Leper's Baptism
2 Kings 5:1-14


July 8, 2001

After listening again to the story of Naaman the Syrian and his healing from leprosy, I can hear the true ring of the Gospel, for the Gospel seldom is respectable to the culture of its day. Naaman's tale is completely out of synch with the way we usually understand Christianity. And for that very reason it tells us good news we can't get elsewhere.

Three things we hear surrounding the dilemma of Naaman: the tragedy of his leprosy - more popular as a New Testament disease; the peculiar nature of his baptism in the River Jordan - a veiled baptism, to be sure; and God as the central character of the narrative, though while God's name is uttered piously on a handful of occasions, God does not make a personal appearance.

Leprosy was the great "unclean" condition of Judaism. Hansen's Disease is a terrible wasting skin disease, not immediately lethal like that contemporary flesh-eating disease, but in its time leprosy could effect the same result. Believed to be contagious, those afflicted with leprosy were isolated from the community well into modern times, as was the case with the colony on the Hawaiian island of Molokai served by Father Damien (d. 1889).

When you contract leprosy you lose your identity. You become identified with the disease, for you are now a "leper." A hushed, embarrassed tone was used to speak about such people, akin to the way a person is consigned the label "AIDS victim" today. Naaman is an extraordinary individual in the Biblical accounts, for although he is a leper, he still has a name.

It is tragic that Naaman, of all people, has contracted leprosy; at what stage in his life we are not told. He is a very competent professional, the commander of the Syrian army, a mighty warrior - a title reserved usually for Israelite heroes. But, he is one of the enemy. The people over whom he demonstrated his military prowess were the Israelites. Yet, it is stated that "by him the Lord had given victory to Aram." In this way, he was holy enough to warrant God's pleasure, even though we see no signs that he worshipped the Lord God of Israel. God often blesses the wrong guys in history.

As good as Naaman is, as powerful and competent as Naaman is, he became a leper and all that power and competence and goodness was not worth anything that mattered. He was not a Jew, so being unclean was not a category that mattered to him, yet his condition was just as painful and as hopeless as for those beggars who would accost Jesus on the outskirts of towns.

Knowledge is power, and the knowledge which would save Naaman did not come from the power people of the kingdom of Aram: none of the MLA's at the Legislature, none of the masters of jurisprudence or even doctors of the medical arts. From a still, small voice - that sound of sheer silence - from a young Hebrew slave-girl, captured through one of the magnificent military conquests achieved by Naaman, came the sincere word, "If only my lord were with the prophet in Samaria!"

This young girl had no power left, all of it had been taken away. Now her concern for the suffering of another person, even the one who took away her freedom and power, would begin the unleashing of power which "makes the wounded whole and heals the sinsick soul."

Naaman did not understand this at all. He believed in power, a royal letter of recommendation, the perks of power - fine clothing, expensive cars, the latest computers and cell phones. The king of Israel was intimidated by this power, which he knew could crush him in an instant. Knowledge is power and news travels fast, so Elisha heard what was going on and invited the leper to come to him.

Naaman arrived outside Elisha's house with a full retinue in tow. Big limousine, lots of handlers, very impressive. Elisha did not have pastoral care skills, however, and did not seem to believe in the personal touch. He sent outside a messenger, instructing Naaman to go down to the Jordan and wash in it seven times. That's all.

Naaman was affronted. He had expected a big show, waving of arms, laying of hands upon the afflicted parts, required herculean labours of penitence. But none of this, just a note to bathe in dirty water. There are certainly nicer bodies of water than Wascana Lake and the South Saskatchewan River, but it had to be the Jordan and Naaman was affronted.

Again it was his servants who put power into perspective for him. Look, you would have climbed Mount Everest or eaten weird foods or even go without bodily comforts for who knows how long. Why not do something simple? Naaman agreed, for he really wanted to be healed.

Naaman went down to that dirty water and immersed himself seven times, and yes, his flesh became clear and clean, like that of a young boy.

This was not exactly baptism, no sacrament yet. There was a ritual washing to render oneself clean according to Jewish legal standards, and eventually there would be a yearly baptism to wash away one's accumulated sins, but that was a few centuries off.

Nonetheless, Naaman washed in the same River Jordan in which John the Baptist plied his calling and in which Jesus himself would be baptized. When Naaman arose for the seventh time from the waters, more than his skin was clean. His life had been reborn. He did not completely understand yet, but he did know that there was "no God in all the earth except in Israel." He still thought he should be buying this favour, and tried to give Elisha payment in gold. But God's actions are not for sale, they are absolutely free, and you and I are never capable of paying them back in kind.

The problem with this delightful story is figuring out whom the story is about. We want to go out from our pews and imitate somebody, but Naaman the Syrian is not the model we should adopt. Actually, he is already more like us than we would want to admit. He has power, he has talents, he has stuff, but he is not whole. Arrogant and swaggering, dropping names of the rich and famous, he believes doing the right thing will bring honour to his reputation and he will be healed. All this stuff won't work, and he doesn't even believe in God, yet. God has to prove worthiness to him first.

Throughout this whole tale lurks the presence of God. No flashes of lightning, whirlwinds, burning bushes or bright revelations; even Elisha did nothing to invoke God's spirit. But God was at work and we should notice that God did nothing the way we want and expect God to act.

God does not always take into account our qualifications. Our personal success, our piety and holiness do not admit us into the kingdom. Naaman had all the power he needed in this world, but it didn't matter. He did not believe in our God, though to confuse matters the Lord God had given him victory over God's chosen people. He had committed the eighth deadly sin, "choosing the wrong side," but God chose him anyway. He was pointed towards healing by a young girl he had abused. He dealt with Elisha like a consumer with a merchant, but all of this did not matter because God chose him.

If God so chooses to give new life through baptism in a dirty river to one of God's enemies, then how much more will God take over your agenda in the twinkling of an eye, O people of little faith? God is at work among us today, changing the world, resurrecting the dead, making the unclean clean, but not necessarily on unchanging Saskatchewan Central Standard Time. God is disconcerting, God is disruptive, and God does not arbitrate justice by our criteria. The Good News is that there is a prophet in Israel, there is a balm in Gilead; and if in Israel then surely in Saskatchewan. Because our God is not the god of a select elite, but of all the earth. Our God grants grace to all peoples, but it is a disruptive grace which does not leave you the same.

Preached by Robert Kitchen
Knox-Metropolitan United Church
Regina, Saskatchewan