This Is A Day Of Good News

The writer of the story gives the reason of this unexpected turn of events. God had caused the Arameans to hear the sound of a great army, who would attack them, and liberate the city. By this overwhelming noise they had become so terrified that they had abandoned their tents and animals immediately, without a moment of hesitation. In all panic they flee to Aram, their homeland.

Can you imagine what must have gone through the lepers’ minds? They were speechless and astonished. Can this be true? A whole army on the run? Once they have overcome their initial fear, they start eating the army’s rations like crazy! They eat the dry bread as if they were grandmother’s pies and cakes. Soon they start acting like Gideon’s best men. Greedily, they gurgle and lap up the water from full jars. After this, they begin to work in a more systematic manner. The four lucky Jims raid the tents, and are scarcely able to carry all the booty they find. This is really unbelievable! The euphoria must have been enormous with these four men. It is too good to be true. Life is smiling at them again in sunshine and happiness. There is freedom and abundance.

In the middle of this plundering they come to their senses and realize that they are doing this all wrong. They are in freedom and happiness, but in the city, so many people suffer from hunger and fear. They express their feelings in a beautiful way; "we are not doing right. This is a day of good news and we are keeping it to ourselves.” They realize that they would fall short greatly by not telling the citizens of Samaria. They recognize their responsability. And they are also a little bit scared that God might punish them afterwards. Something so wonderful and great as this, you may never keep it for yourself. Even though the city did not allow them admittance on grounds of their disease, they felt their responsability in the eyes of their Lord.

’Yes, something like this would not so quickly happen to us,’ we might think. But what would we do if we would find a pile of money close to the market tomorrow? Praise the Lord! You yourself can live without it, and you know about a family with six children who could use it very much. But on the other hand, you are the only one on that corner on the street, and nobody will know you found the money. Do you also feel God’s eyes looking at you? How do you deal with unexpected affluence?

I find it impressive how these four men with leprosy care about the fate of the people in the city. The people who usually walk around them with great caution, who don’t consider them as important and valuable. These men care about the people of the city and don’t want to leave them ignorant about the good news the lepers had received. They desired to let the people of Samaria share in the happiness of the liberation. “This is a day of good news."

Brothers and sisters, how deep is this feeling with us? Do we also care for people, like God cares for us? Do we feel responsible for people, just as God didn’t leave us to ourselves, but saved us from our sins at the cross of Jesus? The liberation through Jesus has taken place. He gave his life for us. We didn’t do anything for it, it was a free gift. But the message of this salvation still has to be shared with people. “This is a day of good news. We are not doing right if we are keeping it to ourselves.”