(Lectionary passages from II Kings 5 and Mark 1 included in reflections)
In this election year of 2012, with all the issues and agendas that make for argumentation, its not my intent to address the political and social tensions between Democrats and Republicans, nor create a platform for presidential preferences. Many would urge to keep politics out of the church, while at the same time pushing for prayer in school. So, politicking aside, let’s simply listen for how God might be speaking from both ancient Hebrew stories and the life of Jesus, and let that word invite us to be undivided in our faith and practice within the world.
The 2 scripture passages designated for this day, from the book of Kings and from the Gospel of Mark, recall stories of men who had leprosy. In biblical times, prior to modern science, any kind of skin disease or blemish was called “leprosy”. It included the severe skin-eating disease we now call leprosy as well as various kinds of rashes, hives, psoriasis, or chicken pox.
Let’s look at II Kings 5:1-14 (and following)
In the book of Kings, a faith-perspective of the history of the kingdoms of Israel and Judah, we find the story of Na`aman, the 5 star-general in charge of all the military operations for Aram, or present day Syria. Na`aman was a great man, highly regarded by the King of Aram because, as scripture says, YAHWEH had given victory to Aram through Na`aman. (Did you get that, this foreign country was granted victory by Yahweh.) This mighty warrior, however, “suffered” from some sort of skin disease. It didn’t keep him from battle, but he suffered. Now it just so happened that he had servant girl. She was from Israel. On one of Na`aman’s military raids into neighboring Israel, this young girl had been taken captive and was now a servant, enslaved to Na`aman’s wife. Imagine that. This young nameless girl remembered there was an amazing prophet back home. She told her mistress about the prophet who could heal her captor. Her mistress believed her and told Na`aman who believed her and told his “master”, the King of Aram who then sent Na`aman over to Israel, their unfriendly neighbors, to find healing. Na`aman went loaded down with cash from the King: 10 talents of silver, 6,000 shekels of gold, and 10 sets of garments. He also carried a letter from the King of Aram to the King of Israel which read: “I have sent to you my servant Na`aman that you may cure him of his leprosy.” (Who is master of whom here?) Imagine the shock of the King of Israel, that the neighboring raiders, would send their top general with lots of cash and ask for healing. Naturally, the King of Israel went ballistic, tearing his clothes apart, pulling his hair out, anxious that this neighboring enemy was setting him up for a battle he could not win. “Am I God to give death or life that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy?” He was convinced an international crisis was brewing.
Then the prophet, Elisha, the protégé of Elijah, enters the story. Upon hearing of the panic of the King of Israel, Elisha sends word, “Let the man, Na`aman, come to me so that he may learn that there is a prophetic voice for God in Israel. So Na`aman goes with all his pomp and circumstance, his entourage and riches, right up to Elisha’s front door. But Elisha does not even come out to meet him. He simply sends word that Na`aman should go and wash himself 7 times in the Jordan River and he will be healed. NOW an international crisis might develop, as Na`aman is enraged by the rudeness of Elisha, not even having the courtesy to come and look at him or pray over him. To top if off he is suppose to go take a bath in the disgusting Jordan River that doesn’t hold a candle to the rivers back in Aram/Syria. A military incident could have happened then and there if not for, yes again, the servants who once again offer the calm wisdom. Na`aman’s servants gently remind him that directions for healing are simple. They remind him that he would do anything of might and valor, why not do this simple thing? To Na`aman’s credit, he listens again to the powerless people who support him. After washing 7 times in the Jordan, he is healed so that his skin is like a young child’s. Returning to Elisha to say thank you and to pay him for his services, Elisha again remains hidden and refused payment. Na`aman becomes a worshiper of Yahweh, the only God who Na`aman will now believe in. Elisha simply sends him on his way saying… “Go in peace”… go in wholeness, go in shalom, go in wellness.
So, what’s the story trying to teach the Hebrew people of long ago, and us? That Elisha was an incredible prophet? That Na`aman was now a believer in Yahweh? and became an evangelist to Syria? That the powerless ones have greater insight? Perhaps. Or perhaps the story teaches what it means to be part of the kingdom of God, where God reigns, where God’s Rule cuts through the systems of political and societal rules that would separate and keep out those we deem unworthy? Perhaps the story’s inclusion in the book of Kings was to remind God’s people that they did not have exclusive possession of God nor of God’s generous way in the world. Perhaps it was to say God has no boundaries: politically, socially, racially, economically, or religiously. No political negotiations would heal Na`aman. No amount of economic resources would heal him. No personal encounter with the number one preacher in the land with a conversion first would heal him. The “lords” of human systems were powerless. Each person in the story approached their “lord”, the one with authority over them yet each of these “lords” was unable to relieve his suffereing. Only The LORD, YaHWeH, healed. Yahweh ‘s way circumvented human systems. With the Lord God, health, healing, wholeness, peace, and well-being was extended to all no matter who they were. Let the foreigner come. Let the enemy come. Let him be made well. Don’t extract money in exchange for grace. Let him go in peace. This was the Rule, the kingdom of God, where God’s will is done on earth as it is in heaven. And all will be made well.
