Remembering that the account of Elijah and Elisha is a story (even an account with historical people in it is a story), we can begin to look for the Truths in it instead of getting stuck with whether or not it actually happened.
For example, the cursing of the 42 boys who then die is received as a horrible event to modern-day readers. But the Truth this story relays to the listeners it was originally told to is that it is dangerous to mock and deride a person of God. Still not necessarily a Truth that sits wells with people, so we must continue to wrestle with it.
When Elijah ascends and leaves Elisha and Elisha picks up Elijah's mantle and continues the ministry--we can hear an important Truth here. We are like Elisha. We pick up the mantle of our great Prophet--Jesus. We are to continue Jesus' ministry. Jesus even tells us, in the Gospel of John, that we will accomplish even greater things than he (Elisha asks for a double share). Sometimes we find this hard to accept---that we are to do the very work of Jesus, that we are to accomplish even greater things. But, for us as the Body of Christ (the living Christ in the world) it is our Truth.
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