Christ United Presbyterian Church
July 7, 2013
Sermon: “Taking
the Easy Way”
II Kings 5:1-14
The Old Testament lesson for this week is a fascinating story of
illness, arrogance, repentance, healing and faith. It involves the prophet Elisha. Even though Elisha received the mantel of his
teacher, Elijah, Elisha’s prophetic ministry was very different from that of
Elijah.
Elijah was constantly preaching of the choice that we must make. His theme song was “Gotta’ Serve Somebody,”
and he continually preached the need to serve the Lord instead of other gods. Reflecting the Lord’s disappointment with His
people, Elijah brought a clear message of choice: choose now whom you will serve.
If Elisha had a theme song it might have been “Bridge Over Troubled
Waters.” In fact the ministry of Elisha was very un-prophet-like when held up
against the ministry and message of most of the prophets of Israel. Elisha has no overarching prophetic word that
unites his actions. Elisha doesn’t confront people with either/or decisions,
and he even leaves the priests and prophets of other gods to their own
devices. Perhaps he was the first
Presbyterian: rather than preaching God’s
message on the corner, he represented God’s power with his own presence among
the people.
It is the simple presence of Elisha that gives witness to God’s power, a
power greater than that of any king or any army. But Elisha never faltered as God’s
servant. He never took the credit for
what God did through him.
The story opens by introducing us to Naaman. He is great military
commander, a favorite of the king of Syria, and a "mighty warrior." Scripture
reports that he also had leprosy. The word that’s translated here as “leprosy”
was not quite as specific as what we today call “Hansen’s Disease.” The word in
the text covered a wide range of skin diseases.
If he had suffered from what we
think of as leprosy, then he would not have had he power or influence that he
clearly had. He would have been shunned.
Nevertheless, the suffering and stigma associated
with Naaman's skin disease are so monumental that they cause him to
take great risks. First, he ignores his sense of superiority by taking the
advice and direction of his wife's insignificant Israelite slave girl. Then Naaman possibly puts his position
of favor with the king at risk by using this slave girl's bold words as the
impetus and inspiration behind a journey into the hostile lands of Israel.
With his king's blessing in this fool's mission, Naaman risks his
considerable wealth, taking with him an extravagant sum to offer the
prophet-healer for his services.
Naaman's overwhelming desire to be healed of his disease drives him
to make this journey. Naaman would
go anywhere, do anything, see anyone to be whole again.
Naaman’s king sends along a letter to the king of Israel requesting that
Naaman be given all the appropriate diplomatic courtesies. He makes Naaman’s journey a matter of state
importance rather than admitting that Naaman was coming on the advice of some
slave girl.
The king of Israel is so impressed with the importance of Naaman’s visit
that he goes into a panic. He thinks
that somehow he is now responsible for healing Naaman. Clearly he was not one of Israel’s stonger or
wiser rulers!
Israel had a special covenant relationship with the Lord. It hadn’t been that long ago that Elijah was
begging them to turn back and choose the Lord.
Elisha was widely known for his healing powers throughout Israel. But this king never once thinks about turning
to the Lord or even consulting Elisha.
Instead the king did what so many of us do when we feel threatened by
the powers of the world: he became
paranoid and assumed that Naaman was there to create an incident that might
lead to war. He looked for a worldly
form of power that he might use to work out the problem.
Fortunately Elisha hears about the problem and sends word to the king
that if he sends Naaman to see him, the Lord will take care of the
problem. Elisha simply reminds the king that there is a
prophet of the Lord in Israel and the Lord will take care of things.
Well, Naaman is not without some of the arrogance that goes with his
high station in life. He’s a “great man”
and expects to be treated like one, so he is more than a little put off by the
way Elisha treats him. In addition to
his personal prestige, Naaman has brought significant treasures with him and
expects to get not only what he thinks he deserves but he also expects to get
what he pays for. What Naaman gets are
instructions to go and bathe in the Jordan River and the instructions are
communicated by a servant. Elisha didn’t
even come out to see him.
Not unexpectedly Naaman flies into a rage at being treated this way when
one of his servants reminds him that he came to get his disease healed and the
prophet has prescribed a pretty simply action.
Shouldn’t he at least try it?
The lessons and parallels that can be drawn from this story are
tremendous: the futility of human power
and arrogance, the need for healing, the demand for respect expected by a
person of power and prestige, a baptism that washes away a disease that was
perhaps eating away at Naaman, and the very human refusal to accept that God’s
healing power comes to us in simple, easy ways, ways open to everyone. It’s that “open to everyone” part that we
seem to have trouble with.
This morning we celebrate the sacrament of Holy Communion. We celebrate the fact that God has called us
into His kingdom, called us to return to His presence not through might or
wealth, not through the powers of kings or warriors, but through the loving
sacrifice of His Son on a cross, executed like a common criminal.
Jesus told His followers that they didn’t need to
follow the 613 commandments (365 “shalt nots” and 248 “shalls”!) that their
leaders constantly reminded them of. In
fact while the original 10 were very meaningful, they all could be summed up by
just two: you shall love the Lord your God with all that you have; you shall
love your neighbor as yourself. Like
Elisha he doesn’t tell us to observe some complicated ritual. We don’t need letters from the State
Department declaring our self-appointed importance. God gives us an easy way to take, a way that
anyone with the will to follow Him can take, that leads us back into God’s
kingdom and a new life lived here as servants of the Lord.
And with Elisha we proclaim that it is to Him alone
that the glory belongs.
Amen.
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