Sixth Sunday after Pentecost

The Rev. Rob Fisher

St. Dunstan’s, Carmel Valley

Readings: 2 Kings 5:1-14; Psalm 30; Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16; Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen

We usually think of strength and weakness as polar opposites

You have either strength on one hand, or weakness on the other.

This morning, however, we hear a story that shows how the weak can be strong and the strong weak.

We hear of Naaman, a mighty military commander from the Kingdom of Aram.

Although Naaman is renowned and feared on the battlefield, he has an illness that makes him vulnerable.  He suffers from leprosy.

Although Naaman is the hero of this story, he is not an Israelite.  He is an Aramean.  His land is to the west of Israel, where Syria is today.  As neighboring kingdoms, Israel and Aram are at war with each other much of the time.  This story occurs during a time of tense peace between the two kingdoms. 

It all starts with an Israelite servant girl who has been captured and is now living in the land of Aram.  She knows of Naaman’s illness, and she lets the Arameans know that there is a holy man in her native country who has the power to cure Naaman’s leprosy.

This is exciting news for the king of Aram, and he sends Naaman to meet the king of Israel, sending along with him a personal letter from the king himself.  Also, he sends an unbelievable load of riches to offer for the healing.

When Naaman arrives—with the note in hand and the load of treasure—the king of Israel panics.

It turns out that the foolish king is unaware of the prophet in his own land.  He thinks that he himself is supposed to cure the disease of Naaman.

He exclaims, “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.

The king thinks that it is all about him.

Fortunately, the prophet Elisha hears about Naaman, and he has Naaman sent to him

When Naaman arrives, Elisha sends a messenger out to tell him that in order to be cured he must wash himself in the Jordan River seven times.

And now it is Naaman’s turn to display his over-sized ego.

Naaman wants the VIP treatment.  He complains: Why doesn’t the prophet come out in person?

In Naaman’s view, the prophet should come out and “stand and call on the name of the LORD…and…wave his hand over the spot [of his illness], and cure the leprosy!”

Naaman is also insulted to be told that he should wash himself in the Jordan, which everybody knows is an inferior river to those in his own land.

He turns and storms off in a rage.

Strangely, the cure that he dearly desires is too humble for him

It makes you wonder which ailment is worse, his leprosy or his swollen pride?

The story has a happy ending, however, as his servants step in.  They tactfully ask him, “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 listens to them.  He washes himself in the river as the prophet directs him to, and he is cured of his leprosy.

He emerges from the experience as a changed man, and testifies that there is a true prophet of God in the land of Israel.

Sometimes we have to be weak to be strong.

We tend to want to live on our own terms all the time.  We think we know what’s best for us.

But unless we humble ourselves, grace will have no room to work on us, to convert us, to heal us.

***

This weekend we may reflect for a moment on the founding of this country.

By being weak at the hands of the strong British Empire, the colonists learned the lessons that laid the foundation of our national principles.

Being taken advantage of was no fun experience, but it gave the colonists insights that ultimately made them courageous.  And when they succeeded in overthrowing their oppressors, they built a nation on the principle of holding power in balance so as to protect the rights of all.

We sing of it in the words of “America the Beautiful,” which is in our own Episcopal hymnal:

O beautiful for heroes proved in liberating strife,

Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life!

America! America! God mend thine every flaw,

Confirm thy soul in self-control, thy liberty in law.

As a nation, our humility has been foundational, and it has been a blessing.  Thank God for it.

***

The story of Naaman illustrates the importance of humility, but it is also a story of conversion.  Naaman goes into the water a sick man, and he comes out of the water healed.

His body is healed, and so is his soul.

He goes into the water loving himself above all else, and he comes out of the water loving God.

I wonder, was it just a coincidence that he found his transformation in the waters of the Jordan River, the same waters where Jesus was baptized by John?  Many of you already know that we have a small bottle of water in the sacristy in the back of the church with water from the Jordan, and we use a little bit of it with the water we put into our own baptismal font here when we have a baptism.

Here in that same river, Naaman’s life was utterly changed.

God wants the same for us.

He wants us, too, to be humble enough to receive the grace that will change our lives.

—Amen.

Life is short, and we do not have too much time to gladden the hearts of those who travel the way with us. So be swift to love, make haste to be kind. And may God’s blessing, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, be with you and remain with you always.