Where's Elijah?

Mark 15:35-37 When some of those standing near heard this, they said, “Listen, he’s calling Elijah.” 36 One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down,” he said. 37 With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.
 
AS Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Mark 15:34) there was no sympathy from those around him.  John tells us it was a Roman soldier who gave him the vinegar and mocked Jesus and the Jews once more with, “Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
   Referring to Elijah, the soldier ridiculed the Jews’ Passover tradition that set a plate for Elijah at the Passover meal. They awaited his return to Israel in God’s judgment power. Why did they believe that?
   About 850 BC, Elijah had left the world in God’s fiery whirlwind: 2 Kings 2:11 As Elijah and Elisha were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 12 Elisha saw this and cried out, “My father! My father! The chariots and horsemen of Israel!” And Elisha saw him no more. Surely God could return Elijah in the same way to rescue the Jews from their trouble.
   There is also the specific prophecy from Malachi 4:5 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.”  Then Jesus said in support of Malachi’s prophecy: Matthew 17:11 “To be sure, Elijah comes and will restore all things.” We can easily understand why Israel expected Elijah’s return.
   That’s also why they wondered if John the Baptist might be Elijah. But as John began his ministry, they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” (John 1:21) According to Scripture, we still await Elijah’s return. Perhaps he is one of two witnesses in Revelation 11.
   This was not the day for God to rescue the Son. The Father kept Jesus on the cross because he had in mind his world-changing rescue plan. It was Jesus’ time to die, so he could rise and give life to all who believe. Out of Jesus’ great thirst and ravaging death comes the promise of eternal joy.  
   John 4:13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
   We thank God he didn’t rescue Jesus that day. Jesus thirsted and died to rescue us.