Sunday
October 9
Good Advice from the Most Unlikely
By Marsh Chapel
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The word “leprosy” in the Bible refers to more than one type of skin disease, not just Hansen’s disease, which is what is commonly thought of as leprosy when the work is mentined. All the biblical diseases of that name are similar in that they are fearful diseases: they are thought to be highly contagious, they cause physical disfigurement to greater or lesser degree, and they cause afflicted persons to be banned from society until they can prove themselves healed. The two leprosy stories in our scriptures this morning seem fairly straightforward and turn out well: Naaman and the ten lepers are healed. However, as theologian and disability activist Sharon V. Betcher has pointed out for us before, the healing stories in the Bible are not only or not even about healing. They are also social commentary and teaching stories as well.
As we are invited to explore the story of Naaman further, for instance, we note that he is a powerful and rich man. He has access to captured Israelite children and is able to give a young girl to his wife as her servant. He has other servants himself. When he wants to give a gift, he is able to give away ten sets of garments, 756 pounds of silver, and 151 pounds of gold. His success in life has come from the favor of his king: as commander of the Aramean army he has won a great victory over the army of Israel in the series of border wars and raids that Aram and Israel conduct against one another. The King of Aram is pleased, of course, but see how the writer of II Kings phrases the victory: it is by Naaman that THE LORD had given victory to Aram. This is the first sign that this is not just a healing story; it is also a story about the reach of God’s power through all lands and all kinds of people, even an Aramean general.
And through a captive servant girl. She is the one who tells Naaman’s wife about the prophet Elisha, who at this time is in Samaria, the northern part of Israel, and who can cure Naaman of his leprosy. And Naaman’s wife tells Naaman. It is a measure of Naaman’s desire to be rid of the disease that he listens. Female captive foreign children and wives of the time, especially those who suggest to their master and husband that he go to the prophet of another people’s God who after all did not give that people the victory, did not usually sway the decisions of rich, powerful, commanders of men, But Naaman not only listens, he goes to his king. The king of Aram, who after all wants Naaman at his best, not only gives him permission to go to the foreign prophet, but smooths his way with a letter of introduction to the king of Israel.
So Naaman takes his gold and silver and garments and horses and chariots and servants and letter and makes the trip to Elisha’s house. He expects to deal with a professional prophet like those in Aram, who control their prophecy, able to say and do as they wish, and who have a responsibility to please their betters. Instead, Naaman gets Elisha, who does not even come out to greet him or put on a show, but sends a messenger to tell him to wash seven times in the Jordan. Naaman is so insulted that he misinterprets what the messenger says, and thinks that Elisha only offers him a ritual cleansing. But his servants, who were not in a rage and who were able to listen to the messenger properly, convince Naaman to do what Elisha instructed. Again, it is a measure of Naaman’s desire to be rid of his leprosy that he listens, and changes his rage and his mind in front of his servants and military personnel. He washes, “according to the word of the man of God”, and is healed. So he is no longer disfigured and no longer isolated. But this is not just a healing story. It is a story of conversion as well. Because of his need, Naaman throughout has converted his power, wealth, and position to a position of acceptance of help and advice, help and advice that comesfrom the most unlikely people: a female captive child, his wife, his servants, a disrespectful foreign prophet, all of whom had to manage him up to get him into the water. And at the last, he makes a final conversion, to belief in the God of Israel as the God of all the earth. For the writer of II Kings, Namaan is not just healed, he is truly whole. And it doesn’t end there. Later in II Kings there is the story of how the Aramean king, who now knows about Elisha, realizes that Elisha is working to advise the king of Israel. Because of what Elisha does in a certain situation that there is no loss of life for the Arameans, the King of Aram stop the border wars and raids against Israel. There are many kinds of healing. And of conversion.
As we are invited to explore our second story, we notice that all ten of the lepers address Jesus as “Master”. They do in fact obey him when he tell them to go to the priest, and they are healed in the going, before they even reach the priest. But nine of them, who we assume from the story were Jews, did not turn back. Only one of them did, and he was a Samaritan, not only a foreigner but someone considered by Jews to worship wrong. Yet he praises God loudly, falls on his face before Jesus, and thanks Jesus for his healing of body and his restoration to society. The other nine may have b3een cured of their leprosy. But the Samaritan is not only healed, he as a foreigner who worships wrong exemplifies true faith, faith in Jesus and in the power of the God of Jesus. A better translation would have Jesus say to him that his faith does not just make him well, his faith saves him. In his obedience, but even more in his conversion to praise and gratitude for God’s free gift, he is an example of the true disciple, of one who is truly whole.
Our theme for the Fall here at Marsh is conversation. Conversation involves both speaking and listening from all parties involved. Who is invited to take part in the conversation is also an important point. In conversations about conflict transformation, for instance, one of the best practices is to notice who has not been invited. This is because, if some of the people involved in the conflict are not in the conversation, their insights will not be available. Or, and perhaps even more importantly, the uninvited will be angry about their exclusion and so the conflict will continue even if the invited people come to an agreement. This is especially true in conversations about the dis-eases of our time, fearful that can disfigure our minds and souls if not our bodies. We all know the categories: race, sex, class, economic status, gender preference, climate change, body type, war, normality, religion. Dis-eases that can have us isolate ourselves in barricaded ideological and social compounds, lest we be contaminated by the change and inclusion. Some of us now, in our country and in some of our faith traditions including my own, some of us actually find it is easy and acceptable to make others figurative lepers, to consider them the cause of our dis-eases. to castigate them as not normal, wall them out, persecute their faith as wrong, take away or try to take away their agency and freedom, love them only to a certain point in the name of God, deny our shared humanity with them. No conversation at all with these outcasts. No talking. No listening.
Naaman and the people Jesus was talking to were instead invited by God to expand their conversation, to listen as well as talk. They were invited to listen enough to take good advice and good example from those who were the most unlikely people to have it to offer. But when they did listen, and acted on what they had heard, they were not just healed of their dis-ease. They were converted, to a new relationship with God, with themselves, and with their neighbors.
The stories of Naaman and the thankful Samaritan invite us to expand our conversations too. Not just with the rich and powerful or with each other. But with those who we might consider most unlikely: marginalized people, foreigners – whoever that is for us, people whose allegiances or worship we might think are wrong, those we might consider “the help”, people who don’t take us as seriously as we think they should. Conversation sounds simple, but it might not be easy. It probably depends on the measure of our desire to be rid of our dis-ease.
On the other hand, in conversation with those who are different from us we might just find some good advice or a good example. We might find some healing, some wholeness, some praise and some gratitude, some truer discipleship. We might find ourselves converted, to a new way of being with God, with ourselves, with our neighbors. Before our dis-eases disfigure our minds souls bodies and completely cut us off. Before our dis-eases kill us and the rest of creation. Conversation, even with the most unlikely people, is possible. Thanks be to God, who gives us this chance to be whole. May we choose to accept it and act on it, to talk and to listen with one another with praise and thanksgiving. Amen.
—Rev. Victoria Hart Gaskell, Chapel Associate for Methodist Students
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