Today's Gospel in Art - Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him

Fiery Ascent of the Prophet Elijah, St Petersburg,1883 ©Jackson's Auctions/Christian Art

Gospel of 12th December 2020 - Matthew 17:10-13

As they came down from the mountain the disciples put this question to Jesus, 'Why do the scribes say that Elijah has to come first?' 'True;' he replied 'Elijah is to come to see that everything is once more as it should be; however, I tell you that Elijah has come already and they did not recognise him but treated him as they pleased; and the Son of Man will suffer similarly at their hands.' The disciples understood then that he had been speaking of John the Baptist.

Reflection on the Russian Icon

The Russian icon, executed in 1883 in Saint Petersburg, is divided into three sections: the bottom left reserve depicts the Appearance of Our Lady to Dorofei; the lower right depicts the Presentation of the Our Lady in the Temple.

But it is the upper half we are interested in today, which shows scenes from the Old Testament Prophet Elijah, who ascended to Heaven in a fiery chariot flanked by the angel Gabriel, heading towards God (top left). In the lower register, Elijah is depicted in the desert sitting in front of a cave in a rocky landscape and being fed by a raven. To the right, Elijah assails the pagan priests with divine fire, depicted having crossed the river Jordan; to the bottom left, Elijah is woken by an angel… plenty to look at in this icon.

We have to note that today's Gospel reading follows on immediately after the Transfiguration, where Peter, James and John were witnessing Moses, representing the Law, and Elijah, representing the prophetic tradition, appearing to Jesus and thereby clearly endorsing the mission of Jesus as Messiah. Our passage then starts with them coming down the mountain and Jesus being asked the question about Elijah. The disciples realised that when Jesus was speaking about Elijah, He was really speaking of St John the Baptist. The role of the returned Elijah was to prepare the way for the Messiah to come into people's lives. That is exactly what John the Baptist did….

LINKS

Today's story - https://christian.art/en/daily-gospel-reading/634

Christian Art - www.christian.art/index.php