Going Down To Look Up
Sermon
Sermons On The First Readings
Series I, Cycle B
Our story opens with Naaman, the military Chief of Staff of the Aramean army. Naaman is a very great man who has received the favor of the King of Aram, Syria, because of his victory over Israel. Anytime Israel lost a battle or a war, the disaster was felt to be the hand of God at work. In the theology of ancient Israel, no foreign army could be victorious over Israel unless it was God's will.
As we read this story in 2 Kings 5, we come to the conclusion that Israel's defeat is in accordance with the will of God. This defeat at the hands of the Arameans would result in the conversion, for God's glory, of a Gentile military genius, Naaman. In spite of defeat and tragedy, good can still be achieved.
Naaman, the Aram general, was a great warrior who was brave and strong. Josephus believed he was the nameless archer who shot the arrow that resulted in the death of King Ahab (Antiquities 15:5).
As great as Naaman was portrayed to be, there was something wrong. What was it that caused Naaman, who had everything, such deep concern? Let us try to discover the source of Naaman's consternation.
The scripture informs us that ...
Naaman Had A Problem
Naaman the Commander, the great man, one who was held in the highest esteem, had a problem. His problem is introduced with the three-letter conjunction "but." That small word changes everything. In spite of all his accomplishments, his power, and his prestige, there was something controlling and defining his life. Naaman was a leper.
A few years ago Christopher Reeve, the talented movie star who played Superman, was injured in a horse riding accident which left him a paraplegic. Adored by fans and depicted by the movies he made as a man of steel, Reeves now is confined to a wheelchair and breathes with the help of a pulmonary device. Nothing can change that fact.
Naaman was a leper and leprosy was the AIDS of his day. His leprosy was probably not the most serious form, but it was a skin disease which carried with it certain social stigma. He was now Leper, Chief of Staff, Naaman, and nothing could change that. This meant for Naaman that he was an outcast, a person to be avoided, one who would be devoid of all human touch. Naaman would be treated as an object of disgust.
In the household of Naaman, there was a girl who had been taken captive from the land of Israel. This girl was a servant to the wife of General Naaman. Instead of being bitter and thinking to herself, "Let him die; he's getting exactly what he deserves," this captive girl informed her mistress that there was a prophet in Samaria who could cure Naaman of his leprosy. This good news from the girl set wheels in motion. The King of Aram sent a letter which was to be given to the King of Israel via a diplomatic courier. Naaman would follow with an entourage of "stuff," which is highly valuable. When the King of Israel received the letter he went into a "tizzy" thinking that Naaman was coming to start a war. The King was paranoid and tore his clothes as if he were in mourning. He saw only the impossibility of the situation. Contrast the king's attitude with the attitude of the captive girl in Syria who saw only the possibility of the situation. In spite of captivity, she perceived hope for Naaman. The King of Israel was throwing his hands up in despair.
In a sense, many of us are like Naaman. We are crippled by some hurt, some pain, a memory from our past, or a lingering illness. We too need someone who will reach out and touch us, who will love us, who will see our pain and tell us where we can find help.
This captive girl reminds us of what the church is about. The church must be a place where people are encouraged to find healing and wholeness. Also, the church must offer to all who are in need a resource which is the result of faith. All of Naaman's wagons loaded with finery from Aram would do him no good. Naaman had a problem, and a captive girl pointed him in faith to someone who could offer him help. Where would Naaman find his health and hope? It would be found in a prophet whose name was Elisha, which leads us to look at ...
Elisha's Prescription
Elisha sends a message to the King of Israel: "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him [Naaman] come to me, that he may learn there is a prophet in Israel" (v. 8b).
Naaman would have to go to Samaria, which was an armpit of a nation. If ever there was a second-rate country, Samaria was one. Naaman went trekking off to Elisha's house in Samaria.
