¹⁰ Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

¹¹ But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage. II Kings 5:10-12

If I asked you who Naaman was in the Bible, you must be a fan of Bible trivia to answer. Outside of II Kings 5, Naaman is only mentioned once, by Jesus in Luke 4:27. In his first sermon in his hometown Nazareth, Jesus said, "And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian." Jesus is making a point that God is gracious to heal an outsider. Now listen to the following two verses:

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.²⁹ They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built to throw him off the cliff.

Tough crowd! Apparently, what Jesus learned in seminary didn't translate back home. I wonder about this gap between Jesus' words about healing and this violent reaction. Jesus' healings often stirred anger instead of celebration. Shouldn't a healing story be good news? There are several stories where Jesus healed, but people were angry because it was the Sabbath, which broke religious law. I realized for the first time this week that Jesus healed people four times on the Sabbath, just in Luke's Gospel. You might think that after people got angry, Jesus could switch and heal them on Monday or maybe even Thursday. Clearly, Jesus wanted to make a point by healing on the Sabbath four times, knowing it would upset people!

Today, I want to explore this disconnect surrounding healing and wellness. What is it about these moments of grace that stir anger? What can we learn from Naaman's story, which happened 850 years before Jesus and still upset people? And how does this story speak to us if we imagine being a church that imagines being a source of healing in our troubled and broken world? 

I understand Naaman and his resistance to go to the Jordan River to be healed. This is a classic story of a great hero who must become vulnerable to become whole. Naaman is at the highest levels of achievement and competence, a victorious general of great renown, but he has leprosy. Superman, the man of steel, is susceptible to kryptonite. Vulnerability is a part of being human.

Naaman had leprosy, which was more than a health problem. Social and moral implications were also in the mix. A wide variety of skin conditions were lumped together under the term leprosy, and Leviticus outlined guidelines for priests to examine people to decide if they were contagious or not. (Yet another thing I did not learn in seminary!). Leprosy was seen as a curse or the result of sin. Of the 61 defilements in ancient Jewish laws, leprosy is the second most serious, after contact with a dead body. People with leprosy were forced to stay at least six feet away from physical contact to avoid contagion. (Sound familiar!).

I bet leprosy created rumors around Naaman. Is he guilty of some secret sin? Can we go near him? Is he competent to lead us in battle? Will we lose God's favor in the next war? This skin condition had national security implications.

Who is going to solve this problem? A Jewish slave girl, captured in a border raid, speaks of the great prophet Elisha, known to cure diseases. The Hebrew text emphasizes she is a "small slave girl." She may be the least influential person in all of Aram (Syria).  Her suggestion went from Naaman's wife to Naaman to a conversation with the king about asking a foreign prophet of an adversary to heal their great general. This simple suggestion from a small voice will involve careful international diplomacy.

The political leaders of the two nations completely botch the negotiation. The king of Aram sends a letter and a caravan of gold and silver. The letter reads, "When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent you Naaman, my servant, that you may cure him of his leprosy." Crucial information is left out, like finding Elisha the prophet.  Israel's king freaks out, rips his clothes, and says, "I am not a God. I don't have the power of life and death and healing." It's a trap. When he doesn't heal the general, the invasion will come. It is fascinating that the author of the Book of Kings shows us that two kings are incompetent in dealing with something as simple as a man's skin problem. II Kings is not a narrative glorifying kingly power and wisdom. The king of Aram thinks money and wealth will solve the problem, but gold does not heal. And Israel's king sounds anxious, paranoid, and cowardly. Notice that neither king gets a name in the story. They are just as nameless as a slave girl.

Elisha is the non-anxious hero needed to sort out a crisis. Step one for any leader in trouble is to deal with your fearful emotions first. Great leaders manage themselves so they can make clear decisions. Leaders who are grandiose and play to the crowd, or who lead by threats and insults, who blame and scapegoat others rather than take responsibility are weak because they can’t manage themselves. 

Elisha sends a message to the king, "Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel." Naaman now travels to Elisha's house with chariots, war horses, silver, and gold. This display of wealth and power is supposed to awe Elisha. But what does he do? He again sends a messenger to say, "Wash in the Jordan River seven times, and you will be healed." Naaman is insulted by this ridiculous suggestion. In his mind, Elisha should come and face him, wave his hand over the leprosy spots, and heal him in a grand ceremony worthy of his importance. And why the Jordan River? It's a small, muddy river when Aram has beautiful, mighty rivers of sweet, clear water. Why can't I just go home and wash in our rivers?

Elisha's cure is psychologically brilliant. The powerful general who has conquered many lands must be humble enough to wash in the little muddy river of a minor rival. It's terrible publicity. Few people look good after being dunked in water, with wet hair clinging to their faces, clothes sticking to their bodies. Naaman must do this seven times. He must be baptized in a foreign river. A baptism is an act of humility. You must be washed and made clean. You are submerged in an unfriendly environment where you can't breathe. The hope is that you will emerge as a new being, healed by grace, to be who you are meant to be in God's eyes. Martin Luther said remember your baptism every day. Remember it every time you wash your face. You live by grace. You must get wet.

No wonder Naaman just wants Elisha to wave a hand over him and be healed. I wish every peace deal, every act of Congress, or divided Supreme Court decision required leaders to dunk themselves in the rivers of their opponents seven times. Congress should have an annual day to humbly walk out into the Potomac, or every state governor must wade into the river of a state governed by the opposite party. Maybe every voter, too. Elisha says the way towards healing is to swim in your opponent's river. You must get wet.

Who will save Naaman from his pride? Once again, a lowly servant saves the day and convinces him to go. It's not his king telling him to do whatever is necessary and return to work. It's not a trusted advisor. It's a humble servant who sees what must be done and says, "Naaman, if the prophet told you to do something hard and courageous, you would do it. All you must do is bathe in the river. Isn't your healing worth it?”

Finally, Naaman takes the plunge, dips himself seven times in the Jordan, and emerges a new man. It is not only his skin that is healed. This affects his soul. Naaman understands God in a new way. His awareness of God is opened as he sees that other rivers, and other peoples, are just as sacred as he is. This God works not through kings and generals but through small servants, strange prophets, and acts of humility.

So where is your river this morning? Where are you called to take a step into a vulnerable place? You don’t want to do this thing, but wholeness requires it for you to be your best self. Where do you need to see a conflict from a different point of view, or to either forgive or set better boundaries? What life change do you need to be healthy? Remember, healing begins with humility, and God meets us when we are willing to wade into unknown waters. Friends, claim your baptism. Live in grace. Whatever it is you must do, God will go with you. In the rivers we least expect, God’s grace flows strongest. So, when the moment comes, and you stand on that river’s edge, remember: the God of wholeness invites you to step in and get wet.