I've never had the chutzpah to use 2 Kings 2:23-24 as a sermon text. Not that I haven't thought about it. The problem with using 2 Kings 2:23-24 as a sermon text is that it's simply too easy to misuse, especially in my profession. It's too tempting to take this short passage and shape it in all the wrong ways. And whenever we do that with Scripture, we're putting ourselves in a bad place.
On the other hand, this isn't a sermon. It's a blog. So let's talk about 2 Kings 2:23-24 . . .
On the other hand, this isn't a sermon. It's a blog. So let's talk about 2 Kings 2:23-24 . . .
When we come to a Bible story, one of the first requirements is to find our place. For example, in the story of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32), do we exhibit the character of the lost son, the older brother, or the father? The lost son essentially trashes his father and demands an inheritance. The older brother disdains his father's grace and despises his brother's rescue. The father waits longingly by the window to see if perhaps today his beloved child will return home. The question to ask is: which character am I - and which one should I be? In the story, it's crucial that we find our place.
And that's true as well with 2 Kings 2:23-24.
And that's true as well with 2 Kings 2:23-24.
From there Elisha went up to Bethel.
As he was walking along the road,
some youths came out of the town
and jeered at him.
"Go on up, you baldhead!" they said.
"Go on up, you baldhead!"
He turned around,
looked at them
and called down a curse on them
in the name of the Lord.
Then two bears came out of the woods
and mauled forty-two of the youths.
2 Kings 2:23-24
As he was walking along the road,
some youths came out of the town
and jeered at him.
"Go on up, you baldhead!" they said.
"Go on up, you baldhead!"
He turned around,
looked at them
and called down a curse on them
in the name of the Lord.
Then two bears came out of the woods
and mauled forty-two of the youths.
2 Kings 2:23-24
Before we even work on finding our place in the story, a couple of observations are in order.
First, these youths are not young children. Some translations suggest that we're dealing with preschoolers here - and that's not true to the story. The people described here are thugs. They are abusive and dangerous. They are a great threat both to God's people and God's plan.
Second, their taunt is not quite as light-hearted as it sounds. Teasing Elisha for his baldness is probably not that big a deal. What is a big deal, though, is questioning Elisha's credibility. Elisha's mentor and master (Elijah) has just passed from the scene; he has been taken up to heaven. In telling Elisha to "go on up," these young adversaries are suggesting that Elisha should join Elijah in going away. The point is that Elisha is a man of God - and these young thugs will have none of it.
Third - well, third, there are the bears. Elisha's response to the jeering is not hidden in the text. He calls down a curse in the name of the Lord. In the next instant, two bears come out of the woods. And the end result is both tragic and completely predictable.
Now, back to our main point. Who are we in the story? Choosing our character makes all the difference in the world. It always does. If we see ourselves as Elisha, we tend to focus on those who oppose us - and, righteously of course, we can't wait for them to get God's judgment. If that's the point of the story, then it's a pretty good story. It reads like this: "I'm righteous. You're not. God will send bears to gobble you up. The end."
But what if we're not Elisha? What if we are . . . the young thugs? In that case, it becomes a very different story.
Frankly, I think we ought to read the story that way.
I can be a thug. Every time I pass judgment or criticize or belittle or demean, I'm acting like the young people in the story. I can do that sort of thing without even speaking a word. I can be a thug in my attitudes and thoughts. And those thoughts and attitudes can then seep into my words and actions. And pretty soon, I'm surprised to hear what I'm saying: "Go on up, you baldhead!"
I can be a thug. And you probably can be too.
And if that's how we read the story, then we need to be very, very careful.
I haven't seen any bears lately. But there are lots of woods around. Just in case there's something to this story, maybe we would be wise not to ask for trouble . . .
First, these youths are not young children. Some translations suggest that we're dealing with preschoolers here - and that's not true to the story. The people described here are thugs. They are abusive and dangerous. They are a great threat both to God's people and God's plan.
Second, their taunt is not quite as light-hearted as it sounds. Teasing Elisha for his baldness is probably not that big a deal. What is a big deal, though, is questioning Elisha's credibility. Elisha's mentor and master (Elijah) has just passed from the scene; he has been taken up to heaven. In telling Elisha to "go on up," these young adversaries are suggesting that Elisha should join Elijah in going away. The point is that Elisha is a man of God - and these young thugs will have none of it.
Third - well, third, there are the bears. Elisha's response to the jeering is not hidden in the text. He calls down a curse in the name of the Lord. In the next instant, two bears come out of the woods. And the end result is both tragic and completely predictable.
Now, back to our main point. Who are we in the story? Choosing our character makes all the difference in the world. It always does. If we see ourselves as Elisha, we tend to focus on those who oppose us - and, righteously of course, we can't wait for them to get God's judgment. If that's the point of the story, then it's a pretty good story. It reads like this: "I'm righteous. You're not. God will send bears to gobble you up. The end."
But what if we're not Elisha? What if we are . . . the young thugs? In that case, it becomes a very different story.
Frankly, I think we ought to read the story that way.
I can be a thug. Every time I pass judgment or criticize or belittle or demean, I'm acting like the young people in the story. I can do that sort of thing without even speaking a word. I can be a thug in my attitudes and thoughts. And those thoughts and attitudes can then seep into my words and actions. And pretty soon, I'm surprised to hear what I'm saying: "Go on up, you baldhead!"
I can be a thug. And you probably can be too.
And if that's how we read the story, then we need to be very, very careful.
I haven't seen any bears lately. But there are lots of woods around. Just in case there's something to this story, maybe we would be wise not to ask for trouble . . .