General Naaman came with his wagons and his assistants. They arrived at the abode of Elisha the prophet. One wonders what Naaman expected to find. What kind of greeting did he expect? Was he looking for Elisha to come out and bow before him and acknowledge what a great man he was? If this is what Naaman expected, he was in for a rude awakening. He was in for a surprise. Instead of the prophet Elisha, the servant of Elisha showed up at the door with a prescription for Naaman's cure.
The general was livid. He was a bigshot in Aram. He expected a welcoming committee when he arrived at Elisha's remote home. He wanted the red carpet treatment and instant healing by the wave of prophet Elisha's hand. There is a lesson in this for us, and it is this: God does not always do things the way we want. God often chooses the unexpected to accomplish his purpose for our lives.
Naaman was angry because Elisha did not greet him at the door. It seems the prophet had misplaced his book on protocol. Elisha then added insult to injury as Naaman was given the prescription for healing through Gehazi his servant. This prescription was bizarre: "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean" (2 Kings 5:10). Naaman couldn't believe it. Seven dips in dirty Jordan. There were far cleaner and better rivers back home. The issue for Naaman was not the river Jordan, but obedience to God. His problem is our problem. We would rather do it our way than God's way. Thus, we miss the great blessing God has in store for us.
Naaman almost rejected his opportunity for healing by becoming angry. We, too, by our anger at God for not acting on our behalf in the ways we demand of him, can miss our opportunity to see God work in his way, on his own time schedule, for his glory and our good.
What is going to happen to Naaman? Will he get Elisha's prescription filled and become whole, or will his pride keep him from taking his medicine? What about you and me? Will we let our pride stand in the way of God's miracle by not getting our spiritual prescription filled?
This leads us to the next phase in the story of Naaman, which is ...
The Servant's Persuasion
Naaman's servants persuaded him to heed the command of Elisha to go and dip in the Jordan seven times. Their argument was simple but persuasive. They simply argued that this was not difficult. If Elisha had asked him to do something difficult, he would have done it. So the servants asked what the big deal about dipping seven times in the Jordan was if it meant wholeness.
Naaman had to descend into the Jordan to receive healing. So must you and I. When God speaks to us, we must be compliant toward his instructions. God will meet us at our point of need when we bow humbly before him.
What did Naaman finally do? He humbled himself in complete obedience to God's instructions. In so doing he experienced a healing that did not fit his expectations. He was healed, and his flesh was restored like "that of a young boy" (2 Kings 5:14).
Naaman experienced the grace of God and he was physically healed. The story does not end with his healing. In verse 15, which is not in our Old Testament lesson for today, we learn that Naaman became a believer in God. This was a defining moment. Naaman felt God's touch and was changed. Have you received God's touch and been changed? If we are honest, all of us need the changing touch of God. God does not deal with all of us the same way, and we must be open to his unique way of working with us.
Don Snyder has written a fascinating book titled Cliff Walker. It is a story about being a non-tenured literature professor at Colgate University. He was terminated because of budget cuts. Snyder had been a very popular professor with the students. When he received the notice that his contract would not be renewed, he was devastated. Snyder's book is about transformation from a college professor to a construction worker and painter. He relates the decision to rid himself of the library he used as a professor. When Snyder made this decision, he broke with the old way and chose a new life. Here is how he describes what happened: "I got some trash bags from the kitchen and began going through all my books, separating the ones that I'd written in. But soon I decided to put them all in trash bags, along with more than a dozen spiral notebooks that contained the notes for my lectures." Then he went to the town dump with the trunk of his car full of books. "I was the first car there, waiting outside the gates when they opened." "Whatcha got there?" the toothless man in charge of the landfill asked. "An old life," I said.1
Naaman had a choice to stay a leper or to become whole. He chose to become a whole person. In so doing he dropped his old life. Naaman's choice is ours. It is the choice of being obedient or disobedient. That is always the choice, isn't it? The choice is that of humbling ourselves before God so that God can touch us. This choice might mean washing ourselves in a dirty river just because God says so. When we obey God, we see God. Naaman had to go down to look up. When he did, he discovered "grace." When you and I go down to look up, we too will discover "grace."
