February 15, 2009
The Sixth Sunday after The Epiphany (Year B)
2 Kings 5:1-14; Psalm 30; 1 Corinthians 9:24-27;
Mark 1:40-45
Two of our three readings this morning deal with people suffering with leprosy. Now leprosy, although practically eradicated today, was until fairly recently still a dreaded disease, but it was so feared in ancient times that any skin disease was considered a condition that must be looked upon with suspicion resulting often in banishment for the victims not only from society but also from their homes and families, forced to live outside the city, to wear torn clothing and to call out, “Unclean! Unclean!” wherever they went. The Book of Leviticus, more aptly called the Priest’s Manual, devotes two whole chapters to describing various skin diseases and their symptoms and the rituals for purification of diseased persons and their houses – and such purification only takes place if the person is deemed, by the priest, to be “clean.”
The Old Testament story of Naaman is a wonderful metaphor for how a person of importance and status is as vulnerable to terrible disease as is the poorest and most disadvantaged of any of God’s people. He also represents those who think money and power can buy anything, even good health. But he does have at least one redeeming feature: he listens. Indeed, there wouldn’t have been a story if he hadn’t listened to his servants, actually initially to his wife whose captive servant girl had told her of the prophet in
Elisha to the rescue! “Let [Naaman] come to me,” he tells the king. So Naaman comes to Elisha with his horses and chariots, and he expects the prophet to come out to meet him, presumably duly impressed by the power of his visitor, and that he would bring out his potions, his paraphernalia, whatever it is he uses for curing disease. Instead, however, this great general is given a message to go wash in the River Jordan, not once, but seven times. Of course, he is insulted and splutters off in anger at being treated in such a manner, definitely not befitting his rank! In addition he had perfectly good rivers at home! However, once again it is his servants who dare – and I find that amazing in itself – to step up to him and say, ”If the prophet had told you to do something difficult, you would not have hesitated, would you?” How true! And so, Naaman is cured! Quite a story! And there is much that we can relate to and see of ourselves in it: not the least of which and what really jumped out for me was “entitlement.” The expectation that we should get something because of who and what we are and what we have!
But that is not God’s way of doing things. That is not how things are done in the
First, the leper is again nameless as has been the case in the two stories of healing reported previously in Mark, each time the victim, the sufferer has been nameless! So for all we know this leper could have been from a wealthy family of some influence in the community, like Naaman, but now he is ostracized because of his affliction. But this poor sick individual somehow knows who Jesus is and what power he possesses, what healing power, and that if he will only use it, it will make him whole again. He knows that Jesus will make him really whole, well, cured, not just give him a certificate saying he is “clean.” No, he will really make him “clean!”
But to come up and to speak to Jesus as he does is to break the law and for Jesus to reach out and touch him is, according to the law, defiling him, Jesus, making him also ritually impure! So, just imagine the reactions of the crowd that must have stopped to watch, from afar of course, this encounter between the prophet, the healer, and the “untouchable”: horror, disgust, fear, self-righteousness, anger, you name it! And then, the improbable outcome! “I do choose,” Jesus said, “Be made clean!”
With his characteristic challenging of existing conventions and laws, Jesus chooses, chooses, to heal this man of his affliction. But then in a surprising act of conformity he does tell him to go to the priest and fulfill the prescribed rituals – after first telling him to say nothing to anyone! (That’s another whole issue for another time!)
When we consider the
Just as the leper approached Jesus begging, kneeling, so should we come to our God, whether you think of God in terms of the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, individually, or as the Trinity (I’ve been reading “Shack!”), we should come acknowledging that we are not in charge, not capable of going it alone, and most assuredly not “entitled” to anything, and that it is God’s prerogative to say loudly and clearly, “I choose to do what I will do.”
Of course, we hope and pray that God chooses to do what we want God to do, to make us whole, healthy, happy, to find us the job we need, to straighten out our kids, to comfort our friends, but that is not always what happens, is it? And again, I believe through this story this morning Jesus helps us understand that. He does something that is wonderful for the leper, restoring him to health and home, but for the many who were out there watching, that was outrageous behavior on Jesus’ part.
Didn’t he know the rules? Well, we know he did, at least some of them, because he sent the man to the priest. So, yes, Jesus could have obeyed all the rules of his Judaic heritage and told the leper to get away, stay away from him, and he would have been considered justified, righteous even. But he acted contrarily to the way that would have brought him the approval of his peers. Obviously it was of more importance to him to be compassionate, loving his neighbor, not being judgmental, no words of accusation, no “what was your sin?” that you are in this condition. He chose to go against society’s rules, to take an unpopular stand, in order to bring for a moment a piece of God’s kingdom into that wretched world.
God has chosen to give us, each one of us, the ability to choose, yes to choose, between good and evil, between right and wrong, between God’s way and our way. We can choose to kneel, figuratively or otherwise, before our God and say, “Here I am! Let your will be my will!” Or we can be like Naaman who thought because he had wealth and status, the prophet should come to him.
In this gospel reading this morning Jesus challenges us to choose as he has chosen, to search out and to live into God’s way of doing things, to put God and God’s will first and foremost in our lives and to love one another as God has loved, does love, and will continue to love us.
One of my favourite prayers is the Collect for Grace used in Morning Prayer: “Lord God, . . . Preserve us with your mighty power, that we may not fall into sin, nor be overcome by adversity; and in all we do, direct us to the fulfilling – and I usually add “and living” – of your purpose; through Jesus Christ our Lord. (BCP, 100) May we go forth this morning and every morning aware of and prepared to face the challenges of this world as we make our choices to do God’s will, confident in the knowledge that God is with us always.
Amen.
Sonia F. G. Stevenson, M. Div.
Church of the Good Shepherd