An Amazing Story of Power
A Sermon by Brent J. Eelman
Abington Presbyterian Church
July 8, 2007

II Kings 5: 1-14
    Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favour with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, ‘If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.’ So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, ‘Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.’
    He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, ‘When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.’ When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, ‘Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.’
    But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, ‘Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.’ So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, ‘Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.’ But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, ‘I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 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?’ He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, ‘Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, “Wash, and be clean”?’ So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.*

One of the movies that is making the rounds of the theatres these days is “Sicko”. I have not seen it, but am aware that it is a controversial documentary that critically looks at the American Health care system. The previews indicate that the movie is at times sad, funny, ironic and controversial. Many of the reviews challenge the accuracy of the movie and some of the points that it makes, but I will let you be the judge of that. The story in the film boils down to two things: the health care delivery system and power. The same is true of the story that I just read to you from the Book of Kings, the story of Naaman the General. It is one of my favorite Old Testament stories because it is rich in irony and drama. Like the movie “Sicko” the story operates on two different levels. It is a story about healthcare delivery, and more importantly, it is a story about power. What I propose to do today is: 1. Look at the story from the perspective of the healing miracle. 2. Examine the power dynamics in the story. 3. Examine how this story might speak to us today.

I

First as a miracle story: Naaman, a general in the army of the King of Aram (Syria) was ill.  He had leprosy. Now leprosy was one of a number of different skin diseases that afflicted the ancients in the Middle East. It was unsightly and because the origins of it were unknown, those who were afflicted with it were alienated and removed from the mainstream of society. They were unsightly and inspired dread in others. A quick reading of Leviticus reveals that any type of skin abnormality was regarded as uncleanliness, consequently, one of the duties of the priest was to examine the skin eruptions of people to determine their origin. (They were forerunners to our modern dermatologists!). Naaman, a general in the army of the King of Aram, had leprosy.

Syria, because of its geographical relationship with Israel, was a natural foe, and at different times in its history, the Syrians raided and conquered Israel, (Considering our modern day, we might conclude with Ecclesiastes that there is nothing new under the sun!) These conquering raids brought the Syrians wealth and also slaves.

Often when I travel for a period of time, I will bring my wife a present when I return. Naaman, the General, did the same; he brought his wife a young girl, a Hebrew girl, from one of his raids. She would serve as a maid, but in essence was a slave. She was absolutely powerless, owning nothing, not even her own life. But this is where the story begins to take a turn. Apparently the healthcare system in Syria left a bit to be desired. The young slave girl, had compassion on her master, Naaman, and told him that there was a prophet in Israel who could cure him. Naaman wanted to see this prophet, and so he received a “referral” from his king who said: “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” He went to Israel, and soon found himself at the door step of the prophet Elijah. Naaman wanted to see the prophet, but the prophet would not see him…. Instead he sent his servant with a message. Once again we have a parallel with our modern healthcare system: You want to see the doctor, but can’t get past the receptionist. The message is simple: “Go wash yourself seven times in the Jordan and you will be well.” Naaman was upset. He felt that he had been disrespected. He received the medical equivalent of “take two aspirins and call me in the morning.” Finally, he was persuaded by his servant: “look.. can it hurt? Give it try?’ Naaman did, and was healed.

This is a miracle story that should fascinate us. Healing, according to this story did not occur because of Naaman’s faith. All along the way, he has doubts and wants to pack it in. Healing did not occur because he had the right belief. He was a Syrian general, an enemy of Israel. Instead, we learn that the grace of God, the love of God, the healing of God knows no borders. The Hebrew people who first read this story might be upset because God healed someone who was their natural foe, literally someone who was “out of network.” But the lesson was not lost… God heals out of network… God loves all his people.

II

This is also a story of power. It is the story of powerful men and powerless slaves. Let us take them one by one: Naaman was a general. He was a military leader who had many troops under his command. He must have been a very important military leader because his king was willing to help him out. Yet, Naaman, for all his power was a pathetic figure. His power was compromised by his illness. For all his power, he cannot heal himself.

The second figure is unnamed, Naaman’s King. He was a very powerful individual. Kings had the power of life and death, and regarded themselves as Gods. Indeed, consider the effect of his letter to the king of Israel. It literally scared him to death.

The King of Israel was the third figure of power. He too acknowledged the life and death power of a king and feared that if Naaman wasn’t cured, Syria would attack Israel. He thought that the letter from the King of Aram was a message of provocation. He was so afraid that he tore his clothes as a symbol of his fear.

Here we have three of the most powerful individuals in two nations. Naaman was a leper. His King was dependent upon another king for Naaman’s health, and the King of Israel was scared out of his wits. In 1975, the psychologist, Kenneth Clark wrote a book entitled The Pathos of Power. Certainly these three individuals could serve as poster boys for Clark’s book. They had all the temporal power in the world and yet they could do nothing. They had no control over the course of events and seemed to be in the hands of fate… powerless and pathetic.

But there are three other characters in this story who are worthy of our mention. Elisha the prophet is the first. He was in control right from the beginning. He was aghast at the fear expressed by his king and told him to send Naaman to him right away. Elisha was a prophet, one who was intimate with God and who spoke God’s message to people. He was the vehicle for healing… and ultimately his prescription did the trick.

But there are two other characters who intrigue me. They are the two slaves. In this story of healing and power…it is the powerless that have the most influence over the events.

The story began because of the words of slave girl. “I think that there is a prophet in Israel who can heal him.” Her words did more to change the course of history than the actions of generals and kings. The way the story is told, she was the prime mover behind things… a powerless slave girl, in the eyes of the bible, in the eyes of God, was the central figure of power.

The second was Naaman’s servant, who calmed down Naaman when he was told to wash in the Jordan 7 times. Naaman was angered by this request. Naaman was ready to head home to Syria and start some real trouble… instead his servant, a powerless servant, prevailed upon him to try the Jordan.. and he was healed. Once again, the story turns on the words or direction of a person, who by all earthly standards is powerless.

Jesus proclaimed that the last shall be first and the first shall be last. He spoke about paradoxes that seem strange to us… yet in this amazing story: the weak are the powerful, and the mighty are pulled down from their thrones.

III

What does this story say to us today. Although I have cast it in terms of power and healthcare, I believe that it has an extremely profound message for us. First it speaks to the body politic…. Power, whatever it is, is temporal.. it does not last for ever and thus should be wielded with humility. Second, History is often taught as the story of the great events… the story of the powerful.. but in truth history is the story of little events, single sentences, seemingly inconsequential people who make all the difference.. Third… there are times when we feel that things are out of control.. there are times when we feel that what we do does not matter. There are times when we get really down on ourselves and think that we are worthless in the eyes of others and in the eyes of god… and that we are not making a difference. The story of the servant girl challenges that notion. The power of the world, God has put into the hands of the weak and the nameless….

Let me close with a personal anecdote. It was three years into my ministry and things were not going well. I was an associate minister… the sr. pastor was involved in all types of troubling behavior and I was caught in the middle of things. I felt that things were out of control and that I had no future as a pastor and was making other plans. It was on a summer morning in Missouri, not unlike this day, that I was invited to a picnic with a group of about 20 friends. At that picnic, they gave me a little plaque which contained the words of the apostle Paul: “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” That plaque has ministered to me for the last 30 years and reminds me to this day of the irony and pathos of power.

The story of Naaman is an amazing story of power…. Not human power… but the power of God that is made perfect in the weakness of human beings…. Like me and you.. This is the good news of the Gospel. Amen.

*The New Revised Standard Version Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pennsylvania,  www.apcusa.org