A lesson in humility and God’s grace

2 Kings 5:1-19

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. 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.”  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.

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.” But he said, “As the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will accept nothing!” He urged him to accept, but he refused. Then Naaman said, “If not, please let two mule-loads of earth be given to your servant; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any god except the Lord. But may the Lord pardon your servant on one count: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my arm, and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I do bow down in the house of Rimmon, may the Lord pardon your servant on this one count.” He said to him, “Go in peace.”

The story of Naaman is a story filled with irony, and it offers us an extraordinary lesson in humility and God’s grace. Naaman is a very powerful person with tremendous prestige and resources. He seemingly has it all with one exception–he has a skin disease that he can’t get rid of that causes shame and pain. Being the sort of man with the resources he has, you know Naaman had to throw everything he had at that problem, and he couldn’t fix it.

In Naaman’s case, we know how desperate he is because he listens to a young servant girl from an enemy country talking about an unnamed prophet in her homeland, whom she’s confident can heal Naaman. He then makes the 200-mile journey to an enemy country with about 900 pounds of precious metals on the off chance that he might get healed.

Naaman arrives in Samaria with his whole entourage and loot at Elisha’s door and Elisha sends a messenger to Naaman and says, “Go to the Jordan River, wash yourself seven times and you’ll be healed.” Naaman is furious. I mean, doesn’t he know who I am? He almost misses it, and it is his lowly and faithful servants who stop him in his tracks and say, if you had been asked to do something dramatic and difficult, would you have done it? Why don’t you just give it a try?

So Naaman must park his ego, his pride, and his self-importance on the bank of the Jordan to receive what God intended. Naaman thought he knew what he needed, which was healing, that was essentially skin deep. God had another plan. God wanted so much more for Naaman. Naaman receives God’s grace and restoration and relationship, and he finally understands that there is the one true God to whom he offers his lifelong allegiance, someone who knows him, someone who has the power to restore him and redeem him and to hold him close no matter what.

You see my friends, God’s grace is free and available to each one of us. You can’t earn it. You can’t buy it. You can’t power your way to it. It’s pure grace; the sort of love and grace that our world needs now. You and me and Naaman, too. Amen.

Blessings and in faith, Jan+

prayer

Monday in the Third Week of Lent
Look upon the heart-felt desires of your humble servants, Almighty God, and stretch forth the right hand of your majesty to be our defense against all our enemies; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen
(Lesser Feasts and Fasts, Fourth Edition, page 36)

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