Jesus and the prophecies: Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him. Mark 9:13

In the time of Jesus, the prophecies about the return of Elijah were well-known by the Pharisees and the doctors of the law, many wondered if Jesus was Elijah. These prophecies about Elijah in the Bible are based on one of the teachings of the prophet Malachi: "See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes" Malachi 4:5.
But for Lord Jesus, these intellectual speculations were pure nonsense, his message went beyond any Old Testament prophet; the kingdom of God, the dominion or empire of God's perfections, for Jesus is an invitation to a new lifestyle, an Israel according to the spirit and not according to the flesh.
Jesus was worried during his ministry in Galilee, as recounted in the gospel of Mark, because only the disciple Peter with his profession of faith had recognized him for what he really was, the Messiah, the savior of humanity. The disciples were still doubtful and were bound to the teachings of the Pharisees and the doctors of the law. For this reason, when the disciples reminded Jesus about the prophecies of Malachi, Jesus, in order not to insist on a topic that did not matter much, identified Elijah with the figure of John the Baptist; the spiritual Kingdom, announced since the prophecy made by Nathan to David had been manifested, but men in their blindness had rejected it.
With these words, Jesus responded to the mystery of this ancient prophecy about Elijah:
"And they asked him, ´Why do the teachers of the law say that Elijah must come first?´
Jesus replied, ´To be sure, Elijah does come first, and restores all things. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected? But I tell you, Elijah has come, and they have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him´" Mark 9:11-13

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