Sunday 6th July 2025
II Kings 5: 1-14
Psalm 30
Galatians 6: (1-6), 7-16
St. Luke 10: 1-11, 16-20
“The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons submit to us!’” St. Luke 10: 17
Both the Old and New Testaments have numerous records of spiritual, emotional and physical healings… Today’s first reading is one example of these.
Let’s recall that raids among the tribes of the region were quite common in Old Testament times. One tribe would choose another tribe which they thought to be weaker or somehow vulnerable. Armed men would suddenly attack villages; items of value would likely be stolen. Sometimes people themselves would be kidnapped, for ransom, or to be slaves…
For example, we read that Abraham’s nephew Lot is kidnapped by a northern tribe. Abraham gets some fighting men together to rescue his nephew and others, and meets the priest Melchizedek on the way back… Gideon is called by God to serve him, while Gideon is trying to hide from the Midianites during one of their raids… Years later, David, when he was serving the Philistine King, would pretend to make raids on his own people in Judea, when in fact David was raiding and pillaging other local villages and tribes…
The story in our first reading takes place around 800B.C… Naaman, the commander of the army of the King of Aram, had undertaken numerous raids like this on behalf of the King. On one of these raids, Naaman had kidnapped a young girl, who became a servant girl for Naaman’s wife…
Leprosy is caused by a kind of slow-growing bacteria. Today it can be readily treated by antibiotics. In the ancient world, of course, it could not be treated, and lepers were often forced to live apart from their community, as other community members were fearful of catching the disease… Left untreated, leprosy would lead to skin discoloration and nerve damage… Left longer yet, the infected person can develop loss of sensation, paralysis, blindness; and limbs or extremities can become distorted…
Ancient people knew that these changes in skin and loss of sensation were common signs of the presence of the infection. (This sometimes led to people with diseased skin being mis-diagnosed as lepers, as well as the presence of leprosy in the population…) We might notice that many modern Bibles, including our pew Bibles, have footnotes, noting that there could be various skin diseases which had been diagnosed as leprosy…
Now Naaman the army commander had been diagnosed as having leprosy… This would have been painful for the sufferer, and would likely have led to some isolation from his family… Perhaps Naaman’s wife is complaining one day, that her strong, healthy, handsome husband – commander of the army of the king, no less! – had been struck with this terrible disease…
The servant-girl who had been kidnapped on one of the raids hears what her mistress has said. The servant-girl recalls the stories of her homeland, when the great prophet Elisha would heal people of all kinds of conditions. “If only my Lord (Naaman) were with the prophet who is in Samaria!” says the girl. “He would cure him of his leprosy (v. 3)…”
Well, of course that got the attention of her mistress, and then of Naaman himself! They report what the servant-girl has said to the king, who promptly has a letter written, to send to the king of Israel. Naaman, the sick man himself, is to deliver the letter…
The letter states simply that Naaman has been sent along to be cured of leprosy, in Israel…
Can we imagine the reaction of the King of Israel, when he gets this letter? He assumes that the King of Aram is trying to pick a quarrel, so he can invade Israel…
Fortunately, Elisha hears what has taken place. With extraordinary confidence, Elisha writes, “Let (Naaman) come to me” for healing, that he will know there is a true prophet in Israel… Elisha’s instructions to sick Naaman are brief and simple (so simple, in fact, that Naaman is suspicious at first): “Go and wash in the Jordan River 7 times…” When Naaman does wash in the Jordan River, he is clean and miraculously healed!…
Even more special than the healing, Naaman changes his loyalty, to worship the Lord, the God of Israel…
Elisha doesn’t charge Naaman the Army Commander money for the healing, because all healing comes ultimately from God. (In fact, you and I should rightly be suspicious of people who claim to have miraculous capacities to heal, but charge money for this service…)
This is where today’s first reading ends – with the miraculous healing and conversion of Naaman the Army Commander. But there’s more to the story…
Elisha the prophet has a servant named Gehazi, and Gehazi gets greedy: “My Master has let that Aramean Naaman off too lightly by not accepting from him what he offered. As the Lord lives, I will run after him and get something out of him (v. 20)…” Gahazi gets some clothes and money from Naaman. But God reveals to Elisha the prophet what his servant has done, and the punishment for Gehazi’s greed is that Gehazi gets the condition of leprosy which Naaman had previously…
Yes, this is a story of miraculous healing. Yes; this is a story about God goodness and mercy being extended beyond Israel to a desperate man who somehow had faith, even beyond the borders of Israel. It is a foretaste, a hint, that God’s new covenant will not be with just one nation, but for all nations; all peoples… including you, and me…
There is even more we can glean from this story: The honour goes to God. The honour goes to God… Elisha doesn’t get the credit. God does… Gehazi the servant shouldn’t profit off the healing either – the honour goes to God…
In today’s gospel reading, the Lord Jesus sends some 70 disciples to go out to do the work of the kingdom. They are not to depend on themselves (no money; no extra clothes), but on God… They are to minister and to share the good news of Jesus and his kingdom…
This opportunity to minister is a spectacular success: There is stunning spiritual transformation in the lives of hurting people!… Evil departs, and God is at work in ordinary people’s lives in extraordinary ways. Luke 10: 17: “The 70 returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’”
I imagine our Lord looking at the 70 with warmth and affection. They are doing the ministry to which they were called; and they are seeing the fruits of their ministry by transformed lives… But the Lord Jesus has a little caution for them. Verse 20:
“Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven…”
In other words, when we’re doing ministry, and other people’s lives are being changed, or our lives are being changed, that’s great!… But it’s not about us… It’s not about us. It’s not about our skills, or our status. Just as Elisha the prophet knew, the glory goes to God… It is God, ultimately, who transforms broken lives…
God might use little old me or little old you to touch someone’s life for the kingdom. That’s great… But we aren’t meant to bask in our own imagined cleverness. We aren’t to run after the Naamans of our generation, trying to get clothes or money to line our own pockets… Instead, let’s be grateful to God for his goodness…
Will you join me in the opening words to the old evangelical hymn, “To God Be the Glory”?
To God be the glory, great things he has done; So loved he the world that he gave us his Son. Who yielded his life, an atonement for sin, And opened the life-gate that all may go in.
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the earth hear God’s voice.
Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!
Let the people rejoice.
O come to the Father, through Jesus the Son, And give God the glory, great things he has done.
All the honour goes to God. Alleluia.
Amen.