A Double Portion 2 Kings 2:1-10

Grace, mercy, and peace … Today we celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord and a double portion of His blessings.

Sometimes, something at dinner is so good, you just have to have another helping, even though you really don’t need it.

In the same way, God’s grace is so good, that we want a double portion of it. The difference is, a double portion of grace is something we always need.

In our Gospel today, Jesus receives a double portion of his Father’s blessing.

When Jesus was baptized in the river, His Heavenly Father blessed him in two ways; first by sending the Holy Spirit to descend on him as dove, and secondly by saying, This is my beloved Son, with Whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.

When Jesus was transfigured on the mountain, His Father blessed him once again with the same words, This is my Son, Whom I love. Listen to Him! It was a second blessing, a double potion of his Father’s love and assurance for him.

Jesus needed that first blessing in the river because right after that he would head out into the desert to tempted. He needed this second blessing, this double portion, because when he walked down off the mountain that night, he headed toward Jerusalem.

Now He had made several trips to Jerusalem during his ministry, but this would be his last, because this time he was going there to die. So it was a much needed and timely blessing Jesus was given on the mountain that night to encourage Him.

God also gives us timely, much needed blessings. We may not need a double portion of food, or desert, or another can of pop, or beer, or another glass of wine, but we always need a double portion of grace. It takes an abundance of grace to make it in this life.

As we leave God’s house on Sunday mornings, and head out into the world, God sends us out with His personal blessing -- more than a double blessing, a triple blessing. The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up his countenance on you, and give you peace.

How good it is to be here, to celebrate God’s grace, and how good it is to leave here with God’s blessing.

We don’t know exactly what it is that we’re headed out into as we leave God house; we don’t know what the week will bring, but we know we go out into the world, and forward into the future with God - God beside us, God before us, God behind us, God above us, and God below us, and especially, God within us.

We walk out into the world with God blessing us in every way, and guarding us from every direction.

That means when we leave this place, we can always leave boldly, walking into the world, equipped with a double portion of God’s grace to empower us to follow Him through thick and thin.

In our Old Testament today, Elisha asks God for a double portion of the blessing that he gave to Elijah.

Elijah followed God through thick and thin, often with his very life in danger, and God always gave Him what he needed to be His faithful prophet. For example, when he was starving in the desert, God fed him with food carried there by ravens; and at the house of the young widow who took him in, God replenished the jar of flour for bread every day.

But now the time had come for Elijah’s walk on earth to end. God had revealed to the prophets that this would be Elijah’s last day on earth.

That must have been a quite a thing, waking up and proceeding with your day, knowing for sure that this it; before this day ends I will be in the glory of heaven.

God had chosen Elisha to succeed Elijah. As they were walking along, they came across the company or fellowship of prophets who lived at Bethel, and they told Elisha, “Do you know your master will be taken to heaven today?.”

Elisha said, “Yes, I know; be quiet.” What he was saying was, “Don’t remind me; I don’t want to think about it.” Elisha didn’t want his master to leave him.

I think we can all understand that. Even though we might know that our aging loved ones will be leaving us, perhaps soon, still we can’t help but want to hold on to them for awhile longer.

As they walked along the road, from time to time Elijah would say to Elisha, “Stay here now, and I’ll go on alone.”.

But Elisha insisted on going with him. Perhaps it was because he didn’t want to let go; maybe because he was determined to be faithful to his master to the very end

Finally they reached the Jordan River.  Elijah threw down his coat on the water. The water parted, and they crossed on the dry ground, just like Moses had parted the Red Sea. This was one last reminder for the people that Elijah was a great and faithful prophet like Moses was.

At last they had reached the place where Elijah would be taken into heaven. Elijah turned to his friend and said, what can I do for you before I leave, Elisha? Elisha said, “Let there be a double portion of your spirit upon me.”

To better understand this it helps to know the Jewish inheritance laws. As the legal heir in the family, the oldest son would receive double the inheritance that the other sons would receive. So Elisha was saying, “I want to be a true, legitimate, faithful prophet like you were.” He wasn’t saying. “I want to show you up.”

Elijah hesitated. “This is a difficult thing you ask for”, Elijah said. That’s because it wasn’t Elijah’s decision. God is the one to bless a prophet and make him great and faithful.

Yet because Elijah was so endeared to God, God allowed or inspired him to tell Elisha, “If you see me depart for heaven, then God will grant you a double portion; He will make you a mighty prophet like He made me.”

They continued to walk and talk for a little while, and then it happened; Elijah was taken to heaven in whirlwind, with chariots of fire.

It had happened visibly; Elisha saw it, and he knew he had received a double portion of the Holy Spirit; God would make him a great and faithful prophet, too.

 God has given us His Spirit, and a double portion of his blessing in Baptism. We were adopted by faith to be the true children of God, and receive a complete and perfect heavenly inheritance, a double portion, if you will, because it’s so great!

Now, as we confess our sins and receive absolution, we receive God’s full grace, His complete forgiveness. As we hear His Word in the readings, we receive yet another portion of His grace, and we’re doubly blessed.

Then we hear His Word in the sermon, and it’s yet another portion of His grace, and we’re triply blessed. Then we receive Christ’s body and blood, and another portion of grace, and we’re quadruply blessed.

And there’s more: in our liturgy we hear and speak and sing the gospel, and we’re quintuply blessed, let’s call it a five-fold blessing from God; and then we hear words of comfort in our prayers, and it’s a six-fold blessing from God; and we sing and hear the gospel in our hymns, and we’re given a seven-fold blessing.

In the Bible seven is the number of fullness or completeness. All this means that God pours the completeness of His grace upon us over and over and over again.  And we need it each and every time.

Having received a double portion of God’s love and blessing, what shall we do with it? Jesus used his double portion of blessing to die for the world. Elisha used his double portion to be faithful to God, and serve His people.

In the same way, let us use this double portion of grace we’ve been given to be faithful to our generous God, and to serve one another, over and over again; to forgive one another, over and over again; to comfort those who grieve, over and over again. Because grief is a process, and we need to be comforted more than once.

The good news is that God comforts us more than once; He comforts us with his gospel over and over again, a double portion; and with so much comfort in our life, we have a double portion of comfort to share with others.

Maybe there’s someone you know who needs a double portion of your help right now; or your support; or your kindness; or your understanding; or a double portion of your prayers. As God has given a double portion of His goodness to you, so give a double portion of your goodness to someone who has need of it.

And as you do, you can be sure that a double portion of the peace that passes understanding, will guard your heart and your mind, in Christ Jesus, our glorious, transfigured Lord. To Him be all glory and praise! Amen.