You might remember that Naaman is a "mighty warrior" serving under a Gentile king. In some unknown way he contracts leprosy (any number of skin diseases). He really wants to get rid of it. However, leprosy is one of those diseases that was next to impossible to cure of in ancient times. A Jewish servant girl working in Naaman's home recommends that he seek out a "prophet who is in Samaria" who could cure him. Naaman eventually makes his way to Elisha's house to find out how to get cured of his disease.
When he arrives, Elisha will only yell at him from inside his house. He won't allow Naaman in and he won't come out to greet him. The instructions are simple, "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean." These instructions make Naaman mad. He begins to rant and rave about how dumb this entire expedition was. Why didn't this "prophet of God" come out and say something? Why didn't this Elisha come forth and chant an incantation or wave his hands over the spot in order to banish it? What kind of cheap prophet is this anyway?
As Naaman is stomping away mad, one of his servants boldly approaches him. He says, "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'?" Naaman gets the man's point and goes to the Jordan to wash. Lo and behold, the prophet was right and Naaman was made clean.
| Naaman made clean. |
One thing this story does is illustrate that sometimes we choose to make things more difficult than they have to be. We want some big act. We want to be commissioned on a great journey in order to encounter God and his divine mercy. We want to be entrusted with the Labors of Hercules.
But instead, all we are told is to live life. Jesus Christ sends us out into a world full of people, problems, and daily living. We are told to witness to what God has done in our lives. We are told to love people as God loves people. We are told to care for those who cannot care for themselves. I wonder if there is a little bit of Naaman in all of us. We don't want to visit the nursing home, we want to prophecy in the name of the Lord. We don't want to hold the hand of a dying woman, we want to cast out demons. We don't want to feed the hungry, we want do mighty deeds of power.
What we fail to understand is that God has nothing to prove. God is God. His ways are higher and greater than we can understand. It is only through service that we can begin to understand him. Jesus came to serve and since he is our master then we should serve too. Only after we have died to pride like Naaman had to can we fully grasp the amazing power and authority granted to us as God's children.
One of the things I love about the story of Naaman is how it ends. After Naaman is cured from his leprosy, he returns to Elisha's house to offer him money. Elisha refuses and then Naaman declares his allegiance to the LORD God. He places his faith in this amazing God who has transformed his life. The real miracle in the story is not the physical healing. The real miracle lies in the fact that a proud man has been humbled. And through his humility a Gentile worships the God of Israel.
Naaman comes to realize that he is nothing compared to God. Even though he is described as a mighty warrior and had high favor with his king, he came to understand that until he knows God and is known by God he is without merit. That's the way each of us are...we are nothing until we encounter the true love of God. That, my friends, is grace. Naaman found it; we have it; it is our duty to spread it. Nothing more...nothing less. Let's not make our task more difficult than it has to be. Until next time...
+May the grace of God the Father, the love of Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.
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