Daniel Lehewych, M.A. | Writer

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The Book of Wanderings

The following is an apocryphal book of Christian scripture describing the wanderings of the Old Testament figure Elisha's spirit through the man named “Malchiah,” known by legend as “The Wandering Jew” since 13th-century Christendom.

  1. In the days following Elisha, the prophet of God and the spiritual son of Elijah (for their essence be identical), the Lord’s minister from without the twelve tribes of Israel, there lived a man in Samaria whose life was restored by the touch of Elisha’s bones (2 Kings 13:21).

  2. The man’s name was Malchiah, for the Lord had shown compassion upon him — for he was of the same essence as Elisha, who especially loved God, rending his an essence of Blessedness.

  3. There was a time before Malchiah’s name was whispered through the ages — the time of his rise from bones till now — when the whole land lay in anticipation of the fulfillment of ancient promises, the promises of Jehovah unto Moses — the promised land that Moses never made it to because of his doubts in the Lord and his impatience with the Hebrews.

  4. Malchiah, revived by divine power, walked forth from the tomb with a heart filled with wonder and a spirit burdened with a peculiar calling. He sought to understand the purpose of his second life, which the Lord had given him. As channeled through Elisha, the Lord's miracles became the testament he shared, a living bridge between the acts of God in the past and the promise of their culmination in the days to come.

  5. As Malchiah traversed the deserts under the scorching sun and crossed mountains veiled in snow, he pondered the mysteries of the Lord, whose ways are unfathomable and whose wisdom spans the expanse of eternity. And though the Lord bestowed compassion on Malchiah, he was not with him.

  6. In the bustling markets of distant cities and the quiet hamlets hidden in verdant valleys, he shared the story of the Messiah, whose love had conquered death and whose promise of return kindled hope in the hearts of the faithful. Few listened — fewer knew the name Malchiah. But Malchiah never wavered, for the essence of Elisha is Blessedness.

  7. Malchiah, bearing the burden of centuries, witnessed empires rise and fall, and generations bloom and wither. Yet, the words of Jesus whispered on the wind of his memory, and though nameless, he remained a steadfast beacon unto the name he felt would come.

  8. “Blessed are the peacemakers,” he would recount to those who sought the solace of wisdom, “for they shall be called children of God.” Malchiah offered the comfort of the Savior’s promise to the weary and the burdened: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” And though few found solace herein, those who did found a faith, a reason that transcends time — that knowledge which binds the soul's wounds with the balm of divine love.

  9. Amidst the changing seasons of the world, the festivals of old were celebrated anew, and Malchiah, the eternal wanderer, stood as a living testament to the enduring covenant between God and His people. On the Feast of Passover, he saw the shadow of the cross, in the joy of Sukkot, the promise of God’s dwelling among men.

  10. And so, Malchiah wandered, yielding not to his loneliness, thus becoming of himself a vessel of ancient truths in a world ever thirsting for substance. Having beheld the dawn of grace, howsoever wordless, his eyes looked forward to the horizon where light would break forth anew, heralding the day of glorious return.

  11. Years turned to decades, and Malchiah’s wanderings did not cease. His flesh did not age, nor did his strength wane, for the touch of the prophet’s bones had bestowed a species of the eternal upon him. His body, marked by eternity, did not succumb to the wear of time, for he was unconditionally sustained by more than bread alone.

  12. And it came to pass that Malchiah was in Jerusalem at the time of the coming of Jesus, the Messiah, whom prophets of old had foretold and whose name turned the wordless into words in Malchiah’s ears. With the multitudes, he witnessed the teachings and miracles of the Lord’s Anointed — but always from afar, for Christ’s essence was parallel to that of Elisha’s, making their coming into proximity all but impossible.

  13. On the day of great sorrow, when Jesus bore His cross towards Golgotha (Matthew 27:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26; John 19:17), Malchiah stood by the wayside among those who watched and wept.

  14. Moved by a spirit of old that had known death and life anew, Malchiah cried out, not in scorn but in anguished understanding, “O Lord, hasten Your kingdom, for the weight of this world is heavy and filled with suffering. Let the spirit of Christ be revived as is Elisha’s through mine.”

  15. But those around him, their hearts hardened, mistook his cry for mockery. And in their anger, they cursed Malchiah, saying, “May you walk the earth until the Redeemer comes again, that you might witness the weight of the world you scorn.”

  16. Malchiah, realizing the gravity of his fate and forgetting it had already been thus for centuries, wept as he knew the Lord had ordained this path forever and ever for him as a witness to the ages.

  17. From that day forth, Malchiah wandered the earth, a sojourner in time, amicable as before, and evermore — for he knew the redeemer walked before him onto a cross, nailed down to come once more at the day of judgment, restarting the eternal wheel of time, spinning the Kalakchakra.