Was John the Baptist Elijah?

Mark 9:11 (NET) Then they asked him, “Why do the experts in the law (scribes) say that Elijah must come first?” 12 He said to them, “Elijah does indeed come first, and restores all things. And why is it written that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be despised? 13 But I tell you that Elijah has certainly come, and they did to him whatever they wanted, just as it is written about him.”

This same story is in Matthew 17:10-13. Matthew adds, “Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them about John the Baptist.” From that we know John the Baptist was Elijah, but was not recognized by the scribes.

Elijah at the Transfiguration

We saw in the previous passage Elijah, along with Moses, was at the transfiguration with Jesus. We also know from this passage along with the explanation in Matthew that John the Baptist was Elijah.

This is a mystery. How can John be Elijah and still be John? In what way is John Elijah? Does he possess the spirit of Elijah while remaining John.

In the spirit and power of Elijah

Luke 1:17 says, “And he will go as forerunner before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”

Luke explains it. John was not some sort of reincarnation of Elijah. Each man has his own mission and identity. They possessed the same spirit and power.