God worked in counterintuitive ways in both Sunday’s scripture readings.

Last week we learned that Elisha had inherited the mantle of Elijah, literally and figuratively, who was taken up on a chariot of fire. Elisha also received a double portion of Elijah’s spirit. (2 Kings 2:1-2, 6-14) The first reading for this Sunday, (2 Kings 5:1-14) continues the story of Elisha’s life as a prophet.

The foils for Elisha’s work are the leper Naaman, a commander in the king of Aram’s army and the king of Israel. 

A captive girl from Israel worked in Naaman’s household. Aware of his leprosy she told Naaman’s wife, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” The one with the saving knowledge was a slave girl, a person who would be least expected to have this wisdom. That she had this information also indicates that Elisha’s reputation for being able to work miracles had spread. Naaman’s wife and Naaman had to trust what she said. Apparently they discussed her recommendation with the king of Aram. Their faith in the slave girls’ story is, itself, remarkable! 

The king of Aram said, “by all means, go,”. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing, and a letter to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman so that you may cure him of his leprosy. The king of Aram assumed that the King of Israel had both the knowledge and the authority to command a cure. He and Naaman also assumed that such a cure would cost a fortune.

When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? …Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? …” Apparently, it did not occur to the king to refer Naaman to Elisha. While the slave girl in the land of Aram knew about the divinely-gifted Elisha, he did not. He was either detached from the work of God among his own people or dismissed the stories of Elisha’s holy powers. As far as the king was concerned, the request was impossible. 

When Elisha …learned of the king’s response, he sent him this message: “…Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.”  While the king may have not been aware of Elisha, Elisha was apparently attentive to what was going on in the king’s palace and saw an opportunity, not only to cure Naaman, but perhaps instruct the king about God’s work in Israel. Note, also, that Elisha used the king as his messenger, rather than seeking our Naaman on his own.

So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house… He arrived with all his symbols of power and privilege to a door that was much less grand than the king’s palace gate. 

The horses and chariots did not impress Elisha. He didn’t bother to come out. Instead, Elisha sent a messenger to say, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

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. Naaman assumed that his presence deserved some personal attention. Are not 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… and probably with some bruised pride. 

But Naaman’s servants said to him, “… if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? … So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy. Again, the servants were wiser than their superiors. Luckily for Naaman, he recognized their logic and was cured.

God chose to work through a slave girl, a prophet who wasn’t known by his own king and the river Jordan. God’s way of working was not at all as Naaman had assumed.

**

The theme of trust in counterintuitive instructions continues in today’s gospel (Luke 10:1-11). 

The Lord appointed seventy-two and sent them two by two to every place he was about to go. He told them… I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; do not greet anyone on the road.In other words: do not make the normal travel arrangements: be vulnerable: rely on hospitality. “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; … Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house. When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ The thrill of being chosen by Jesus probably faded quickly as the seventy-two realized what their mission entailed.

Jesus’ instruction was to offer a blessing…‘Peace to this house.’…to depend on hospitality and to heal the sick. The seventy-two had to trust his instructions and believe that the townspeople would open their doors to them and feed them. His instruction defied common sense. In today’s terms, he was telling them to go without cash or credit cards, without a change of clothes and to hope that someone would take them in. He also told them to heal, a task truly beyond their abilities, but not those of God. His instructions subverted the assumptions of power and privilege.

For their part, the townspeople had to recognize the needy strangers as the Lord’s messengers. The disciples probably looked like common labourers, fishermen or shepherds, not as they expect God’s messengers to look. Offering hospitality was a big ‘ask’ their audiences. 

At the same time, the disciples probably glowed in the reflected grace of the words of Jesus and would have attracted many listeners. 

Jesus added that they would not always be welcome: But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.’

His message was that trust in God would be enough*. 

Jesus’ instruction reflected his own life on earth: coming as a helpless infant, consigned to a stable, working as an unassuming carpenter and often unrecognized, except for his message of peace, and trusting that he was doing the work of his Father. 

**
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  • When the king of Israel learned of Naaman’s cure, do you imagine he sought out Elisha for further instruction… or at least to thank him for getting him out of a pickle?
  • Imagine the surprise, delight …and reflection… of Jesus’ disciples who went as instructed, were welcomed and performed healing miracles that they had previously never thought they could!
  • What does it mean for you to take the good news to the world? How should Christians respond when our mission is greeted with indifference or ridicule?        

**

As part of their contemporary training Jesuit novices are sent out with a one-way bus ticket, little or no money and the clothes on their back and are expected to return within a few weeks to a month. They learn to trust in God and become comfortable with uncertainty. While they carry a letter of introduction explaining who they are and the purpose of their trip, many still encounter skepticism and rejection. A week or two into their pilgrimage the novices are frequently pretty scruffy and their appearance challenges the credibility of their stories. “The drama had nothing to do with whether or not I was going to have food to eat or a place to sleep,” said Eric Immel, SJ, recalling his experience. “The drama had to do with trusting that God’s hand is actually guiding me through all of it.” https://www.jesuits.org/press-release/society-of-jesus-welcomes-38-new-novices/
Peace
Michael