Emmet Fox, 20th century spiritual writer and thinker, said that humankind is the “manifestation, or expression of God… it is our duty to bring more and more of God’s ideas into concrete manifestation… it is our essential nature to express God, to be ever about our Father’s business”. (Around the Year with Emmet Fox) Scripture, as God’s word, invites us to seek first God’s Rule and emulate God’s way toward wholeness for all people. This was Israel’s task as a people of God and as a nation. It is ours as well.
In the gospel according to Mark , Jesus came preaching the good news about God’s kingdom, or God’s Rule for faith and practice (Mk 1:15). It was good news because Jesus’ understanding, teaching, and practice embodied and insisted on God’s inclusive, boundary-breaking ways of grace. In the gospel of Mark Jesus helps us to understand the good news of God’s ways confronting and challenging human ways, rules, institutions, and assumptions.
Mark 1:40-45 is another story about a man who was a leper, having some sort of skin disease that made him “unclean”. The religious institution of Jesus time was a powerful entity. It had the power to declared whether or not one was fit for kingdom of God, was acceptable in the household of faith. There were many rules regarding what made someone or something acceptable or unacceptable, clean or unclean: hand washing rituals, touching a carcass or a designated unclean animal or person, even a house could be declared unclean if there was mold growing in the corner, all part of the Torah, the law, the religious purity code.
A nameless man came to Jesus, begging, pleading, perhaps falling on his knees before Jesus; if you choose, he says to Jesus, you can make me clean. Notice in this story, he doesn’t ask to be “healed” but to be made clean, made acceptable. Perhaps he wasn’t sick at all, but the religious authorities had declared him unacceptable and unclean for the household of God. He was not fit for the community of faith. If you choose, you can make me clean. Moved with pity*, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him and said, I do choose. Be made clean! Immediately the leprosy left him and he was made clean.
Now we have to look at that word *pity as translated in the NRSV. In other translations it says Jesus was moved with compassion, or moved with anger. The Greek word is one full of intense emotion, not simply feeling sorrow for someone. Passion, whether compassion or anger-passion, moved, or propelled Jesus to act. Jesus was upset about this system that declared the man unclean. He touched the man, which immediately made Jesus officially unclean also. Jesus stretched out his hand across the taboos of religious propriety to embody God’s passionate love. He touched the man. Emulating God’s peace, shalom, wholeness, and wellness for all in need of it, Jesus was living the good news of God’s way, of God’s kingdom, of God’s Rule. Angered by religious institutional exclusion, Jesus touched the man and said, yes, I choose to regard you as clean, as acceptable. Angered by the religious institutional hoop jumping Jesus told him to go directly to the institution, do what is necessary to bear witness to his being acceptable and clean. Like Na`aman, this man celebrated a whole new vision of God, and perhaps in his joy disregarded former systems of rule and practice, because in God’s way, no one is unclean or unacceptable or ought to remain outside the community of faith.
Health care in God’s kingdom, according to God’s rule is universal. Its healing, wholeness, peace, shalom is for everybody: those who live across the border, those would-be enemies, those highly decorated military elite, those nameless beggars, those shunned by the religious institution, yes all of them receive the healing benefit of grace’s care in God’s kingdom.
So let us again pray… may your kingdom come and may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven, dear Lord. As Emmet Fox said, we are the “manifestation, or expression of God… it is our duty to bring more and more of God’s ideas into concrete manifestation… it is our essential nature to express God, to be ever about our [God’s] business”.
If God’s business is for all people and all the earth to be made well, to be made clean of the dis-eases that diminishes the fullness of life no matter who one is or where one is from, how will we choose to embody God’s work in our world? Who is unclean in your thought system? the one who is different? the foreigner? the illegal immigrant? the Tea-Partier? the abortion doctor? the Democrat or Republican? the gay couple next door? the negligent parent? the disabled one in our midst? the convict? the Buddhist or Muslim or atheist over there? the one with whom you exchanged hurtful words yesterday? or your next of kin with whom you have not spoken for a long time? How will you emulate the good news of God’s Rule of grace, of justice, of healing and wholeness? Who will you dare to stretch your hand out to in a clear choice to bring healing to the world as the embodiment of Christ?
If we choose, we all can be made clean and whole by following Jesus, by stretching out our hands with God’s gracious touch.
May the good news of God’s Rule for healing continue to break down the barriers that divide us in the hope that all may be well. May God’s kingdom come. May God’s will be done on earth… today, here and now, in and through us.
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