2King 5: 1-4, 9-15
Psalm 111
2 Timothy 2:8-15
Luke 17:11-19
Sermon
“Was none of them found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?”
We like this story. It is a story of Jesus accepting and showing compassion for someone…who is not from the in crowd. On a number of levels Jesus should not be concerned about him…he should not even be talking to the man. This leper is from the unclean crowd… According to religious laws of the day…unclean and diseased people were sinful and therefore under God’s punishment… In world of Bible times lepers were forced to live in separate communities apart from normal healthy citizens. By law they were not to approach or touch a healthy person… In addition…to the disease this particular leper is a foreigner…a Samaritan…with a different religious history…and observances. His kind…foreigners and diseased unclean… are unwelcome both by society and by the religious priests. We like this story because Jesus shows compassion to this unfortunate man who has been rejected by everyone around him. It is a story in which we can point to and say; “That is what our God is like…we are grateful to have a God who care so deeply…even for those who are less fortunate…even for me.”
We also like the Naaman story… It has many similarities… Naaman is also a foreigner. He also has the dreaded leprosy… and he is also cured of the disease by the man of God…without having to be touched… And after being healed… he also praises God…
Even though similarities are present…we like this story for different reasons! … We like it because…rather than Naaman’s faith that he could be healed by God… a little slave girl who has faith in God…and has courage to suggest a cure. …We like this story… because… Naaman …the enemy general even with his arrogance and sense of entitlement… is still cured by God. We like it because Naaman has to eat some crow… and recognize and give praise to the right God. For us it is more about how God’s power is present in spite of the skepticism and anger…which Naaman directs toward God’s prophet. We would want to say about this healing; “It would serve Naaman right if God did nothing to help him.”
How we like or are partial to these two similar but very different stories… describes conflicting ways in which we view the world. When we hear stories from distance…the distance of the past…or even from a distant location… we have similar reactions as we do for these two stories. We have compassion for those poor people living in poverty in the horn of Africa…Central America…or India. And we revere those who like Mother Theresa…who have dedicated their lives to working among those poor souls…who are suffering. We contribute to the ‘Grandmothers for Grandmothers’ campaign to help African grandmothers raise their grandchildren… who are orphaned by AIDS… These world situations stir in us similar feelings of sympathy and compassion found in the story of the Samaritan leper and Jesus. We are proud and happy about missionaries and activists…who have answered God’s call and have faithfully lived their vows of service…
In real life…we also have similar reactions to the reactions we have for Naaman … We view celebrities and world leaders with skepticism and a certain amount of distaste. We object to their arrogance…their superiority… and their expectations of other people…especially their expectations for those who…in their eyes… are less important. We smile when a rich heiress or movie star gets into trouble for driving while impaired. We are drawn to stories…about the prim and proper English royal family… stories which show them not to be so proper after all. We celebrate when rich and powerful Corporate Executive Officers of large companies are caught with their hands in the cookie jar. We like seeing people who have flaunted their power, their riches, their fame, or heritage… put into a more humbling place… And we find ourselves saying; “It serves them right!”
But our reactions to these two stories are not as simple as that. When the distance of time or the physical distance of these stories are taken away…often we have very different reactions. When we see poverty and disease from a closer perspective…quite often we are less compassionate. We are not as nearly thankful that God is giving us opportunities to live lives of service. Instead, we see people who for one reason or other are the authors of their own misfortune… we see people too lazy to work… We see people who have allowed alcohol or drugs to take control of their lives. While we have compassion for AIDS victims in Africa…at home we blame it on life-style choices…which are undeserving of our help. When it is close we are not so compassionate…about poverty or disease.
Our reaction to the rich and powerful is also not always as clear either. When distance is removed when the powerful and influential are close by… Thousands come out to see the Queen or other spoiled members of the royal family… We sometimes try getting closer or to impress powerful and influential people hoping for a job…or hoping that in our closeness to them… some power and influence may rub off on us. Even though we dislike the entitlement and arrogance… which often accompany power and riches…we allow our pursuit of money to change the people we are. When it is close we are drawn in by the prospect of power and riches.
When it comes to relationships with God…another story is prevalent. Often we assume that our relationship or the way we understand God is better than other people’s. We think that the way we worship is better than the way others worship. We think that God loves people like us best. But today in both the story about Naaman and about the Samaritan leper…we are surprised and astonished by God’s actions. Naaman…a successful commander… is from Damascus in Aram or present day Syria… Naaman is a commander for the enemy armies…of God’s chosen people in Israel. And the story read today…his success has been because… because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. In one of his successful raids he had even stole a young girl from Israel. Now…even though he shows no faith… God heals him…so that he will be able continue having success.
Secondly, the Samaritan leper who comes from a different faith background…having a different way of worshipping…according to Jesus’ words is healed because of his faith.
God gives victory and healing to an enemy commander with no faith. And God gives healing to another insignificant foreigner whose faith practices are different.
Today…through the work of Jesus… we see God’s narrative about our world… in a form we sometimes forget. Today God surprises us on all accounts… According to God’s narrative the unexpected ones…the alien/foreigner …the widow…and the orphan… are people worthy of God’s attention. Those who have not standing within the circles of power and influence…within a community… within a country… within the world…all have standing with God. They are all important members of God’s kingdom… And God gives us opportunities to live according to God’s story for the world.
Today let us open our hearts to God’s narrative for the world… Let us be ever thankful for all the blessings we have been given. Let us also see to opportunities God give us to be generous with our blessings. And let us open our hearts to imagine what is on God’s mind for everyone. And let us open our hands to be the hands of God. Thanks be to God. Amen
Out of the Wilderness 