Burn the Yoke. Wear the Mantle.
Have you ever had someone tap you on the shoulder and invite you into something bigger than yourself? It’s both exciting and unsettling. That’s what happened to Elisha. He wasn’t seeking greatness or preparing for a new career. He was simply out in the field, doing the daily work of plowing with his oxen, when Elijah suddenly walked up and placed his mantle across his shoulders.
No introduction. No instructions. No speech. Just a prophet’s cloak falling on him like a silent invitation: Follow me.
Elisha’s call wasn’t first about speaking for God or standing before crowds. His call was to walk behind the prophet, to learn, to leave behind the security of his fields and his family’s work in order to step into something unknown and bigger than himself.
That’s the way God often calls us too. Jesus doesn’t hand out job descriptions or roadmaps. He places His mantle on our shoulders and says, Follow Me. And just like Elisha, following Jesus means self-denial. It means laying aside the things that make us feel secure so we can find true life in Him.
But here’s the good news: this calling is not just for “church work.” It’s not limited to pastors, missionaries, or prophets. The mantle of Christ falls across every corner of our lives. At home. At work. In our friendships and relationships. Jesus’ call transforms the way we live in ordinary, daily places. Your job. Your family. Your neighborhood. All of it becomes a place to follow Him.
When Elisha responded, he slaughtered his oxen and burned his plowing equipment—a powerful picture of leaving behind the old life to embrace the new. Jesus calls us to the same kind of decisive trust. He calls us not into smaller, safer lives, but into something far greater: life with Him.
So here’s the question: when Christ places His mantle on you, how will you respond?
This Sunday at The Mount, we’ll dig into Elisha’s story from 1 Kings 19:19–21 as part of our series The Prophet’s Mantle. We’ll see that this ancient story isn’t just about a prophet long ago—it’s about us, today. The mantle of Christ rests on you. Will you stay with your plow, or will you follow Him?