This week as I was preparing the message, the Lord said for me to read the story of Naaman first, the man who was healed of leprosy in the Old Testament. I didn’t make the connection to today’s passage at first but it did resonate as I read it.
2 Kings 5:1-5
Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Syria, was a great and honorable man in the eyes of his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Syria. He was also a mighty man of valor, but a leper. And the Syrians had gone out on raids, and had brought back captive a young girl from the land of Israel. She waited on Naaman’s wife. Then she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! For he would heal him of his leprosy.” And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.” Then the king of Syria said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothing.
Naaman was the commander of the Syrian army, a position of prestige and wealth but all the fame and money in the world can’t buy your health. As a last resort, when Naaman heard that a prophet from Israel could heal him, he went to see the King to see if he could be relieved of his duties and go and see the prophet. The King agreed and Naaman went on his way with a letter of endorsement and a lot of money and gifts to pay the prophet.
2 Kings 5:6-10
Then he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, Now be advised, when this letter comes to you, that I have sent Naaman my servant to you, that you may heal him of his leprosy. And it happened, when the king of Israel read the letter, that he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and make alive, that this man sends a man to me to heal him of his leprosy? Therefore please consider, and see how he seeks a quarrel with me.”
The King of Israel recognised the situation was humanly speaking, hopeless. He was afraid that if Naaman was not healed, it would put him in a precarious position with the King of Syria and his reaction was to tear his clothes in despair.
So it was, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, “Why have you torn your clothes? Please let him come to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.” Then Naaman went with his horses and chariot, and he stood at the door of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored to you, and you shall be clean.”
When Elisha heard that the King was in despair, he saw something else. An opportunity for the King of Syria to know there was a God in Israel and that Syria better not take Israel on.
Are you a glass half empty or glass half full kind of person? In every crisis there is an opportunity so they say.
The King liked Elisha’s perspective and So the King sent Naaman on his way to Elisha.
Now Elisha gave Naaman a simple instruction to go down to the Jordan and wash seven times and he would be healed.
Notice the simplicity. The Lord does not make things complicated for us. It’s we who tie ourselves up in knots. That confidence in the Lord is what we all need. Nothing is too difficult for him.
But Naaman became furious, and went away and said, “Indeed, I said to myself, ‘He will surely come out to me, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and wave his hand over the place, and heal the leprosy.’ Are not the Abanah and the Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage. And his servants came near and spoke to him, and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do something great, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and dipped seven times in the Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.
A lot of people want God to do something for them, they have in mind what God will do. But his ways are not our ways.
You know a lot people react badly to the Gospel when they hear they have to repent of their sins and come to Jesus to be made clean. It’s too humbling to think there is nothing they can do to buy their salvation, it’s too simple to think that all you need to do to be saved is to come to Jesus and be made clean at the Cross.
But they should listen to the servants words. If they were to be told to do something great to earn their salvation they would do it, why then don’t they just do the simple thing and do what the Lord says. Repent of their sins and trust in the Lord to save them because he has already paid the price for their sins which they can’t afford anyway for all the money in the world.
Simple faith, that’s what it takes, that’s what Jesus responds to. That’s what makes us born again, like a little child, just like what happened to Naaman.
Let’s go now to the Gospel of Luke. If you remember last week, Jesus had just healed the demoniac and sent a legion of demons into pigs on the other side of Lake Galilee. But the people of the that region were afraid and rejected Jesus sending him away. So he got back into the boat and sailed across back to his home on the other side of the lake.
Luke 8:40-44
So it was, when Jesus returned, that the multitude welcomed Him, for they were all waiting for Him. And behold, there came a man named Jairus, and he was a ruler of the synagogue. And he fell down at Jesus’ feet and begged Him to come to his house, for he had an only daughter about twelve years of age, and she was dying. But as He went, the multitudes thronged Him. Now a woman, having a flow of blood for twelve years, who had spent all her livelihood on physicians and could not be healed by any, came from behind and touched the border of His garment. And immediately her flow of blood stopped.
There seems to me to be a significance in the commonality of the 12 years. The woman had been sick as long as the girl had been alive. I don’t think the two persons are related or I’m sure Luke would have mentioned it. I just think it’s an example of how God weaves his story together which is one of faith and of Jesus being able to heal all.
