Lutherans do not make very good televangelists. It is not that some of us don’t have beautiful smiles that would give Joel Osteen a run for his money, it’s not that we lack the charisma of a Creflo Dollar, and it’s not that we have an inability to give inspirational speeches that motivate people to live a more positive life like Robert Schuller. Our problem is we study the Bible “too much”. You see what televangelists like Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar and Robert Schuller all have in common is they preach a prosperity gospel. Osteen wrote a book called, Your Best Life Now: 7 Steps to Living at Your Full Potential. Dollar explains his theology by saying, “You have every right to possess material wealth—clothes, jewelry, houses, cars and money—in abundance.” Schuller tells people "If you can dream it, you can do it!" These men tell their viewers, ‘all you have to do is sow a financial seed’ (that is code for send the televangelists some money) and you too can prosper. These are the sorts of things the new-age disciples want to hear. And that is why thousands and millions of people tune in to be convinced that being a follower of Jesus offers a life of prosperity, possessions, and pleasure.
The Lutheran can’t tell people such things; the Lutheran can’t make prosperity promises, because, as I said, the Lutheran studies the bible “too much”. In John 16:33 the Lutheran reads, “In this world you will have trouble.” In Acts 14:22 the Lutheran reads, “We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.” In 2 Timothy 1:8 the Lutheran reads Saint Paul’s invitation to, “join with me[him] in suffering for the gospel.” The Lutheran reads their bible “too much” to be the new-age disciple of a modern televangelist. As a result, the Lutheran, in in the eyes of many, is ole-fashioned.
You did not come here today to be romanced with a promise of the easy life; you have read your bible too much to listen to such nonsense. You came to a Lutheran church. You came here because you don’t want the feel-good philosophy of the prosperity preachers, you want the timeless truths from the Word of God. You came here because you are not interested in being a new-age disciple. You want to be an ole-fashioned disciple. Well, today as we look at the call of the prophet Elisha from 1 Kings 19:19-21 we are going to take a look at what it means to be a good ole-fashioned disciple.
Our lesson begins with verse 19, “So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat.” The prophet Elijah understands what it means to be a disciple. He does not suffer from the delusions of the prosperity preachers. To the contrary it appears Elijah suffers from depression. About a month earlier Elijah prayed, “I have had enough Lord” “ take my life”. You can hardly blame him; he is running for his life from queen Jezebel who wants to kill him. Her reasoning? Elijah just performed one miracle that proved there is one true God and then another miracle that brought rain and ended a three-year drought. Elijah is hiding in a cave when the Lord instructs him to find Elisha and anoint him as the prophet who would succeed him. Elijah is under no delusions that the life of a disciple is about prosperity.
At the Lord’s direction, Elijah leaves his cave and finds Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. The prophet’s cloak was a symbol of the prophet’s office. By placing his cloak on Elisha, Elijah is indicating that Elisha is to succeed him as the Lord’s prophet in Israel. It is a call to service, a call to discipleship.
You also have been called by God. To the best of my knowledge so far only one of us here today has been called to the public ministry like Elisha but that does not mean you have not been called to service, called to be a follower, called to be a disciple of Jesus. In baptism God put His name on us and called us to be his children, His followers, his disciples. You have been clothed not with a prophet’s cloak but with the robe of Christ’s righteousness. You like Elisha have been called to follow Jesus. So, let’s see what we can learn about being an ole-fashioned disciple from Elisha.
The first thing we might notice is Elijah found Elisha hard at work; driving the twelfth pair of oxen. Although it does appear that Elisha had money enough to own twelve yokes of oxen, he was not afraid to get his hands dirty. Have you noticed in the Bible that God usually calls people who are busy? Moses was caring for the sheep; Gideon was threshing wheat; Peter, James, and John were busy in their fishing business. God is not interested in calling lazy disciples. Contrary to the thinking of the new-age disciple a good ole-fashioned disciple is willing to do some hard work.
