Elijah, John the Baptist, and... Reincarnation?
Elijah, John the Baptist, and... Reincarnation? And the surprising mark of Gospel authenticity!
Nearly every American faith, and a striking number of world religions, want to affirm their faith through the teachings of the Bible. This means that they search the Scriptures, not to let them speak for themselves, but to confirm biases and concepts already ingrained into their thinking. Thus, Peter becomes the first pope, people baptize for the dead, nobody judges anybody about anything, Jesus is gay-affirming, Muhammad is foretold, Jesus in the Americas foretold, and the world ends a hundred years ago.
Among the most significant of these is the teaching that the Bible affirms the Hindu, Buddhist, and New Age teaching of reincarnation. Although there is some suggestion that people believe a type of guilt/ punishment for pre-life sins (John 9:2), the go-to place to confirm reincarnation is to the nature of John the Baptist. Malachi, in the closing words of the Old Testament, said that Elijah the prophet will be sent before coming of the Lord, and he will turn hearts toward God. So, there was an anticipation for Elijah as we turn the page, propelling 400 years forward, to the book of Matthew.
A Total View of John's Identity
Perhaps disappointingly, there is a mixed response to the exact identity of John the Baptist. A group asked John the Baptist if he was Elijah or the promised Prophet. He denied it (John 1:21). Another group asked how Jesus could be the promised Messiah unless Elijah has been sent. When Jesus was questioned about the same thing, he said that Elijah had come, and they failed to recognize it. He was speaking of John the Baptist (Matt. 17:11-13).
A couple other things affirm that there is a parallel between John's identity and Elijah. John the Baptist was known for his rough appearance, camel hair, and locust diet. (To be fair, this doesn't sound like somebody that I would take seriously either.) Matthew 3:4 parallels Elijah's appearance in 2 Kings 1:8. Before John the Baptist was born, which itself was against all odds, an angel appeared to his father, Zacharias, and told him that the child would fulfill what was told by Malachi--that he would be in the spirit and power of Elijah. He would prepare the way for the Messiah by turning hearts (in repentance, presumably) toward God.
Does that mean that he was Elijah reincarnated? No, rather Elijah was a model of what John the Baptist would be. This probably contributes to why John denied that he was Elijah, because he was not Elijah in every sense nor in the most literal sense. In Mark 9, the king, consumed with lust, agrees to have John the Baptist beheaded. Three chapters later, Jesus and the three most notable disciples experience the transfiguration. The authors (Peter and John in this case) record that Moses and Elijah appeared with Jesus on that mountain. How would Elijah appear if this individual was more recently John the Baptist? It was, in fact, Elijah and not John. Thus, Elijah and John are two separate individuals. This is supported by the most definitive refutation of reincarnation in Scripture, Hebrews 9:27: "...It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment."
There is an interesting mark of biblical, especially Gospel, authenticity on this point. The objective of the Gospels was to demonstrate the Messianic identity of Jesus. Some accuse the Gospel writers of making up certain stories to try to promote this idea. And yet, here we have this struggle around the identity of John the Baptist, especially in his uncertainty. John the Baptist himself questions Jesus's identity while he is imprisoned (Matt. 11:2-3). This is not the thing that one would want to report if he is promoting this Elijah-like forerunner. More significantly, an author who is conjuring up false pieces of evidence would not report John's lack of understanding of his own identity.
Here is what they would have wanted to hear:
"Are you Elijah?"
John: "Yes, I am in the spirit and power of Elijah, sent as a forerunner to prepare the way for the Lord. Look at all the powerful signs that attest to this."
"Oh, my goodness. He is Elijah, the forerunner to the Messiah!"
In other words, it would have furthered their cause to make the story sound something like this. However, the record shows that John had doubts about Jesus's identity and, when presented with the perfect opportunity to position himself in line with Malachi's prophecy, he failed to do so. When they could have been more convincing in promoting the Messianic status of Jesus, the authors refused to do so. Instead, they committed themselves to accurate reporting. If this is the case for details like John the Baptist's response, it would seem to follow for something as significant as the Resurrection--on which our faith rests.
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