1 Kings 17
Today we hear another intriguing episode of prophet Elijah. Under a severe famine, God sent his prophet to a foreign woman of Sidon to feed him. Sidon was infamous for its idolatry. And it is the homeland of Jezebel, King Ahab’s wife, from whom Elijah was running away. Why did God send his prophet there to be supported by an idol worshipper?
Now, here is another strange thing. Elijah asks this woman to cook for him first while all she had was barely enough for her and her son to eat. Why did the prophet ask her to cook for him first?
This foreign woman had to decide – whether to ignore the prophet’s request or to believe the word of the prophet who had told her, “Do not be afraid…For thus says the Lord the God of Israel: The jar of meal will not be emptied and the jug of oil will not fail until the day that the Lord sends rain on the earth.”
This story might have already reminded you of the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well in St John’s gospel. There is a parallel between these two stories. In both stories, foreign women (Sidonian and Samaritan) encounter the divine presence – Elijah and Jesus. Elijah and Jesus ask for something first from these women –Elijah asks for drink and food and Jesus, water. Both women encounter wonders of God and slowly develop trust and faith in God – the Sidonian woman finds her jars of food never failing; the Samaritan woman finds Jesus telling her true past. Both women experience God as the source of life. God turned the last meal of the Sidonian woman into a never-failing source of food. Through offering a cup of water, the Samaritan woman encounters the life-giving water, the Son of God. Both women finally recognize the God of Israel as true God.
Our Lord is hungry and thirsty for faith – of all peoples. That’s why his prophets and even his Son were sent out and sought our faith. But often God asks for our small offerings to see if we trust him. But what we receive in the end cannot be even compared with what we offer. God is a cheerful giver. God is a generous Father who gives us the best he has.