Next in verse 20 we see an ole-fashioned disciple is eager to serve. We read, “20 Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah.” Elisha ran after Elijah because he knew a life of service as a disciple was a gift of God’s grace. He knew he, like all people, was created to give glory to God and when he saw that he had a chance to learn how he might give God even more glory in his life he jumped at the opportunity. Elisha did not see his service to his God as a toilsome task he saw it as it as the opportunity of a lifetime. The ole fashioned disciple knows what it says in Psalm 122:1, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the LORD.”” The new-age disciples just don’t seem to understand, but a good ole-fashioned disciple recognizes that service to God is a privilege.
We learn even more in the second half of verse 20 when Elisha says to Elijah, “20 Let me kiss my father and mother good-by,” he said, “and then I will come with you.” Elisha’s request was not an attempt to stall; he was not trying to delay the inevitable. Rather, Elisha loved his momma and daddy. A heart filled with compassion for others is essential for the ole fashioned disciple. Compassion for his nephew, Lot, is what caused Abraham to plead for the cities of Sodom and Gomorra. Compassion is what caused Joseph to forgive his brothers as they stood in pharaoh’s warehouse. Compassion for the lost is what caused Jesus to stretch out his arms on the cross. The new-age disciple tend to think about themselves, but the ole-fashioned disciple cannot stop thinking about others.
There is still more to learn about being an ole-fashioned disciple. In verse 21 we read, Elijah “21 took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate.” Here we see a demonstration of Elisha’s commitment. Part figuratively and part literally Elisha is burning the bridge to his past. From this point on all of Elisha’s efforts and energies would no longer be employed to increase his wealth. Rather, he would be focused on the work placed before him. The ole fashioned disciple knows what it says in Hebrews 12:1, “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” It is not that the ole fashioned disciple despises wealth - Elisha used his wealth and provided for others. Ole fashioned disciples can be incredibly wealthy, but unlike the new-age disciple, the ole-fashioned disciple serves God and uses money.
Two more things to learn about ole-fashioned discipleship from Elisha. First, we read at the end of verse 21, “21 Then he set out to follow Elijah.” To appreciate the impact of this statement lets remind ourselves of the context. Elijah is a wanted man; the queen wants him dead. At this time in history prophets were being put to death at an alarming rate. In the time of Elisha, discipleship was dangerous. But danger is the ole fashioned disciples middle name. O.K. not really, but the ole fashioned disciple asks, “if God is for us, who can be against us?” With God on his side Elijah defeated the 450 prophets of Baal. With God on his side Elijah brought rain to end a three-year drought. Elisha had too many examples of what happens when God is for us, for him to be afraid of a woman like Jezebel. Unlike the new-age disciple, the ole-fashioned disciple does not try to find the easy path but faces adversity with the courage that comes from God with us.
And then finally, we learn one more lesson from Elisha about ole-fashioned discipleship as we read the words, “and became his attendant.” Elisha became Elijah’s attendant. Elisha; a man of wealth, a man of means, a man accustomed to giving orders to servants, humbles himself and becomes himself a servant. The ole fashioned disciple knows what is says in Mark 10:44-45, “whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The new-age disciple is interested in being served. The ole-fashioned disciple wants to know how they can serve others.
There are some dramatic differences between the new-age disciple and the ole-fashioned disciple. I wish those differences were a little more apparent in my life, don’t you? Too often I am afraid the Lord has found me lazily lying about when there is so much of His work to be done. Too often the words, we ‘have to’ go to church have come out of my mouth. Too often I have been hard hearted about the suffering of others. Too often I make decisions based on my own financial gain. Too often I am afraid to confront sinners. And too often my pride gets in the way of my service. Too often I, too often we act like the new-age disciple of a modern televangelist, too often we have sinned.
Maybe that is why we read the bible “too much”. As often as we sin and fail to live as an ole-fashioned disciples that is how often we want to hear about Jesus of Nazareth who was anointed by God to be our Savior and who eagerly left the splendor of heaven because in compassion He wanted to save those whom His father loved. He fearlessly faced the devil, in humility he was crucified died and was buried so that we might be lifted up into the heavens. As far as ole-fashioned disciples, like you and me, are concerned you can never hear that too much.
So, let the new-age disciples listen to Joel Osteen, Creflo Dollar and Robert Schuller. We shall be content to follow the example of Elisha. We shall consider it a compliment to be considered ole-fashioned disciples. Amen