This is one of those odd stories in the Bible. It’s all about a powerful enemy commander who shows up in Israel to be healed of a devastating disease and gets healed even though there’s plenty of sick Israelites who don’t get healed. It begins with an Israelite slave girl who encourages her mistress to tell her husband to go to Israel to be healed even though she’s a slave. She cares for her master, an enemy of Israel. She’s practicing loving your enemy way before Jesus ever comes to tell us to do that.
This is a story of
an enemy commander who
decides to take a chance on the God and prophet of a small weaker nation; to
listen to a prophet whose own king doesn’t respect him, because Elisha has no
respect for him. King Joram is one of those kings who’s all about himself and doesn’t
obey God; sacrificing to golden calves in Bethel and choosing his own priests
so his people won’t go to the temple in Jerusalem to worship God. Elisha has
little time for him, but now you understand why Joram panics when Naaman shows
up at his court asking to be healed from leprosy, “Am I
God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me
to be cured of his leprosy?” Joram’s not God and he doesn’t bother to
turn to God to find out why this is happening, he just has a hissy fit instead.
Did you catch at
the start of this story something that should have raised your eyebrows in
surprise? “Naaman was commander
of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master
and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram.” God is
working through Naaman while giving Israel a victory over Moab in spite of King
Joram. It seems God is more involved outside of Israel than in Israel through
slave girls and foreign army commanders. It echoes forward to Jesus being
unable to work miracles in his own hometown in Matthew 13 because they wouldn’t
believe.
Naaman shows up at
the King Joram’s palace with a generous gift and a difficult request from the
king of Aram, “The letter that he took to the king of Israel
read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may
cure him of his leprosy.” King Joram doesn’t care about Naaman, he’s
only concerned about his own neck, “See how he, the
king of Aram, is trying to pick a quarrel with me?” In his mind’s eye,
he can see Naaman’s army marching towards Jerusalem already, ready to tear down
their walls and take them all into slavery.
The prophet Elisha
hears about what’s going on and sends a message, “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he
will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” There’s a bit of a dig
here at the king who has surrounded himself with prophets who tickle his ears
with messages he wants to hear rather than the words of God. But when you’re
scared, you’ll do anything to send the threat away and so Joram sends Naaman to
Elisha. Now Elisha doesn’t treat Naaman with a whole lot more respect than he
treats Joram, “Elisha sends a messenger to Naaman, “Go, wash
yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you
will be cleansed.”
Wow! Naaman’s
ticked. Instead
of being treated with respect and honour, Elisha doesn’t even bother coming to
the door to greet him, sending his servant with a message to wash himself in
the Jordan River 7 times. Naaman looks at the Jordan River, a small muddy river
compared to the majestic rivers from where he lives. How can washing himself in
such a miserable river heal him from leprosy? What nonsense! He’s ready to pack
up his camels and head home. Why bother with a prophet from a weak miserable
country when there are better doctors and magicians at home; he just has to
find them.
I often wonder why
it’s so hard for us to follow God’s commands, especially the smaller ones. The
big ones usually aren’t so hard, especially if we’re following the letter of
the law; it’s the so-called smaller stuff that often gets us. We don’t murder
other people, but will speak cruelly of others and then justify it by saying
that we’re only speaking truth. Facebook is a harsh place to be on, and even
followers of Jesus often don’t show much grace or love there. We don’t commit
adultery, but pornography is rampant in our society and the church has as much
problem with it as non-followers of Jesus. Jesus calls us to forgive but many
will only forgive once the other person admits they’re wrong, but Jesus calls
for deeper forgiveness. We’re all sinners who push the boundaries of every
command that Jesus gives us, right to their limits, justifying it each time,
believing that they don’t really apply to us.
We easily obey big
commands,
but make our own rules for the smaller things. This is why Jesus came, because
we’re rebellious at heart, it’s in our nature ever since the fall. Jesus comes
and obeys God in everything, right onto the cross and into the grave in order
to make us right with God again. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit to make its home
in our hearts to begin the process of changing our rebellious hearts into
hearts shaped by obedience. This is obedience that flows out of love: Jesus says,
“If you love me, you will keep my commands.”
Obedience in small things is what shapes our hearts and souls, helps us become
more like Christ, shaping our character.
It’s a good thing
for Naaman that
God placed a few wise servants in his life, “Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the
prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How
much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” Naaman
listens to them. He goes into the Jordan river and washes himself 7 times,
comes out of the water, and discovers that he’s healed. I love how the writer
puts it, “his flesh was restored and became clean like
that of a young boy.” I love the symbolism here! This is “born again”
imagery, new life, restoration language all pointing to what God has done to
and for Naaman. This echoes forward to Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus and
Jesus telling him, “You must be born again.”
Nicodemus thinks of something like Naaman, Jesus is pointing to our hearts.
This is why
baptism is such a powerful and beautiful sacrament. It points us to new
life, to being washed clean through Jesus, to being restored into the family of
God. In a time when there are so many voices clamouring for our time and
attention telling us that we’re most important, that we can create our own
truth and rules, Jesus cuts through all the noise; calling us to turn our eyes,
ears and hearts to him and he will wash us clean, fill us with his new life, he
will renew us and heal our hearts, souls and minds. Obedience
leads to healing and new life!
If the noise
coming from our news channels, podcasts, and social media platforms are
making you anxious, tired, and afraid; calling you to trust your will instead
of Jesus’ will, Jesus offers you the Holy Spirit who whispers hope into your
soul, helps you see God at work all around you, shows you how Jesus is working
in you to restore your soul and help you obey his commands. A young lady I had
the privilege of baptizing in a previous church wept while the water poured
over her head and down her face. She told me she could feel the hurt and her
old life being washed away; she could feel the new life beginning to grow
within her as the water poured over her. Her heart wants nothing more than to
obey Jesus because of how he has saved her from death.
Jesus loves us and
gives us commandments to shape who we are so that our lives are filled with
peace and contentment and we can flourish
as the people God has created us to be. He gives us the Holy Spirit and the Bible
to guide us in how to live well with God and each other. We know right and
wrong, helping us to be a blessing wherever God places us. King Joram didn’t
obey God and as a result, Israel experienced tough times because God allowed
the consequences of their disobedience full rein. Obedience to Jesus doesn’t
stop us from experiencing hard times, but it does make a difference in how we
experience them; with hope and strength that comes from the presence of the
Holy Spirit and the blessings of God as we seek to do his will, no matter the
call.
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