Making a clean break

 This week's verses are 1 Kings 19:19-21:

Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve pairs of oxen; he was near the twelfth pair. Elijah passed by him and threw his robe over him. He left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, then I will follow you.” Elijah said to him, “Go back! Indeed, what have I done to you?” Elisha went back and took his pair of oxen and slaughtered them. He cooked the meat over a fire that he made by burning the harness and yoke. He gave the people meat and they ate. Then he got up and followed Elijah and became his assistant.

 God had spoken to the prophet Elijah in the verses before these, and told him that he should name Elisha as his successor. These verses are how that calling to ministry unfolds.

When Elijah calls, Elisha is asked to make a clean break with his secular life and put everything he has into his new calling. He settles things with his parents, liquidates his possessions, and then follows Elijah where he will go. We've all read it, and we react to it like a story. "Oh that's nice. So now Elisha is following Elijah somewhere. Is there more popcorn?" It's hard for us to connect it to our modern reality.

In modern times, Elijah might have stopped by the family mechanic shop where Elisha worked. Elisha would then have given notice to his father or uncle (or mother or aunt, if that were the case). He'd have sold the thousands of dollars of tools he'd have painstakingly accumulated over the course of his career and would have then thrown a going away party with the proceeds, cashed in any retirement funds he had, and then bought his plane ticket to follow Elijah on tour.

It's not unlike when Jesus calls the rich young man and tells him to sell everything, give it to the poor, and follow him. Or like with any of the disciples, where Jesus called them and they left everything to go. Elisha is asked to make an instant decision, and he makes it. No writing down a decision matrix on some notebook paper, no "praying about it," no conducting an informal poll of his friends to see if they think it is a good idea. Elisha is sold instantly.

In accepting instantly and liquidating his possessions, Elisha is demonstrating that he is 100% on board. Is there anything we would accept as readily, and as fully, as Elisha accepted his call to ministry? The closest thing I can think of that we could relate to would be a marriage proposal where the two people are madly in love. Or maybe a once in a lifetime job opportunity. But even in those cases, people take a little more time to transition, and usually keep more of their old life around. There's nothing today that would make us say "OMG Yes!" in the way that Elisha said it.

If God called us, or we were made aware of a way to serve him that fit us perfectly, would we accept as readily? Would we burn the ships and forge ahead into the jungle we were called to enter? Probably we wouldn't, and we have to ask ourselves why. Why are our standards so high? Why such a high price for our obedience? 

We could say the same thing for our participation in Christian community, in the daily life that makes up the Church. If your fellow Christian needs your help, do you accept as instantly as Elisha, and with as much enthusiasm, and with as big of a span of your resources as he put into it? We're called to give up everything for each other, and yet most of us won't even give up a rainy Saturday afternoon, let alone their life's savings.

"But, Netflix! But, the Game! But I worked a long time to put that money aside! But it's my only day to relax in the lawn chair in my front yard! But it's family night! But I'm supposed to go fishing! But my wife wants to hang out and she's been working late all week! But I don't *want* to!" The objections are endless. Elisha was pretty well off too. And Elisha had a rich family life. And obligations. And a good career. But he went.

And this is where we find a good thing to meditate on this week. What is your price? What would it take for you to drop everything, say goodbye, and take a leap of faith? What would be enough incentive for you to live out the gospel in your daily life, as part of a Christian community? How would you have responded if you were in Elisha's position? Is it how you would like to respond?