(Pastors Gonzalo and Andrea Sanabria)
Jesus’ teaching ministry was very strong, not only at the level of the synagogue, but with his disciples, and he did not do it only with the twelve, because later he would have seventy more, although he emphasized his work in the twelve who would continue his ministry. His teaching ministry was recognized, in fact he was often called Master, and even the Pharisees and scribes called him that.
Throughout Scripture, we see for example that Moses instructed Joshua, Elijah taught Elisha, Jesus taught the twelve, Paul taught Timothy and Titus, and today is no exception. Instruction and teaching are fundamental to the extension of the kingdom of God on earth. Let’s read this important study
ELISEO AND THE SCHOOL OF PROPHETS
“The sons of the prophets said to Elisha: Behold, the place where we dwell with you is too narrow for us. Let us now go to the Jordan, and let us each take a beam from there, and make a place for us to live there. And he said: Go. And one said: We beg you to come with your servants. And he answered: I will go. So he went with them; and when they came to the Jordan, they cut down the wood” 2 Kings 6:1-4.
What does the expression “sons of the prophets” mean? expression used for the disciples of the prophets, those who were prepared to be prophets of the Lord in Israel. Elisha remained as a prophet replacing Elijah (According to 2 Kings 2), the Scripture teaches us that there were “sons of the prophets” in Bethel, in Jericho and Gilgal.
The children of the prophets lived in the same place, it was the training site for the prophets. They were always with the prophet-leader, they were instructed and taught to give the message of God, they opposed the worship of Baal, they promoted obedience and fidelity to the Lord God, and they prophesied by the power of the Holy Spirit. Elisha was the teacher and they were the disciples.
We see this pattern in Moses and Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, and the prophets, Jesus and his disciples, Paul with Timothy. and Titus, Barnabas with John Mark, etc (How Elisha becomes the leading prophet, you can read it at: “Elisha Replaces Elijah”).
The community led by the prophet Elisha begins to experience growth. The place of habitation was narrow, due to the increase of disciples. Surely Elisha lived where Elijah had been, because after his rapture and seeing how God opened the Jordan to Elisha, the sons of the prophets recognized the authority and anointing of God over him.
In the previous chapter, his disciple Gehazi fell under the judgment of God and became a leper, being expelled from the group (but God brought many more disciples). God delegated a double anointing to Elisha (perhaps that is why we see twice as many miracles in Elisha than in Elijah), and perhaps that is also why the number of disciples increased.
Before what happened with Giezi, and Elijah’s departure, the disciples did not conform or excuse themselves, nor did they allow sadness to fill their hearts, they understood it and continued working for God and the extension of his kingdom. Sometimes we face difficult moments, but we must take strength in God and continue (You can read how important perseverance is in: “Perseverance and its Benefits”).
We see in Eliseo a beautiful teamwork. The prophet and his disciples knew very well the principle of working as a team, for they said: “Let us each take a beam and make …”. Growth involves overcoming obstacles and effort.
Some obstacles that we can imagine at that time were: lose comfort; Walk to the Jordan (3 kms away); Cut the wood, bring the beams up to the house and build the extension, and overcome the different ways of doing things.
Final reflection: We need to value the importance of being taught and trained to serve God correctly and with motives that glorify God. We are a body in Christ and we must coordinately contribute from the gifts received from heaven, so that the kingdom of God continues to spread.
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