November 6, 2022 - Remembrance Day
2 Kings 5:1-15a
Deborah Laforet
Now Is the Time
Let us pray. May the words from my lips and the meditations of my heart be guided by your Spirit and be words of wisdom for this day. Amen.
The last two weeks we’ve talked about vulnerable and powerful people. We’ve discussed the vulnerable people in our bible stories and how they are silenced, from Bathsheba to David’s many wives, from sex workers to the vulnerable lives of children. We’ve identified those in power that misused and abused that power, like King David, and his son, King Solomon.
The story we heard today is interesting because if kind of flips this dynamic on its head. In this story, it’s the vulnerable who change lives and cause transformations, while the ones in power are vulnerable and susceptible to harm.
We’ll start with the servant girl in Naaman’s household. Naaman is a powerful military commander in the Aram army and had won many victories, including a battle in the home of this servant girl. We are told that she had been captured during a raid on Israel and then made a slave. Now, as usual, the vulnerable people in many stories are unnamed. This unnamed servant girl served Naaman’s wife.
We are also told Naaman had a skin disease, probably a pretty serious one as we are told he suffered from this skin disease. Now, the servant girl knew of a prophet in Israel who could possibly help Naaman. In this instant, this vulnerable slave girl, taken from her homeland by Naaman, had the power to withhold that information. She didn’t have to say a word to her master about this knowledge of a healer, but she made the decision to have compassion on him. She tells Naaman’s wife of this prophet, and Naaman’s wife passes along the information.
Naaman listens, which is extraordinary in itself. He goes to his king for permission to leave and find this prophet. His king grants permission and says he will write a letter to the king in Israel. Naaman, this powerful military commander, leaves for Israel, on the advice of a slave girl, with full permission of his king, and with ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments, a gift for the king and possibly a bribe.
Now, this letter from the King of Aram simply reads, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his skin disease.” Seems innocent enough, right? Upon reading it, the King of Israel tears his clothes and says, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his skin disease? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.” Now, this is not what I hear in the letter, but if you remember, the servant girl was captured during a raid on Israel. It could be the Israeli king saw this as an excuse for more raids. This powerful king felt very vulnerable because he knew there was no way he would be able to heal Naaman of this disease, and because he thought his nation was at risk.
Of course, the prophet to whom the servant girl was referring was Elisha. Elisha was the mentor of Elijah, whose name you might recognize. When Elisha heard about the king tearing his garments, he sent word to the king to send Naaman to him.
Now, being the conquering commander from the powerful nation of Aram, Naaman probably expected a lot of fanfare, as most important and powerful people do. He maybe expected a large temple, and priests that would fawn on him and kneel at his feet. He might expect a big ceremony, lots of lights and sounds, magic and a big show. Instead though, he is instructed to go to a house, where a messenger comes out, not even the prophet himself, and tells Naaman to go wash in the Jordan river seven times and he will be healed.
That’s it. Where’s the fanfare? Where is the prophet to make a big to-do? He could have stayed home and washed in Aram’s mighty rivers. Naaman was angry, he felt slighted, and he turned to go home.
Now, for a second time, we have vulnerable servants who decide to take action. If you can imagine, it would have taken a lot of courage to come before Naaman, powerful, strong, and, at the time, very angry, and offer advice. One of the servants, again unnamed, speaks up and says, “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’?”
Again, Naaman listens. Obviously, he knows wisdom when he hears it. Naaman goes to the Jordan river, washes seven times, and comes out with the skin of a young boy, healed completely. He then goes back to Elisha, and says, “Now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel; please accept a present from your servant.” Naaman, an important man in his nation, a strong commander of armies, has the wisdom to listen to the servant of his wife and then to his own servant, and then to humbly call himself Elisha’s servant.
How the tables have turned! Servants are raised up in this story; they are the ones who are wise and able to help direct the lives of the powerful. This story in our bible is one of the last ones before we head into the books of the prophets, people speaking truth to power, but, unfortunately, unlike Naaman, these people in power ignore these prophets, runn them out of town, and sometimes order them beaten and put to death.
Powerful people like to think they run the world, that their needs go before all others. They are constantly surprised when those they perceive as weak and inferior turn the tables, when they speak truth to power, offer undeniable wisdom, gather a large following because of their strong acts of compassion, and even seem unafraid to die for what they believe. Sounds like our Jesus story, doesn’t it? And in fact, I’m sure you could name several others, from history, or from modern times that have also shown this courage.
Today we observe Remembrance Day and I considered finding another bible story for today, that might better suit this observance, but this story is a story of rival nations, a story of politics, a story of power and vulnerability. When war happens, it’s often the vulnerable who are most affected, women, children, seniors, and those fighting, sometimes by choice. In today’s world we hear stories of powerful dictators who are using their power and military strength to threaten and attack, while the vulnerable flee for cover.
Those in power think they run the world, that their needs go before all others. Sometimes their needs are not the needs of the vulnerable, and then they are surprised when the vulnerable fight back or rebel. I think the leader of Russia was surprised at the strength of the defence in Ukraine. I think Iranian authorities were surprised at the protests over the death of Mahsa Amini, a young woman who died in the custody of Iranian police. I think corporations and government leaders were surprise when young Greta Thunberg used her voice and passion to gain attention to the climate crisis and started a movement with millions of followers. I think authorities were surprised when millions of people took to the street after George Floyd and too many others were killed by police. And I hate to say it, but many of us were surprised by the Freedom Convoy, protesting the loss of their freedoms. We may not agree with the protest or how it was enacted, but they definitely felt they were vulnerable and speaking up against big government.
As followers of Jesus, who was always on the side of the vulnerable, we need to discern who are the vulnerable, who are those in need, who are being silenced or unnamed, who are being oppressed. We need to discern who has the power and how the power being used.
At times, we may be the vulnerable ones and we may need to determine how we speak out and speak up, when we fight back, or bide our time and plan our protest. We may be the ones in power and, like Naaman, need to decide how we use that power. To whom do we listen? In what way is it helpful for us to advocate and be an ally? When do we humbly step aside, giving space? What are our own motives and do we recognize when we are abusing our power? I’m not saying we will never have the vulnerable or that there will never be power imbalances, but the world might be a more peaceful place if we were all heard and if we all just shut up and listen. May it be so. Amen.