An Effective Witness

An Effective Witness

2 Kings 5:1-14

If we were to follow the Gospel text from the lectionary this week, we would be looking at Jesus sending out the seventy to the villages he was about to visit (Luke 10:1-20). Jesus had spent much time teaching and preparing them for this. He gave explicit instructions of what to preach and do. He told them what to do if the message was rejected, to shake the dust off their feet as a testimony against them. Last week’s sermon was on the rejection tour and how he was rejected in a village of Samaria and by three different men who would follow Jesus only on their terms. When Jesus sent out the twelve on an earlier tour, He gave a long sermon to expect rejection. But in that passage in Matthew 10 as well as here with the seventy, the mission seemed to go rather well. There was no mention of rejection when the disciples returned, They did make the wrong conclusion as they were all amazed of the power over devils rather than rejoicing that their names were recorded in heaven. In the middle of the Luke 10 passage, Jesus condemns the cities of Bethsaida, Chorazin, and Capernaum for their rejection of Jesus.

I have chosen this morning to draw attention to the Old Testament text for this Sunday from 2 Kings 5:1-14. This passage links with the gospel text in the theme of bearing witness. The text we read from this morning has appeared in many Sunday School lessons, Vacation Bible Schools, and sermons. The emphasis is placed upon the mighty miracle that God wrought through the Prophet Elisha. The very miracle is a sign that God had called Elisha and established him as a prophet over Israel. But perhaps, like the report of the seventy to Jesus, we are missing the complete picture.

Many see this passage as a demonstration of God’s grace upon a most undeserving person, a Gentile from Syria, the enemy of Israel. Even Jesus mentions that Naaman was the only person cleansed of leprosy in the ministry of Elisha. This is a demonstration that God’s grace is available to all. There is much to be said about this emphasis on the text. But as we are looking at the theme of bearing witness, let us look at this text in another way.

One day, a baby girl was born in Samaria. Samaria was where the ten tribes of Israel were governed after they broke off from Judah and Jerusalem. We can see in 2 Kings which places much emphasis upon the history of the Northern kingdom that Israel was constantly falling into idolatry. It mixed the worship of Yahweh with Baal and greatly angered the LORD. For this reason, God raised up Syria to trouble Israel. The Syrians would raid the villages of Samaria and take away villagers as slaves. One can only think of the terror this young child felt when the raiders from Syria came and took her away into slavery. What happened to her parents. This young maiden ended up in the house of Naaman the Syrian as the slave of his wife. It says that Naaman was a very brave and honorable man, He worshiped the God named Rimmon. Yet is says that Yahweh used Naaman to deliver Syria. Why would God use a Gentile and worshiper of other gods to give deliverance to Syria against her enemies, including Israel. We must understand that the LORD was using Naaman to chastise Israel for her faithlessness to the LORD.

Naaman had an Achilles heel, though. He was a leper. Leprosy was the term used of many skin diseases in general, from staff infections, psoriasis, and various rashes as well as the dreaded disease which is medically understood as leprosy where the victim slowly and painfully lost limbs as the disease progressed. As there were no antibiotics in those days, all skin diseases were frightening. Lepers were shunned from society. Some skin diseases were contagious, so lepers were often segregated from society. In Israel, Naaman would have had to leave the city and beg from a safe distance from the road. Yet Naaman had a wife and servants, and he was able to carry out military duties. Bu human standards, he must have been en exceptional man, even as Scripture admits. So whereas we cannot be sure of what skin deformity Naaman had, it must have been debilitating and disfiguring.

Now back to the story of the slave girl. What do we know about her? We don’t even know her name. But what we know is important. She had heard about a great prophet in her native land and that this prophet would heal Naaman of this leprosy if only he were there. She does not indicate that she knew the name of this prophet. In many ways, her faith would be seen as quite deficient. We don’t know how much she knew about the God of Israel. But she witnessed to what she knew and believed. She had every reason to be bitter and not share this information. Yet she told Naaman’s wife about the prophet in Israel.