed in their false worship. While not as extreme on the surface, John confronts the hypocrisy of the ruling class of Israel, showing them that their worship is false without true repentance and mercy to those in need. He was from a priestly family and in acknowledging Jesus as the lamb of God, he completes the worship of the Old Testament, which had so often gone astray.
3. Elijah heard the voice of the Lord in a still small voice at Mt. Sinai/Horeb, the place where Israel meets the Lord after passing through the water of the Red Sea. John hears the voice of the Father speaking as Jesus comes into the water manifesting Jesus as his beloved Son. (The baptism of Jesus is also prefigured by the miracle worked by Elijah’s disciple, Elisha, who ordered Naaman the Syrian to wash away his leprosy in the Jordan River).
4. John prays in the desert like Elijah, depending on God’s providence for his food, eating locusts and honey, as Elijah was fed by ravens. Elijah flees to the East side of the Jordan, which is where John baptizes. Both endure penance and hardship in the wilderness, embracing an exile on behalf of the people.
When Elijah’s ministry suddenly ends as he is taken to heaven, it indicates that his mission has not ended but endures within a mysterious hiatus. His mission of confronting idolatry in the time of Ahaz finds its ultimate fulfillment in preparing for the coming of the Messiah. It needs to be completed by another so that Israel may be restored in an enduring way.
Malachi’s prophecy speaks of reconciling fathers and sons. It’s harder to find the meaning of this in relation to Elijah’s ministry, but the closest moment would be the raising of the widow’s son from the dead. Rather than looking to the past, however, the prophecy speaks to Elijah’s future role in preparing for the Day of the Lord. Just as only a small remnant of faithful Israelites remained during the reign of Ahaz, so John is gathering such a remnant to welcome the Messiah. Through repentance will come reconciliation. The role of the father is to give life to his son and raise him up to be a faithful Israelite. The son must listen to and accept the teaching of the father in obedience. This has not happened, and Israel is not living the Law in its deepest sense, even if the Pharisees follow its outward precepts. The Messiah must be welcomed through a conversion of heart that will enable a new Israel to be born from the baptismal waters of the Christ.
John brings restoration to Israel so that the faithful remnant may be prepared to accept the Messiah. Just as Elijah had removed the false prophets from the land and brought rain to end the drought, so does John point Israel to the true priest-king and his living water. Elijah offered powerful witness, confronting the king and the false worship of Israel, while also hearing the voice of the Lord in response. This same spirit will be poured into John, indicating that he too will serve a pivotal role in purifying God’s people.
In Advent, we turn to John as a prophet for us so that we may choose to accept Jesus as our Messiah anew this Christmas. His message should clear the way for the Lord to enter our hearts. Following the teaching of Elijah, we must get off the fence and make a definite choice: “How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him” (1 Kings 18:21). In Advent, we must let go of our idols and repent so that we can welcome the Messiah. In repentance and mercy, we too can make a choice.
