John and Elijah: For Friday

St. Matthew 17:10-18 (8/8) Gospel for Friday of the
Eighth Week after Pentecost

John and Elijah: St. Matthew 17:10-18, especially vs. 12: "But I say to
you that Elijah has come already, and they did not know him but did to him whatever they wished.
Likewise the Son of Man is also about to suffer at their hands." In St. Matthew's Gospel, immediately after the first disciples experienced the Lord Jesus' Transfiguration (Mt. 17:1-9) they asked, "Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?" (Mt. 17:10). Our Lord then teaches all of us about three important persons: Elijah, the classic model of all Old Testament Prophets; St. John the Forerunner, "greatest
of those born of women" (Mt. 11:11); and Himself, our God and Savior. He seeks to enlarge the understanding of all disciples concerning the theophany on Mt. Tabor; therefore He addresses the relationship among these three persons (Mt. 17:11-13).

First, our Lord confirms a traditional reading of Malachi 4:5, "...behold, I will send to you Elias the Thesbite, before the great and glorious day of the Lord comes...." The scribes rightly discerned that immediately before the Messiah comes to judge the nations, God in His mercy will send Elijah as a Forerunner to prepare His People by settling their questions and restoring the sacred articles long-ago vanished with Solomon's Temple (Mt. 17:11).

Then, our Lord links together Elijah and St. John. The connection He makes between them is best understood in terms of the Archangel Gabriel's announcement before St. John's birth - that John would minister "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Lk. 1:17). John's and Elijah's divinely appointed tasks, therefore, are very similar, as Gabriel's words emphasize: historically the two will serve as Forerunners prior to the appearance of the Christ in the world.

Furthermore, both John and Elijah will be endowed with the Holy Spirit, and both will appear at critical moments, decisive in the process of God's salvation on behalf of mankind. In stating that "Elijah has come already"(Mt. 17:12), the Lord Jesus reinforces the identification of the tasks of John and Elijah, although not literally; for He says that Elijah has come.

It is important to understand that when our Lord identifies John and Elijah He is affirming a powerful approach for interpreting Scripture. The statement that "Elijah has already come" is "typological" in character: the record of the Bible remains firmly grounded in actual history even as it calls attention to theological meanings, doctrines, and essential beliefs.

The typological method of reading Scripture is rigorously faithful to God's revelation of Himself in real time. In contrast to allegory (which looks for hidden and inner meanings in the words of Scripture) typology discloses the inner dynamic of God's plan within actual events. As Fr. Florovsky says, "there is no need to abstract revealed truth from the frame in which the revelations took place." The mighty acts of God in history build up in a crescendo and reach the majestic resolution of the Incarnation, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ our God.

The typological perspective makes connections among many events over the long span of history, illumining God's hand through time. Typology discloses the mysteries of the Faith by using God's work in and through concrete events and persons - such as John and Elijah.

Another example of typology in today's reading may be found in the link that our Lord makes between Himself and the Forerunner John. St. John is a type of the Lord Who "is also about to suffer at their hands" (vs. 12). The Forerunner's martyric death at Herod's command foreshadows and prepares for the Mystery of the Lord Jesus' Passion. Observe further that Elijah, when he returns in history, will foreshadow the dread day when Christ the Lord returns to judge every person, people, and nation for all their words and deeds.

O Forerunners of Christ, who proclaim the dispensation of the King, pray to Him for us.