II Kings 2:1-2, 6-14; Galatians 5:1,13-25 Few people realize that our expression of “passing down the mantle” comes from this story in II Kings about Elijah passing on his prophetic role to Elisha. An insecure Elisha asks for a double share of Elijah’s spirit – perhaps his power which isn’t up to Elijah but to God. Elijah is lifted to heaven in a chariot – thus he never dies. So, he appears again at the Transfiguration and Jewish tradition leaves an empty chair at Passover for Elijah. By picking up the mantle Elijah has dropped, Elisha has the power with it to part the Jordan like Elijah did. Many think this mantle merely brought power to do the miraculous, yet I believe it brought a share of the spirit of Elijah that Elisha had wished for. Hopefully, the Spirit brought love shown in the fruits of the Spirit told of in our Galatians passage. Our passage in Galatians tells us we are no longer slaves to the law but are called to freedom. This shouldn’t be used for self-indulgence, ...