2 Kings 5:1-15; Psalm 42:2-3; 43:3-4; Luke 4:24-30 I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the Lord his God. (2 Kgs 5:11) 3rd Week of Lent The power of Jesus to Heal and Cleanse Do you believe that God wants to act with power in your life today? Power to set you free from sin and hurtful desires, fear and oppression. Throughout the Scriptures we see God performing mighty acts to save his people from death and destruction - from Noahs ark that spared his family from the flood of wickedness that had spread across the land to Moses and the Israelites who crossed through the parted waters of the Red Sea as they fled the armies of Pharaoh - their slave Master and oppressor. Throughout the Gospel accounts Jesus praised individuals who put their faith in God as they remembered the great and wonderful deeds he had performed time and again. Jesus even praised outsiders - non-Jews and pagans from other lands who had heard about the mighty deeds of the God of Israel. One example Jesus mentioned was Naaman, the pagan army commander from Syria, who was afflicted with leprosy - a debilitating skin disease that slowly ate away the flesh (2 Kgs 5:1-15). Naamans slave-girl was a young Jewish woman who had faith in God and compassion for Naaman her master. She urged him to seek healing from Elisha, the great prophet of Israel. When Naaman went to the land of Israel to seek a cure for his leprosy, the prophet Elisha instructed him to bathe seven times in the Jordan river. Namaan was indignant at first, but then repented and followed the prophets instructions. In doing so he was immediately restored in body and spirit. But what actually made this relief possible for Naaman? Poor Naaman! He has carefully planned his journey in search of healing, but he keeps having to adjust his expectations. Fortunately, God puts his agents in the right places at the right times to help Naaman accept these changes. First is the slave girl who tells Naaman that there may be a cure for the leprosy he has assumed would always plague him. When the king of Israel expresses alarm at Naaman’s request, Elisha hears about it and sends a messenger to invite Naaman to come discover that there is indeed a prophet in Israel. But Naaman has already played the scene of his cure in his imagination, and it doesn’t include plunging into a dirty river. Offended by what Elisha tells him to do, Naaman is ready to go home without being healed. Again, his servants act as God’s agents. They persuade him that he might as well give it a try. As a result, not only is Naaman healed; he comes to know the one true God. Naaman shows us how we can start off in good faith but find ourselves limited or even led astray by our past experiences. Our notions of how things are or how they should be can blind us to what God wants to do for us now, in this new moment. Fortunately, God has many agents who can help us correct our course. It may be a character from Scripture whose situation seems familiar. It may be a present-day hero of the faith whose triumph speaks to our lives. It may be a wise friend who prays with us at just the right time or a spiritual director who listens to us and asks questions that help us get unstuck. It may even happen in a “chance” encounter, a “God-incidence.” If you are facing a challenge or an important decision, lay it before the Lord, and ask him to direct you. Then open your eyes and ears! He has already placed his agents in strategic locations, ready to move you along his path. Healing the Leprosy of Soul and Body What is the significance of Naamans healing for us? Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD), an early Christian teacher from Edessa, tells us that Naamans miraculous healing at the River Jordan, prefigures the mystery of the healing which is freely granted to all nations of the earth by our Lord Jesus through the regenerating waters of baptism and renewal in the Holy Spirit (Tit 3:5). Therefore Naaman was sent to the Jordan as to the remedy capable to heal a human being. Indeed, sin is the leprosy of the soul, which is not perceived by the senses, but intelligence has the proof of it, and human nature must be delivered from this disease by Christs power which is hidden in baptism. It was necessary that Naaman, in order to be purified from two diseases, that of the soul and that of the body, might represent in his own person the purification of all the nations through the bath of regeneration, whose beginning was in the river Jordan, the mother and originator of baptism. (commentary ON THE SECOND BOOK OF KINGS 5:10-15) Jesus told Nicodemus, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God (Jn 3:5). The Lord Jesus wants to renew in each one of us the gift of faith and the regenerating power of baptism and the Holy Spirit (Tit 3:5) which cleanses us of the leprosy of sin and makes us newborn sons and daughters of God. Confronting the Sin of Indifference and Unbelief When Jesus first proclaimed the good news of Gods kingdom to his own townspeople at Nazareth (Lk 4:23-27), he did not hesitate to confront them with their sin of indifference and unbelief. He startled his listeners in the synagogue at Nazareth with a seeming rebuke that no prophet or servant of God could receive honour among his own people. He then angered them when he complimented Gentiles who had shown more faith in God than the chosen ones of Israel. Some who despised the Gentiles (non-Jews) even spoke of them as fuel for the fires of hell. Jesus in showering praise on outsiders offended the ears of his own people because they were blind-sighted to Gods merciful plan of redemption for all the nations. The word of rebuke spoken by Jesus was met with indignation and hostility. The Nazarenes forcibly threw him out of their town and would have done him physical harm had he not stopped them. We all stand in need of Gods grace and merciful help every day and every moment of our lives. Scripture tells us that the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning (Lam 3:22-23). God gives grace to the humble who seek him with expectant faith and with a repentant heart that wants to be made whole and clean again. The Lord Jesus will set us free from every sinful habit and every harmful way of relating to our neighbour, if we allow him to cleanse and heal us. If we want to walk in freedom and grow in love and holiness, then we must humbly renounce our sinful ways and submit to Christs instruction and healing discipline in our lives. Scripture tells us that the Lord disciplines us for our good that we may share his holiness (Heb 12:10). Do you want the Lord Jesus to set you free and make you whole again? Ask him to show you the way to walk in his healing love and truth. “Lord Jesus, teach me to love your ways that I may be quick to renounce sin and wilfulness in my life. Make me whole and clean again that I may delight to do your will. Send your messengers to shine light on my path.” Amen.
Posted on: Mon, 24 Mar 2014 12:50:45 +0000
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