The Healing of Naaman
5 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.[a] 2 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.3 She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”[b] 4 So Naaman[c] went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. 5 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. 6 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.”[d] 7 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?[e]Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.”
8 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.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 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.” 11 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![f] 12 Are not Abana[g] 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. 13 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’?” 14 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.
15 Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company; he came and stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant.”
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Today is Epiphany! A day of mystery and revelation; a day one journey ends and another begins; a day marked with fine gifts. But of all the beautiful, rare and fine things, it is the love, brought down low in Jesus that remains, the greatest gift. On this day we note: God has gone public in Jesus with generous promises for all people. (Peterson)
As we resume our journey through the Old Testament, in Kids' Word this Sunday, it occurred to me that there is hardly a more appropriate story to tell than the story of Naaman. There is hiddenness and revelation, a promise given, new life which comes in a way as surprising as a king born in a stable. And of all the people living in Israel with leprosy it is Naaman, the outsider, who is healed and proclaims that the God of Israel is God alone. Our story opens with an introduction of Naaman. Have you ever noticed that most important people are introduced by their titles? Dr. So and So has her PhD in this and that, she sits on a strategic planning committee and a big vision for big wigs committee; she has authored hundreds of research papers and has been given crucial leadership at this important juncture... Well, the same was true with Naaman. He is introduced to us as a powerful man, in a powerful country, commanding the army, working closely with the king and perched on the northern border of Israel. Naaman was a bit of a rock-star in the Geo-political world of the time. He garnered high accolades and the favour of his King and the Lord, the God of Israel.
BUT. But, Naaman was sick. He was very sick and suffering with leprosy. Leprosy is a chronic bacterial infection that attacks the body in different ways: it can affect the respiratory tract, the skin, the eyes, and the nervous system numbing the body of pain of injury causing further harm and infection. It is a terrible disease. And in Naaman's time it wasn't curable and there were a lot of wrong ideas about leprosy. Many people suffering from this disease lived a part from the rest of society in leper colonies; even though the disease isn't contagious, people were afraid of getting sick with it and they sent the lepers away to live by themselves. Imagine for a moment the lives of these men and women: exiled, shamed, and made to feel worthless. Well, Naaman was facing this reality. This man who was in the thick of things in the heart of the country was facing exile.
Chronic illness places excruciating demands on the body, mind, and spirit. It takes courage to face the demands of each day, to continue to hope for and pursue health and healing, to persist in the face of weakness. It could have been that this leprosy was lying dormant in Naaman for a long while and it was reaching a point of crisis; a pain he could not "push through" or ignore. Naaman, who had everything and anyone he needed at his disposal was himself, in deep need. Naaman who had the power to summon armies, quell rebellions and manage conflict, could not do anything about the pain he was in.
Now there was a slave girl working for Naaman's wife at this time, she was an Israelite who was taken away from her home and her family in an army raid. She was a young and innocent victim of war. An enemy of Naaman. As the servant of Naaman's wife, she would have seen up close the pain Naaman and his family were living with. And this girl whose life had been taken from her so violently did something remarkable: she forgave Naaman, and offered him an opportunity for life. This girl who had no voice, no power, she spoke: "If only my Lord were with the prophet in Samaria! He would cure him of leprosy." Listen to her bold proclamation of faith.
It seems a mark of Naaman's desperation, or some stirring of God's spirit, that he followed the words of this slave-girl all the way to Israel. But, he did. I imagine he would have looked a little conspicuous on the journey. He would have had a full military escort, he carried with him gold and silver and beautiful garments; gifts for the king of Israel, who would heal him. But when Naaman arrived, letter from the king of Aram in hand, the king of Israel panicked! He couldn't heal Naaman! And now this great army sitting on his border would surely destroy Israel. He was so distraught, he tore his clothes.
