Sermons from Moorpark Presbyterian Church

One Lord a Leping

by Dave Wilkinson

2 Kings 5:1-14

July 6, 2003

A favorite joke among lawyers concerns the phony who fakes an injury, comes to court in a wheelchair and is awarded fifteen million dollars. When the verdict is announced the insurance company lawyer warns him: “You’re going to be tailed by a private eye whoever you go from now on and as soon as you take one step out of that wheel chair, we’ll throw you in jail.”

The phony smiles back and advises the lawyer pleasantly, “Don’t go to all that trouble. I’m going from here to the Waldorf in New York, then to the Savoy in London, then to the Ritz in Paris, then on to the French Riviera. And after that I’ll; go to Lourdes for the ‘miracle.’”

This man know right where to find the miracle -- even if h didn’t need one. It wasn’t quite that easy for Naaman. And Namaan’s need was the real deal.

Naaman, the coimmander of the Syrian Army, is dressing one morning to present himself at court. Stretching out his muscular arm, his eye falls on something there that he hasn’t seen before. He looks at it carefully, and as he does so his bronzed face pales. But Naaman is a soldier. He throws his robe about him and goes to court and performs his duties with King Benhadad.

Some days later, he looks again. The spot has grown larger. Another week passes and there is a spot on the other arm, and then one on his thigh. He can’t go for a cat scan or an MRI but he doesn’t need to. There is no doubt about it. Naaman is a leper! He has fallen victim to the most dreaded and loathsome disease of ancient times -- the AIDS of the biblical world.

Naaman is great man. He is famous as the leader of the Army of Syria and the deliverer of his nation. He’s a popular figure at the Syrian 4th of July fireworks show or whatever it was they did.

He lives in a beautiful villa in the midst of a grove of fruit trees on the banks of the swiftly flowing Abana. The king honors him. Whenever he appears in public, the people cheer.

And yet he is a leper. He would gladly exchange places with any healthy soldier in his army.

There is often a “but” to human greatness and fame and pleasure. There is often the hidden side. In this respect, Naaman is typical of our human experience.

But God intervenes for Naaman. He does this in an unexpected way.

A little Israelite girl has been captured in a raid and is now a slave serving Naaman’s wife. This girl says to Naaman’s wife one morning, “I wish that my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria. Then he would cure him of his leprosy.”

It is through the witness of a little slave girl that Naaman is put in touch with the plan of God. Not only is he healed of his leprosy, but as verse 15 of this chapter tells us, he is converted from idolatry and becomes a believer in the God of Israel. We can also hope, although we are not told, that he allows the slave girl to return to her family.

God works out His purposes through surprising means. You know that in your own life and now, Naaman knows it.

Naaman has tried all the cures -- the regular cures and the quack cures. But nothing has worked. Here, at least, is a chance. He goes to his king and tells him about this slave girl’s words. Benhaded tells Naaman that he will write Jehoram, King of Israel, and ask him to cure his leprosy.

Benhadad sends Naaman to Jehoram carrying the letter and a truck full of money to pay for the cure. But Jehoram doesn’t want the money or the letter. He just want Naaman gone. Jehoram’s way out of his league and he knows it. He tears his clothes and says, “Am I God to kill and to make alive that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Benhadad is looking for an excuse to start a war. He knows I can’t cure his general.”

But Elisha, the prophet of God, knows that God can cure. He gets word to Jehoram, “Send Naaman to me.”

Naaman drives through Israel to the home of Elisha. His chariot decorated with silver and gold, his beautiful clothes, his blooded Arabian horses champing their bits make a strange contrast to the humble home of the prophet. He pulls up in front of the house and sends one of his servants to announce to Elisha who he is and what he wants. Then he sits back to wait for the magic.

After a while, someone comes out of the house. But it isn’t the prophet himself. It’s his servant Gehazi! This gives Naaman a great shock. He’s accustomed to sending servants. He isn’t at all prepared to be received by one.

And if Elisha’s failure to come himself offends Naaman, his message is even more offensive. “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times and your flesh be restored to you and you shall be clean.”

Naaman is enraged! He cries out in effect, “I thought he would come out, wave his hands and perform the cure Instead he sends a servant to tell me to wash in a dirty river. If it’s washing in a river I need, then I can do it at home. Are not the rivers Abana and Phapar better than all the rivers of Israel?”

Having gotten that bit of Syrian patriotism off his chest, Naaman turns his horses and gallops off in the direction of Damascus -- leaving a cloud of dust mixed with Syrian profanity hanging in the air.

A young soldier who was fighting in Italy during World War II jumped into a fox hole just ahead of some bullets. He immediately tried to deepen the hold for more protection. He was frantically scraping away the dirt with his knife when he unearthed something metal and brought up a silver crucifix. A moment later another leaping figure landed beside him as shells exploded nearby. When the soldier got a chance to look, he saw that his new companion was an army chaplain. Holding out the crucifix the soldier gasped, “Am I glad to see you! How do you work this thing?”

Well there is only way to work this thing and that’s God’s way. That’s what Namaan needs to learn.

Namaan’s horses finally slow to a tired walk and Naaman hands the reins to his driver. He slumps in his chariot. He has made his point. He’s shown that he won’t put up with Israelite foolishness.

There’s only one problem. He’s still a leper. Naaman has his pride, but his fingers are going to fall off.

It is fortunate for Naaman that he has some wise soldiers and servants with him who aren’t afraid to speak to him for his own good. “My father, if you had been told to do something great like climb Mt. Hermon on your hands and knees or kill a dragon or spend a vast sum of money, you would do it. Who not by willing to do something you consider stupid? Don’t let your frustrated expectations keep you from healing. Don’t die as a proud leper when you can put down your pride and be clean.”

Naaman isn’t stupid. He has to agree.

When they reach the river, Naaman steps down out of his chariot, takes off his beautiful robes and wades into the dark waters of the narrow Jordan. According to the word of Elisha, he dips himself seven times. After six times there is no sign of a cure. But when he comes up from the seventh he looks at his body and the leprosy is more than gone. Even his wrinkles have disappeared. This is way beyond botox. His flesh is restored like the flesh of a little child.

Naaman is cured of his leprosy. But, you know, he almost missed being healed. He barely escaped being a leper the rest of his life by indulging his anger and his frustrated expectations. He is cured of his leprosy. But he is only cured once he has put his pride and self-sufficiency aside.

You see, as far as rivers are concerned, Naaman is right.

His opinion of the relative merits of Abana and Pharpar are not just Syrian patriotism. They are better rivers. It’s the land of sky blue waters.

But there is one thing these beautiful, sparkling rivers can’t do. They can’t cure Naaman’s leprosy. Only the ugly Jordan can do that. God has a great cure. But the terms are God’s terms, not our terms. God’s terms are the unimpressive Jordan or the brutal, ugly cross.

There are many “gospels” that sound much more attractive than the plain gospel of the cross. These alternate religions are trumpeted everywhere. The book shelves are filled with flashy hype. They are the religious equivalent of Abana and Pharpar.

The only problem is that they can’t cure what ails us. They can’t even begin to. Only the foolish cross, like the foolish Jordan, can do the job. For it is the gospel of the cross -- the message of Christ and Him crucified -- that, Paul says, is the power of God for salvation for all who believe.

Are you at least as smart as Namaan finally proved himself to be? Are you willing to accept God’s power for good — even though you might feel unsophisticated or even stupid doing it?

Then come to the table -- the modern equivalent of the Jordan. For it is here that Jesus says to us, “This is my blood shed for you. Wash and be clean.”