The point about leprosy is that in bible times it was a death sentence. The prospect of catching it was so awful that the merest suggestion struck fear and loathing into all. If you had any kind of skin blemish or discolouration, it was probable that you would be cast out of society. Naturally, if it was a relatively minor skin infection, it might clear up of itself, and you would be held to be cleansed; hence the prescribed ceremonies at the temple, so that in Judaism, you could be pronounced clean. But if that did not happen, you were an outcast.
The case of Naaman is different. Either because the Syrians were more humane, but probably because he was a highly effective military commander, Naaman still had a place in society. Perhaps he was allowed to go out if he wore a veil, or kept his distance.
He seems to have been a man who inspired loyalty and affection in his servants and subordinates, and to have been valued by the king. Imagine Russell Crowe in full gleaming armour.
The author of Kings tells his story with irony and wit. This supremely powerful commander is helplessly in the control of his dreaded condition. Salvation comes to him through the love of a little servant girl, a captive from Israel – perhaps Naaman himself had commanded the raiding party that had captured her. The girl speaks to her mistress, Naaman’s wife; she speaks to her husband; he speaks to the king; the king sends Naaman off with gifts and a letter to the king if Israel, who panics. It is so obviously impossible for the king to cleanse Naaman of leprosy, that it must be an excuse to invade Israel!
Elisha the prophet hears of this and sends for Naaman. Comically, we can imagine Naaman fuming in the heat outside as messengers emerge from the coolness of Elisha’s house. And then his rug chewing rage at being commanded to go and dip in the muddy Jordan. But we also see touching devotion from his servants as they cajole the great man to go along with the prophet’s command.
So, no doubt with great misgivings and embarrassment, the great general dips himself into the river, and is cleansed!
We have approached this series of sermons about healing and wholeness with some trepidation. Perhaps all of us have had the experience of praying for someone to be healed or helped, but not seeing any obvious answer. We might also have been spoken to by people who have urged us to pray with faith, almost to demand from God that he answers our prayers; where is the place for allowing God to be sovereign if we can seem to take control? So, we seem to have two opposite feelings about prayer in general, and healing in particular, first that it might not “work”, whatever that means, or second that we might be presumptuous in expecting God to do what we want.
I find it helpful to note here that it is God who takes the initiative. It might have been an accident that the servant girl was there, with her brave testimony about the power of the God of her fathers, but I am happy to give him praise for that. Naaman is led to his healing and guided through it. All he has to do is obey and fall in with God’s will.
And then note the true impact on Naaman. He is changed in his heart as well as in his skin. From now on he is relationship with the God of Israel, and him only will he worship; he will stand on the soil of Israel and offer up praises. It might seem superstitious to us, but Elisha recognised this as true faith.
Here was a true wholeness, the peace of God entering a person’s soul. Kim spoke last week of the difference between healing and cure, of how God can bring his shalom into our lives even when the outward situation is still very difficult. Jesus mentions Naaman as an example of God’s grace, but comments that there were many other lepers around at that time who were not healed.(Luke 4:27); his hearers on that occasion were outraged and threatened violence against him.
So Naaman is made whole, truly whole. We wonder if that wholeness is in his new relationship with YHWH God, rather than the physical healing, but we know that the one seems to have led to the other.
If we return to Luke’s gospel, we see a similar dynamic at work. Jesus meets ten lepers, and commands them to go and show themselves to the priests. All ten are obedient and set off, even though as far as we know, they are still lepers. As they travelled, I wonder what sort of conversations they had had, and did they include the Samaritan?
As they travelled, they became aware that the leprosy had left them! Nine of them hastened to obey Jesus’ command and find the priest; after doing that, if given a clean bill of health, they would be able to go back to their families and homes.
One of them, however, does not obey Jesus completely. He turns around and goes back to thank him. So great is his gratitude that he throws himself in the dust at Jesus’ feet.
This poses a question for me. Jesus commends the returning cleansed Samaritan and says his faith has made him well, i.e. the obedience and the return to give thanks. What does this tell us about the other nine? Nothing at all. Perhaps they also offered fervent and heartfelt thanks and praise at the temple. Perhaps they remembered later and sought Jesus out to thank him. In parish ministry, we touch the lives of many people, and hopefully are a help and blessing to them. Only a few come back to us and make it obvious that they are giving praise to God. Our response is to give thanks that they have been helped.
But we can be the one who returned. We can come to God in all our need and receive whatever he offers us. We can seek to follow him even if the way seems strange or hard (why go to the priest to say you are cleansed, while you are still a leper?). We can give him thanks whatever he sends us. We do not make demands of God, but our faces are turned towards him, and we constantly say Kyrie eleison: Lord, have mercy. Who know what he will do?
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