____________
1. Don Snyder, Cliff Walker (New York: Little Brown, 1998).
As we read this story in 2 Kings 5, we come to the conclusion that Israel's defeat is in accordance with the will of God. This defeat at the hands of the Arameans would result in the conversion, for God's glory, of a Gentile military genius, Naaman. In spite of defeat and tragedy, good can still be achieved.
Naaman, the Aram general, was a great warrior who was brave and strong. Josephus believed he was the nameless archer who shot the arrow that resulted in the death of King Ahab (Antiquities 15:5).
As great as Naaman was portrayed to be, there was something wrong. What was it that caused Naaman, who had everything, such deep concern? Let us try to discover the source of Naaman's consternation.
The scripture informs us that ...
Naaman Had A Problem
Naaman the Commander, the great man, one who was held in the highest esteem, had a problem. His problem is introduced with the three-letter conjunction "but." That small word changes everything. In spite of all his accomplishments, his power, and his prestige, there was something controlling and defining his life. Naaman was a leper.
A few years ago Christopher Reeve, the talented movie star who played Superman, was injured in a horse riding accident which left him a paraplegic. Adored by fans and depicted by the movies he made as a man of steel, Reeves now is confined to a wheelchair and breathes with the help of a pulmonary device. Nothing can change that fact.
Naaman was a leper and leprosy was the AIDS of his day. His leprosy was probably not the most serious form, but it was a skin disease which carried with it certain social stigma. He was now Leper, Chief of Staff, Naaman, and nothing could change that. This meant for Naaman that he was an outcast, a person to be avoided, one who would be devoid of all human touch. Naaman would be treated as an object of disgust.
In the household of Naaman, there was a girl who had been taken captive from the land of Israel. This girl was a servant to the wife of General Naaman. Instead of being bitter and thinking to herself, "Let him die; he's getting exactly what he deserves," this captive girl informed her mistress that there was a prophet in Samaria who could cure Naaman of his leprosy. This good news from the girl set wheels in motion. The King of Aram sent a letter which was to be given to the King of Israel via a diplomatic courier. Naaman would follow with an entourage of "stuff," which is highly valuable. When the King of Israel received the letter he went into a "tizzy" thinking that Naaman was coming to start a war. The King was paranoid and tore his clothes as if he were in mourning. He saw only the impossibility of the situation. Contrast the king's attitude with the attitude of the captive girl in Syria who saw only the possibility of the situation. In spite of captivity, she perceived hope for Naaman. The King of Israel was throwing his hands up in despair.
In a sense, many of us are like Naaman. We are crippled by some hurt, some pain, a memory from our past, or a lingering illness. We too need someone who will reach out and touch us, who will love us, who will see our pain and tell us where we can find help.
This captive girl reminds us of what the church is about. The church must be a place where people are encouraged to find healing and wholeness. Also, the church must offer to all who are in need a resource which is the result of faith. All of Naaman's wagons loaded with finery from Aram would do him no good. Naaman had a problem, and a captive girl pointed him in faith to someone who could offer him help. Where would Naaman find his health and hope? It would be found in a prophet whose name was Elisha, which leads us to look at ...
Elisha's Prescription
Elisha sends a message to the King of Israel: "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him [Naaman] come to me, that he may learn there is a prophet in Israel" (v. 8b).
Naaman would have to go to Samaria, which was an armpit of a nation. If ever there was a second-rate country, Samaria was one. Naaman went trekking off to Elisha's house in Samaria.
General Naaman came with his wagons and his assistants. They arrived at the abode of Elisha the prophet. One wonders what Naaman expected to find. What kind of greeting did he expect? Was he looking for Elisha to come out and bow before him and acknowledge what a great man he was? If this is what Naaman expected, he was in for a rude awakening. He was in for a surprise. Instead of the prophet Elisha, the servant of Elisha showed up at the door with a prescription for Naaman's cure.