Now the prophet, Elisha, the one the girl was speaking of, heard this and he sent a note to the king, "Don't tear your clothes, send the man to me that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel." In other words, send him to me and he will learn that there is a different line of authority - not one that operates the way the world does, but a higher line of authority, one that comes from God who gives life and death, who summons the waters and parts the seas. Naaman went to Elisha's home with his whole entourage and he did something remarkable - he didn't even go out and great Naaman. Elisha stayed in his house and sent a messenger to Naaman saying: "Go and wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." If Naaman was offended that Elisha never came out of his house to give the instructions, imagine how he felt when he was told to go and wash in the dirty Jordan river?
Naaman was angry. Even though he was proud, he was also fragile. He was a sick man desperate to be made well. He had taken the words of a nobody, a servant girl, believing that maybe, just maybe, just maybe he could be healed. He told his boss, the king of Aram, his plan, the king had even written a note on his behalf, he came all this way with soldiers, he had upset the king of Israel, and arrived at the home of a man who didn't even have the courtesy to come out and give him a proper greeting. Perhaps now it was all feeling like a hare-brained idea. Why did he listen to that girl, to the king of Israel - that he might go into a dirty river seven times and receive his healing?! No way! He must have thought someone was playing a trick on him; maybe he imagined people looking out from behind a window or around a corner, laughing at him. Maybe he thought the gods were laughing at him. Whatever the case - he was angry, "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 Pharphar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?" He walked away in enraged.
I can imagine blackness inside Naaman's heart, maybe you can too? How could God do this to me? Bring me this far only to smote me? Who is Elisha and who is this God? Why should I trust him? God does not care about my leprosy! I have been foolish to believe any differently. That servant girl; she is getting back at me for taking her from her country. The gods are laughing at me. My life is going to end in misery.
And here at rock bottom Naaman sees how sick he is - body and soul. He didn't even know he had all of that anger in him until those words came out of his mouth and he walked away in a blind rage. Underneath all the pride and self-reliance he is a vulnerable man afraid of a terrible death. He is so close to turning back, so close to being healed.
The courage of the servants surprise me in this story. If I were Naaman's driver I might want to head for cover, stay out of the firing range but this man walks up to Naaman and tries to reason with him! One would have thought that this to be futile endeavor, but the words of this servant fall hard on Naaman's heart: "Father, if the prophet would have commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more when all he says is 'wash and be clean." You are not being asked to prove yourself, you are being asked to humble yourself. Seven trips in and out of the Jordan, we have come this far.
The text gives us no details on these seven trips in and out of the water. But, take a moment and imagine the transformation of Naaman as he submits to the words of Elisha. As Naaman goes into the water reluctant and angry still; afraid, and hopeful, weak and strong, his heart begins to break, the tears fall. Each time he goes all the way under the water he feels a little more free, a little more whole. He has stopped paying close attention to his skin and is revelling in the newness he feels in his soul. His servants look on from the shores of the river; they are desperate, they are curious, they are hopeful. They begin to notice something, a change? Cautious at first, they move closer, it is true! Naaman's skin is being restored before their eyes. They begin jumping about, giddy with excitement at this miracle: their master is healed. Naaman looks down and examines the flesh that he hated, foreign to him now, this skin, so perfect, so new. The servants all run into water, they rejoice at the grace of God. At newness of life! Epiphany! The God who lead the wise men by a star to Jesus, lead Naaman by way of a slave girl and a servant into the Jordan river and he was healed, a simple invitation: 'I know a man from Samaria who can heal you... Father, what will it cost you to just go into, don't turn back now, please...'
Fleming Rutledge writes this:
"God shows his love not by overwhelming us with his demonstrations of power and majesty, not by clubbing us to our knees, not by staging exhibitions of supernatural strength such as we humans might expect God to do, but rather by coming alongside us with water, and bread and wine, and the invitation:
Wash and be clean;
follow me, and be healed;
take and eat this; and be fed with the bread from heaven;
drink this and you will never be thirsty again.
Amen.
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