Jairus was a man of status in the community, he was probably quite wealthy as well. But in contrast to Naaman, he was ready to humble himself.
The woman had probably been quite wealthy too but for 12 years she had been going to the doctors to try and buy her health back. She was from Capernaum and had no doubt heard of the miracles that Jesus had done there and had the faith that Jesus could do something for her.
Everything that was important to the woman—her health, her money, and her status in the community—was gone, not for a month or twelve months, but for twelve years. She was as desperate in her condition as Jairus was in his. The girl was Jairus’s only daughter.
The woman had no logical reason at all to trust any man she had ever met to heal her. She spent every penny that she had on professional healers who were vexed by her condition and unable to help her at all. Yet, when she saw Jesus, she said: “I don’t need to go to any more doctors. I just want to touch the hem of his garment, and I’ll be healed.”
That is remarkable simple faith. Most people would have given up hope years before. All she wanted was to touch the hem of his garment believing that simple act would make her well.
Luke 8:45-48
And Jesus said, “Who touched Me?” When all denied it, Peter and those with him said, “Master, the multitudes throng and press You, and You say, ‘Who touched Me?’ ” But Jesus said, “Somebody touched Me, for I perceived power going out from Me.”
When Jesus used His power to redeem people from whatever condition they were in, it cost Him something. When He calmed the storm, it cost Him something. When He healed the man of a legion of demons, He was drained of the power that left Him.
Ministry costs. It is natural to feel tired afterwards. It is is natural to need time alone as well.
Jesus was instantly aware that power had gone out of him as if the woman had put a plug in a socket and flicked a switch. Ministry uses energy, even if you pray for someone, it uses energy. This is why ministers need rest but more importantly need to send time with Jesus everyday and get the batteries recharged.
Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”
Jesus wasn’t angry with the woman even though she felt fear at being exposed. In fact it was for her own good as she made a public confession that she had been healed. And then he confirmed her healing and told her to go in peace.
There was no mention of sin.
In fact he called her, « Daughter » welcoming her into God’s family. How old was the woman? She had this condition for twelve years. She was almost certainly as old as Jesus and more likely older, and yet Jesus called her daughter. That is significant. We are not by nature sons and daughters of God. God is not the Father of us all. We are not all God’s children though it’s popular to say that. Jesus told the Pharisees their father was the devil and that is true of anyone who has not yet been born again.
In biblical terms, God is only the Father of His only begotten Son. All the rest of His children, His sons and daughters, are adopted. There is no other way to get into the family of God except through adoption. The only way you can be adopted into the family of God is through God’s only Son.
Luke 8:49-53
While He was still speaking, someone came from the ruler of the synagogue’s house, saying to him, “Your daughter is dead. Do not trouble the Teacher.” But when Jesus heard it, He answered him, saying, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well.” When He came into the house, He permitted no one to go in except Peter, James, and John, and the father and mother of the girl. Now all wept and mourned for her; but He said, “Do not weep; she is not dead, but sleeping.” And they ridiculed Him, knowing that she was dead.
This was a moment when all appeared lost which is so often the case with God. Our faith is tested. We have a choice to make. Will we give up and despair or will we trust God in the most difficult moments in our lives?
Luke 8:54-56
But He put them all outside, took her by the hand and called, saying, “Little girl, arise.” Then her spirit returned, and she arose immediately. And He commanded that she be given something to eat. And her parents were astonished, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened.
This was not a resuscitation; this was a resurrection. This little girl was dead because her soul had gone. Jesus called it back and reunited her soul with her body, and she arose immediately.
The reaction of the parents of the girl was in contrast to the reaction of the people on the other side of the lake when the demoniac was healed which was one of fear and of telling Jesus to go away.
It was very revealing of what they believed about God in the first place.
What is our fundamental belief about God? Is it one of judgment and fear or is it one of Grace and love?
This was a foretaste of the last judgment, when all who are in Christ will hear the same effectual call, and the dead in Christ will rise at the sound of His voice when He says, “My little ones—little boy, little girl—get up.” We will rise on that day.
