Worship/Preaching

The first reading fro this Sunday’s worship service is taken from 2 Kings 5:1-14 and concerns a mighty man named Naaman who is stricken with leprosy.  Because it also deals with a man with leprosy, the gospel provides a nice bookend for this lection, but I will deal with it in a later post,  maybe . . .

First the text itself:

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the LORD had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy.

Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."

So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, "Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel." He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy."

When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, "Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me." But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel."

So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?" He turned and went away in a rage.

But his servants approached and said to him, "Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?" So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

Initially Naaman appears to be, as they say, “all that.”  He is an army commander, a great man, highly favored by his superior, a mighty warrior, and even more important, a victorious warrior.  What more could this man want or desire?  Well, his health, for one thing.  The litany of Naaman’s achievements and legacy ends with a three-word death sentence.  Naaman “suffered from leprosy.”

Without going into details about how leprosy in the Bible could mean any variety of skin diseases or ailments (and not necessarily what we call leprosy today – Hanson’s Disease), a diagnosis of leprosy almost always mean social isolation.  Naaman faced being ostracized from his friends and family, and would almost certainly face the loss of everything that seemingly made him who he was:  his power and might and success and favor in the eyes of others. 

Now I don’t know if you have ever faced such a prospect, but I can imagine that this was a traumatizing situation for Naaman to find himself in.  Think about it for a moment.  When people often define themselves by their jobs or occupations, how devastating it is for many when they lose this identification.  ‘What do you you do?” we ask others.  And in reply, people don’t say things like “I work as a baker,” or “I paint walls,” or “I spend my day assembling cars in a factory.”  No, people will reply, “I am a baker,”  “I am a painter,” and “I am a factory worker.”  Given this, what does one become when they no longer are what they used to do.  Part of the tragedy of this economic crisis is the loss of identity that comes along with the loss of a job.

The same is certainly true of Naaman.  He has, I am sure, spent his life rising through the military chain of command.  He has come to a place in his career where he is respected and favored.  People listen to him.  Even the king listens to him.  But now, all of this is threatened because of that one word:  leprosy.  Whatever power he has, whatever prestige he has, and whatever respect he has, will soon disappear as the ravages of this disease become more apparent. 

So what’s a man like Naaman to do?  And this is where the story gets interesting (at least in my opinion).   It is a slave girl who gives Naaman the only advice that will save him.  And on top of that, she is a slave girl from one of his raids against Israel itself.   This young girl, who is a nobody and who has all the reasons in the world to hate Naaman and wish him an early demise, offers him a lifeline.  That is some amazing grace right there, if you ask me.

Of course, Naaman, being who is, cannot just follow the young girl’s advice and seek out a lowly prophet.  No, he has to go and do things his way.  Bringing a treasure trove with him and a letter from his King to the King of Israel, he tries to maintain a semblance of importance and greatness, even though he is now (though he may not act like it) just another sick slob, just one more person about to be thrown on the dung heap, one more unwanted person – an outcast, in other words.

The letter and treasure accomplish nothing for Naaman, of course, though they do scare the King of Israel to death.  And it’s the King’s fear that finally brings the prophet Elisha into the story.  Now mind you, we never actually see Elisha in this passage. . . not here, nor when Naaman actually makes it to his home.  Elisha communicates by messenger, and this fact also infuriates Naaman, who clings to his illusions of grandeur.  “How dare this man not even come outside of his home to welcome me, to greet me!  Doesn’t he know who I am?  I am Naaman! I am a commander of the army of the king of Aram!  I am a great man, highly favored by my master, a mighty and victorious warrior!  Doesn’t this prophet know who am I?

And I can just imagine the prophet saying to himself, “Yes, Naaman, I know exactly who you are.  You, my friend are a leper.  And none of your titles, your pretentions, or your connections are going to help you right now.  You are a sick man, period.  And you need to be healed, period.  Nothing else matters,

But Naaman doesn’t get it, does he?  He keeps on with his rant. “I can’t believe this supposed prophet wants me to wash myself in the muddy little stream those Israelites call a river.  The Jordan River!  What a joke!  We have sewer drainage ditches bigger and cleaner than the Jordan back in my home country.  If that so-called prophet thinks I am gonna to wash myself in the Jordan even once, let alone seven times, he has another think coming.  Let’s go, b
oys!  This was a huge waste of time.”

And it is the nobodies in the story that save his skin again, literally and figuratively.  “But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?’"  And even though he is probably not through with his huffing and puffing, Naaman does listen to them, and lo and behold, he is cleansed of his disease.

A couple of things stand out for me about this story.  One, as previously hinted at, the “nobodies” in this story play central roles.  These supposed “little people” are the ones who actually put the whole healing story in motion and keep it moving until its conclusion.  Without the slaves/servants in this tale, Naaman becomes one of the untouchables and dies from a dreadful and painful disease.  Listening to those without power can sometimes be the best thing that those in power can ever do.

Second, Naaman has to learn to let go of his self-image of himself. He must deign to let go of his pride and become humble enough to do things he would never otherwise do.  He is no longer a army commander or person of importance, instead he is a man who is sick, perhaps unto death, and he needs healing.  This is, of course, where we all find ourselves after we strip away our titles and pretensions.  We are, all of us, sinners in need of saving.  We are, all of us, sick and diseased, and in need of healing.  We are, in other words, human, and need to approach God for help just as we are.

As the old hymn of the faith puts it:

Just as I am, without one plea,
But that Thy blood was shed for me,
And that Thou bidd’st me come to Thee,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, and waiting not
To rid my soul of one dark blot,
To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, tho’ tossed about
With many a conflict, many a doubt,
Fightings and fears within, without,
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, poor, wretched, blind-
Sight, riches, healing of the mind,
Yea, all I need in Thee to find-
O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

Just as I am, Thou wilt receive,
Wilt welcome, pardon, cleanse, relieve,
Because Thy promise I believe,
O Lamb of God, I come! I come!