The account of Naaman’s healing teaches us many things –
We're all vulnerable -
regardless of our social standing We are told in verse 1 that Naaman is a great
man, respected by many, including the King of Syria, his boss. This respect is
based on his status as the captain of the victorious army of Syria. But, we are
told, and this is a big ‘but’, that he has leprosy – a disease that relegates
people in Biblical times to ‘outcast’ status. Therefore, we learn that in spite
of Naaman’s social status, his illness in the form of leprosy is a reminder
that regardless of our station in life, human beings are all vulnerable and
flawed in some way, and in need of divine intervention.
Solutions can come from unlikely
sources. In verse 2, the solution comes from an unlikely and seemingly
‘weak’ source – an enslaved Israelite girl who was captured by Naaman’s army
and is assigned to serve Naaman’s wife. We are led to believe that the slave
girl doesn’t hate those who captured her. Driven by a courageous faith in God,
she seeks a way for God to be glorified in her oppressive situation. By
declaring that Naaman can be healed through a prophet in Samaria in the land of
Israel, she offers the possibility for the oppressor and the oppressed to
worship and serve the same God.
We can jeopardize the flow of
God's blessing by observing socially accepted beliefs and practices. In the
ensuing verses, we see how several factors come into play that potentially
jeopardize the flow of God’s blessing to Naaman. Social barriers, the effect of
political oppression, ethnocentric biases and distorted human beliefs about the
knowledge and wisdom of people classed as being of “low social standing” all
come into play.
The
faithfulness of God's people is crucial for God’s will to be done on earth - BUT in spite of it all, it is the
faithfulness of God’s people – the slave girl and the persistence of the
prophet Elisha that predominate. Elisha’s faithfulness to God prompts him to
speak up when he hears of Naaman’s need and the anguish of the King of Israel.
So Elisha summons Naaman and invites him to “see that there is a prophet in
Israel” – physical healing as well as divine revelation are offered. We’re
reminded that God’s people must not, as St. Paul says to the Galatian
Christians, “grow weary in well-doing, for in due season we shall reap” (Gal.6
v 9). We, like Elisha, must persist in being conduits of God’s goodness and
healing, even to those who are in a position to dominate and exploit.