Elijah was in Jesus’ time and is to this day an important figure in Judaism. (At the contemporary Seder table a place is set for Elijah.) He stands for the promise of God — just as God was with Elijah during his life so the return of Elijah demonstrates the ongoing presence of God in Israel. That helps to explain how John the Baptist came to be associated with Elijah. According to Jewish tradition, prophecy ceased with Malachi, not to be renewed until the messianic age. Here was John acting just as the prophets had done in the Biblical period. Could the messianic age be dawning in his ministry? John kept deflecting that question, pointing to one “whose sandal strap I am not worthy to untie.”