The general was livid. He was a bigshot in Aram. He expected a welcoming committee when he arrived at Elisha's remote home. He wanted the red carpet treatment and instant healing by the wave of prophet Elisha's hand. There is a lesson in this for us, and it is this: God does not always do things the way we want. God often chooses the unexpected to accomplish his purpose for our lives.
Naaman was angry because Elisha did not greet him at the door. It seems the prophet had misplaced his book on protocol. Elisha then added insult to injury as Naaman was given the prescription for healing through Gehazi his servant. This prescription was bizarre: "Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean" (2 Kings 5:10). Naaman couldn't believe it. Seven dips in dirty Jordan. There were far cleaner and better rivers back home. The issue for Naaman was not the river Jordan, but obedience to God. His problem is our problem. We would rather do it our way than God's way. Thus, we miss the great blessing God has in store for us.
Naaman almost rejected his opportunity for healing by becoming angry. We, too, by our anger at God for not acting on our behalf in the ways we demand of him, can miss our opportunity to see God work in his way, on his own time schedule, for his glory and our good.
What is going to happen to Naaman? Will he get Elisha's prescription filled and become whole, or will his pride keep him from taking his medicine? What about you and me? Will we let our pride stand in the way of God's miracle by not getting our spiritual prescription filled?
This leads us to the next phase in the story of Naaman, which is ...
The Servant's Persuasion
Naaman's servants persuaded him to heed the command of Elisha to go and dip in the Jordan seven times. Their argument was simple but persuasive. They simply argued that this was not difficult. If Elisha had asked him to do something difficult, he would have done it. So the servants asked what the big deal about dipping seven times in the Jordan was if it meant wholeness.
Naaman had to descend into the Jordan to receive healing. So must you and I. When God speaks to us, we must be compliant toward his instructions. God will meet us at our point of need when we bow humbly before him.
What did Naaman finally do? He humbled himself in complete obedience to God's instructions. In so doing he experienced a healing that did not fit his expectations. He was healed, and his flesh was restored like "that of a young boy" (2 Kings 5:14).
Naaman experienced the grace of God and he was physically healed. The story does not end with his healing. In verse 15, which is not in our Old Testament lesson for today, we learn that Naaman became a believer in God. This was a defining moment. Naaman felt God's touch and was changed. Have you received God's touch and been changed? If we are honest, all of us need the changing touch of God. God does not deal with all of us the same way, and we must be open to his unique way of working with us.
Don Snyder has written a fascinating book titled Cliff Walker. It is a story about being a non-tenured literature professor at Colgate University. He was terminated because of budget cuts. Snyder had been a very popular professor with the students. When he received the notice that his contract would not be renewed, he was devastated. Snyder's book is about transformation from a college professor to a construction worker and painter. He relates the decision to rid himself of the library he used as a professor. When Snyder made this decision, he broke with the old way and chose a new life. Here is how he describes what happened: "I got some trash bags from the kitchen and began going through all my books, separating the ones that I'd written in. But soon I decided to put them all in trash bags, along with more than a dozen spiral notebooks that contained the notes for my lectures." Then he went to the town dump with the trunk of his car full of books. "I was the first car there, waiting outside the gates when they opened." "Whatcha got there?" the toothless man in charge of the landfill asked. "An old life," I said.1
Naaman had a choice to stay a leper or to become whole. He chose to become a whole person. In so doing he dropped his old life. Naaman's choice is ours. It is the choice of being obedient or disobedient. That is always the choice, isn't it? The choice is that of humbling ourselves before God so that God can touch us. This choice might mean washing ourselves in a dirty river just because God says so. When we obey God, we see God. Naaman had to go down to look up. When he did, he discovered "grace." When you and I go down to look up, we too will discover "grace."
____________
1. Don Snyder, Cliff Walker (New York: Little Brown, 1998).
