Scripture reading: Psalm 30.

Sermon text: 2 Kings 5:1-14.

When does the best life can offer fail to satisfy us? What happens when we reach the top of the mountain, only to find ourselves plunging from the other side? Can we expect God to work a miracle in our lives when we really need it?

In today’s passage, Naaman had reached the pinnacle of his profession. He served Ben-hadad II, one of Syria’s most powerful kings. He led the Syrian army at the height of its power. Naaman’s success wreaked havoc with Israel’s army.

However, Naaman really needed a miracle. At the height of his success, Naaman suffered the worst disease possible: Leprosy. Leprosy wasn’t merely contagious; it was also a terribly embarrassing disease. Every society in which it appears first treated it by ostracizing the victims. Syria’s general faced rejection from the very nation he led to victory.

Naaman’s plight still affects us today. Sure, most of us will never see a victim of leprosy, and almost none of us will ever suffer from it. Still, we all face situations that remind us of Naaman’s. Just when we think we’re getting what we’ve earned, the job disappears when the company goes bankrupt or starts cutting back to avoid bankruptcy.  Just when we think we have a handle on life, the doctor’s call throws everything into chaos.

Then comes the worst: no matter what we do, death awaits us all.

We have one thing going for us. The God who healed Naaman still works for His people today. The God of Elisha still answers the prayers of His people. If you’re looking for a miracle in your life, you’ve come to the right place. God loves us today as He loved Elisha — and Naaman.

Sermon

Naaman’s story sounds familiar to us today. The literature of every society tells stories of “riches to rags,” those people who fall from the height of power. The author of Kings gives us a reminder of the only means of success: “By him the LORD had given victory to Syria.”  Naaman’s success came only by the blessing of God.

Naaman’s army had raided Israel for ages. On one of the raids, Naaman had brought back an Israelite girl to serve his wife as a servant.

We can suppose that Naaman probably didn’t recognize the first spot of leprosy. Then, he probably tried to hide it. Eventually — inevitably — the leprosy spread too far to hide. Naaman, the famous general, now was known as Naaman the Leper.

Fortunately, Naaman’s wife apparently treated her servant girl rather well. When the girl heard her mistress talk about Naaman, she remembered Israel’s foremost prophet.

Elisha’s story begins in the last chapters of 1 Kings. As Elijah’s assistant at the end of his ministry, Eisha had asked for a “double portion” of the Spirit that aided Elisha. The previous chapters of 2 Kings tell of the miracles Elisha had already performed. Thanks to a servant girl in Damascus, Elisha’s reputation spread to the one person who needed him most. “Would that my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

We can see how much Ben-hadad cared for Naaman. When faced with the loss of his general, Ben-hadad, the pagan king of Syria, decided that to trust the girl’s testimony and send Naaman to Israel for help. Ben-hadad sent more than a polite letter to Jehoram, king of Israel; he also sent a fortune in gold, silver, and clothing. Naaman mattered to Ben-Hadad.

Syria and Israel rarely enjoyed good relations, so Israel’s king, Jehoram, instantly suspected an excuse to provoke a war. “Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Only consider, and see how he is seeking a quarrel with me.”  Ben-hadad apparently thought the way to Elisha lay through Jehoram, sending Jehoram into a frenzy. Tearing his clothes demonstrated Jehoram’s grief and rage.

Fortunately, Elisha heard about the letter. “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come now to me, that he may know that there is a prophet in Israel.” Why couldn’t Jehoram have called Elisha first, saving him a trip to the tailor? Jehoram gladly sent Naaman, his nemesis, out of his court to Elisha’s house.

Naaman probably spent his time traveling to Elisha’s house imagining how Elisha would heal him. As a pagan, Naaman would have no idea how Elisha’s healing would work, but he probably expected lots of praying and elaborate ceremonies. At least, Naaman arrived at Elisha’s home expecting to meet the prophet.

Imagine Naaman’s fury when Elisha sent his servant to meet him; the famous general expected a personal audience with the famous prophet!  The servant told him, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”

We don’t have to imagine Naaman’s fury at Elisha’s message. “Naaman was angry and went away, saying, ‘Behold, I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call upon the name of the LORD his God, and wave his hand over the place and cure the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?’ So he turned and went away in a rage.”

Why would Naaman react this way? For one thing, he expected, as a general, that Elisha would give him due reverence. Naaman had defeated Elisha’s country more than once, so he expected Elisha to recognize him as a superior. Furthermore, Naaman probably misunderstood Elisha, thinking that Elisha was sending him to the Jordan for a ritual bath. Naaman didn’t need washing; he needed healing!

It’s a good thing that Naaman’s servants heard the conversation, including the servant’s last words: “your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.” Naaman reminds me of someone who possesses a flash temper but who quickly calms down when approached by those who serve him. Naaman’s servants never hesitated to remind him of Elisha’s last words, indicating that, like his wife, he treated his servants with respect.

“So he went down and dipped himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.” Naaman dipped into the Jordan River a leper and remained a leper for the first six immersions. Naaman rose from the Jordan the seventh time a changed man, both physically and spiritually. Read the rest of Naaman’s story to see what can happen when God works in a person’s life.

Does Naaman’s story still say anything to us today? I believe it does.

First, I see far too much Naaman in myself, and I suspect I’m not alone. Like Naaman, I’ve succeeded at a lot of things in my life, and like Naaman, I’ve occasionally forgotten the source of that success. I’ve finally realized that I owe everything I have to Almighty God, my Creator.

I also see a lot of Naaman in myself when it involves my pride. Try as I might, pride seems to rear itself in my life far more than I like. Naaman took offense when Elisha refused to meet him. His pride almost cost Naaman his release from a horrible disease.

I keep running into people who expect miracles in their lives — but they expect miracles on their terms. It seems that many people look for miracles, but they want to define the miracles. When God doesn’t work the way they expect in their lives, the disappointment throws them into confusion and doubt.

This points to a major lesson for us all. Like Naaman, we think that we know what is best for us, even when the Scriptures tell us otherwise. We want salvation, but on our terms. Naaman was a good man, but he still needed God to heal him.  Unfortunately for us all, we find ourselves in Naaman’s position. Like leprosy, sin infects us, separating us from God and from one another. Our pride prevents us from finding our way to God, because we can’t admit we need His help. We need to read the words of C.S. Lewis again: “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement: he is a rebel who must lay down his arms” (Mere Christianity, “The Perfect Penitent”).

Fortunately for us, Jesus came to surrender for us, bringing us life through His death, burial, and resurrection. Those of us who, like Naaman, surrender and obey, find healing and cleansing. St. Paul told the Roman church: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-5). When we confess Jesus as Lord, believing in His resurrection, we are born into a new life. Christian baptism serves as our initiation into the Church, the Body of Christ. The water in the Jordan did nothing for Naaman; his obedience to God’s command healed him. The water of baptism doesn’t give us a spiritual birth, but like Naaman’s cleansing in the Jordan, baptism demonstrates our obedience to Jesus’ command to undergo baptism (Matthew 28:18-20).

Naaman’s visit to the Jordan led to his healing and a declaration: “I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel” (2 Kings 5:15). If you’ve never confessed Jesus as Lord, you need to obey the call to salvation. If you’ve already become a Christian and not experienced baptism, you must follow the command of Christ to accept baptism into the Church, His Body on earth. If you’re looking for help with whatever infects you, come to Christ. The Lord who healed Naaman is waiting to help you today.