True proclaimers of Jesus
Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him (Mt 17:12)
As they were coming down from the mountain,
the disciples asked Jesus,
"Why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?"
He said in reply, "Elijah will indeed come and restore all things;
but I tell you that Elijah has already come,
and they did not recognize him but did to him whatever they pleased.
So also will the Son of Man suffer at their hands."
Then the disciples understood
that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist.
From ancient times, long before the earthly life of Jesus, Elijah was considered the greatest of the prophets. He lived in the IX century before Christ, and he battled against the idolatry in which the usurper rulers of the Kingdom of Israel were involved. Jesus affirms, without naming him, that Elijah was the prefiguration of John the Baptist in his function of purification and preparation, and that, as a result, Jesus Himself is the fulfillment of the promise. This is also confirmed by the episode of the Transfiguration, in which Christ appears between Moses (representing the Law) and Elijah (who represents the teaching of the Prophets). Let us therefore strive to understand who are the true announcers of the Word of Jesus around us.
