“Behold, I know that there is no God in all the earth but in Israel…”2 Kings 5:15

Naaman the Syrian

I’ll start with the story of Namaan, commander of the army of Syria.

This was a period of peace between historic enemies Israel and Aram. Namaan was commander of Syria’s armies but a man afflicted by leprosy or a similar skin disease. Through apparent chance, an Israelite girl knew of the prophet Elisha who could heal Naaman.

So Naaman, with permission of the king goes to Syria. First taking huge gifts of gold and clothing to the king of Israel, who is powerless and melodramatic.

This is contrasted with Elisha, confident in God and without fear.

Naaman came to Elisha’s house with his horses and chariots but Elisha would not come out. Sending a messenger saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored, and you shall be clean.”

Imagine the wounded pride of Naaman, commander of the armies of Syria, expecting first the king and then the prophet and getting only a message to demean himself by washing in a foreign river.

He was angry, 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 that all the water of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

In other words, “I was expecting something spectacular. Instead I’m being told to demean myself. If I wanted to a bath, I need not have left my home country.”

And yet his servants demonstrated greater spiritual insight in their response to him. Our translation – the English Standard Version – falls very short at this point, giving us almost the exact opposite sense to the original Hebrew. It says that the servants said, “My father, it is a great word the prophet has spoken to you; will you not do it?”

Compare this with almost any other translation and you will see the difference. Consider the Revised Standard Version, ‘“My father, if the prophet had commanded you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he says to you, “Wash, and be clean?”’

This captures the point perfectly: if the prophet had said for you to do something really difficult, you would have done it. You were up for the challenge. But he’s told you to do something easy, so why not give it a try? What’s the worst that can happen? What have you got to lose? Not very much, and yet you’ve got everything to gain.

As a modern paraphrase says, ‘“Master, if the prophet had asked you to do something hard and heroic, wouldn’t you have done it? So why not this simple “wash and be clean?””’

Well, we know what the answer is of course: pride. I am too good for this simple answer. I am too important. There must be something exceptional I am called to because I am exceptional.

And so, a moment of clarity for Naaman, who listened to sense and went and washed in the Jordan seven times and was cleansed.

‘Then he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and he came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold, I know there is no God is all the earth but Israel; So accept now a present from you servant.”

This humble obedience led to spiritual revelation and thanksgiving.

The Story of the Ten Lepers

We see a similar dynamic in the Gospel reading, the story of the ten lepers. They came to Jesus asking for healing and he gave them a simple command: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” As they were doing it, they were healed.

And yet, one came back, a Samaritan, a foreigner, to give thanks to Jesus and praise to God. “Were not ten cleansed? Where are the nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” And Jesus said to him, “Rise and go your way; your faith has made you well.”

A Humble Faith

What is the point of these stories? Can we not see ourselves so clearly in the figure of Naaman the Syrian who wanted something spectacular but was in fact called to humble obedience?

It is hard to accept perhaps that we are called to the same thing: to repentance, faith in Christ, and obedience to God. Much of the world is not interested in this because they are too hard of heart and proud to accept that they are just like everyone else.

But this applies to those in the church also. It is very easy to imagine that the basic message of the Christian faith is too simple and easy, that there must be something more to it, that there must be some intellectual or political component that will be more engaging.

Before I criticise this, let me say that Christianity is, of course, deeply intellectually robust. I do not criticise anyone for having an intellectual engagement with the faith. This is quite necessary in many contexts.

Nor do I criticise anyone for thinking about the political implications of Christianity. These are important questions and, again, are necessary in certain contexts.

However, it is a constant temptation for the Church and for individual Christians to become distracted by an overtly intellectual or academic version of the faith or (and to be honest I think this is a much worse temptation) a political version of it.

The attitude appears to me to be something like this: Those unsophisticated Christians may speak about repentance, faith, the Scriptures, the Gospel, eternal life, heaven and hell, and things like this. But I speak about relevant political issues that will make me and my Church appear more relevant in the eyes of modern people.

This is a terrible spiritual mistake and it can leads to a deadening of lively and real faith.

Perhaps I can put it like this: you may have a Christian politics; you should not have a political Christianity.

The cart comes before the horses: repentance, humility, faith, obedience, day-to-day walk with God in holy devotion. All of this first. Political implications a distant second and much of the time not at all.

“A worker who has no need to be ashamed…”

Let’s finish with some words from our reading from 2 Timothy: ‘Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.”

‘A worker who has no need to be ashamed’ – This idea crops up in Paul’s letters frequently: don’t be ashamed.

Why does he feel the need to keep saying this? Because the world will try to shame you. It’s one of the ways the enemy will try and dampen your faith and ultimately destroy it. If he can’t get you to walk away from the Lord. He will make you feel a bit silly, so that you’ll pipe down a bit.

But you, do your best to present yourself to God as one who has no reason to be ashamed. Like Naaman, humble before yourself before God through obedience and faith and you find healing, restoration and peace. Only die to your pride so that the power of God can live in you.

In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.