Contradiction or was Jesus referring to someone else?

[Ed_Langevin]

The Gospel reading for Saturday Dec. 10 was; Matt 17: 9a, 10-13
It had a reference to the coming of Elijah prior to the coming of the Messiah. In the passage the “Disciples understood that Christ was talking about John the Baptist.”
Yet, in Sunday’s Gospel from John 1: 6-8, 19-28, The Levites asked John the Baptist if he was Elijah and he said that he wasn’t.
Is this a contradiction or was Jesus referring to someone else?
I guess you would have to read those two Gospel passages to understand what I am talking about.

 

[Traditional_Ang]

Ed Langevin:

The Gospel reading for Saturday Dec. 10 was; Matt 17: 9a, 10-13
It had a reference to the coming of Elijah prior to the coming of the Messiah. In the passage the “Disciples understood that Christ was talking about John the Baptist.”
Yet, in Sunday’s Gospel from John 1: 6-8, 19-28, The Levites asked John the Baptist if he was Elijah and he said that he wasn’t.
Is this a contradiction or was Jesus referring to someone else?
I guess you would have to read those two Gospel passages to understand what I am talking about.

Ed:

The two scriptures deal with different interpretations of who the “Elijah:” is who would prepare the way for the Messiah. In the one from Matthew, Jesus refers to the SPIRIT of Elijah and demonstrates how John the Baptist pointed to Him and how He would be killed as John the Baprist was.

In the one from John, the Pharisees ask John the Baptist if he is the REINCARNATION of Elijah. John the Baptist answers that he isn’t the REINCARNATION of Elijah and then fulfils a prophecy of the Messiah (Isaiah 40:3) by saying “I am ‘the voice of one crying out in the desert, “Make straight the way of the Lord,”’ as Isaiah the prophet said.” John 1:23 which is what the SPIRIT of Elijah was supposed to do…

There is NO contradiction. You just have to know the distinction and the difference.

I hope this helps.

In Christ, Michael