Sermons

Jul 8 - The Rev. Brian C. Taylor - 6th Sunday of Pentecost

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July 8, 2007 6 Pentecost
The Rev. Brian C. Taylor
2 Kings 5:1-14 Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Today we have two stories about healing. The first, from the Hebrew scriptures, is about seeking healing for ourselves. The second, from the gospel, is about being sent to heal others. They both ask that we drop any pretensions of personal power, be humbled, and open ourselves to the power of God.

In our first reading, Namaan, a powerful commander in the Syrian army, seeks healing from his leprosy. He makes his way to Israel and to the prophet Elisha, who miraculously cleanses him. This is the outline. But the details tell the real story.

We are told that Namaan was a great man, in high favor with the king. One of his slaves, a lowly girl captured in a raid on Israel, suggested that Namaan go to Israel for healing of his leprosy because there was a prophet there, Elisha, who could help. So what did the great man do? Naturally, he went to his master the king, got a letter of recommendation to the king of Israel, took a load of silver and gold, and ten sets of fine garments. In a display of worldly power, he used his influence.

Wouldn’t you? If you had a rare disease and knew a person of influence in the medical community who knew a great specialist whose practice was closed, wouldn’t you get a letter of recommendation from your powerful friend that might open doors for you?

But in Namaan’s case, it didn’t do any good. The king of Israel thought of himself as far too important to get involved in the case of a mere officer in his enemy’s army. Influence applied, favors withheld. That’s how the world works sometimes.

But Elisha heard about the man’s case and sent a message to Namaan: Go and wash in the Jordan River seven times, and you will be cleansed. How ridiculous. After all this, after the silver and the gold and the ten sets of clothing and the letter of recommendation from king to king, this scruffy prophet tells him to go into an enemy’s inferior river, Israel’s pathetic Jordan River, for God’s sake, when he could have gone into the mighty rivers of Damascus and done the same. But it was the lowly slaves who came to his aid again. They suggested that he humble himself and do as the prophet said. He did, and was healed.

Until Namaan dropped his pretensions of human power and became just another man in need, he could not access the real power of God. Until Namaan let go of his expectations about how a great man should be healed in a great river, his disease would remain. He had to become a nobody, vulnerable and powerless, knowing his need, obeying his own slaves, surrendering himself in the land of the enemy to the mercy of God.

This is a key to our healing as well. Up to a certain point, our power and influence can help us in this world. If we are well connected, we can sometimes get access to people who can help heal us. Even our personal strength can be of help – a positive attitude, a healthy lifestyle, a certain determination can lift us up.

But at some point, everyone is humbled. In the hospital room, everyone feels weak and powerless, even successful and brilliant doctors. In the therapist’s office, everyone will break down and cry, even the self-made-man of the world.

In fact, our break-down is sometimes the only thing that will open the door to healing. For our powers and the powers of the world are limited. Naturally, we go as far as we can with these powers, and we should. But when we come up against our limits, when we have already done everything in our power, it then becomes a spiritual matter for us.

At this point, only God has the power to either make us well and strong again, or to give us the grace to go through our difficulties with inner peace. At this point, healing is no longer something we try to accomplish, as Namaan did at first, but something we open ourselves to in humility and trust, as he was eventually convinced to do.

Like Namaan, we will find that God’s power is made manifest in our weakness, as St. Paul told us. We will find that God’s grace is sufficient either to heal us of our illness or unhappiness, or to give us peace in the midst of our suffering.

The flip side of this story is told in the gospel today. Jesus sends out his disciples not to seek healing for themselves as Namaan did, but to heal others. They too were asked to be humble and open, to drop their personal baggage, power, and influence so that God could work through them.

Perhaps they were worried about being vulnerable out there – they knew they would run into some opposition, as Jesus already had. They might have wanted to carry some money, in case they found themselves isolated in hostile territory and needed to buy some food or rent a room for the night. Couldn’t they, like Namaan, take a little baggage, or at least some sturdy shoes so they could run away if things got rough? Knowing they would run into clever critics, shouldn’t they be prepared with convincing arguments about the kingdom of God?

Jesus said No; I send you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag; go barefoot – be that tender. Don’t argue. Just open your heart and offer God’s peace to them If they accept it, wonderful. Stay there and heal. If they refuse it, shake the dust off your feet and move on.

Like Namaan, the disciples are asked to leave behind their influence, their power, their baggage. They are asked to walk into unknown territory, as Namaan did, without any power of their own. Relying on the Spirit, they are to be as vulnerable as lambs, freely offering grace to those who would be open to it. And if they aren’t open to it, let go of them and move on. Don’t waste your time trying to convince them to be healed. They had to abandon even their baggage to be effective.

When most of us see suffering, we want to be an agent of healing. We want to be sent out to help. But we want to take a lot of things with us when we go, don’t we? We want to have the power of a convincing argument, so they will see things our way. We want the right words that will bring insight. We want to bring knowledge about the right approach that will turn their suffering around. And we certainly want to be effective and appreciated.

But often, none of these things help. A grieving widow doesn’t need your insight; she needs your friendship. A sick friend doesn’t need advice about medicine from you; he needs chicken soup and prayers. A confused neighbor doesn’t need your firm guidance; she needs you to walk through the wilderness with her.

And a stubborn relative who isn’t interested in your prayers or the spiritual peace you want to bring to him doesn’t need you to hang around and insist that he receive what you offer. In fact, what he needs is for you to shake the dust off your feet and move on, leaving him alone to stew in his own juices. Perhaps later, having simmered for awhile, he will be more ready to let someone else help him.

It isn’t your personal power or knowledge that heals others. It is your willingness to go into unfamiliar territory without power. It is your willingness to be vulnerable to another in their need, like a lamb who offers nothing but peace, that will help them surrender and trust. It is your freedom from attachment about how they should respond to you that will allow them the space they need to choose healing for themselves.

Today we are given two stories about healing. One is about seeking healing for ourselves, and the other is about healing others. They both ask the same thing of us: faith. They both ask us, when we have exhausted our own resources, to then surrender our power, our influence, our insight and even our attachment to being of help.

They ask us to instead to walk barefoot into unknown territory, humble ourselves, and simply open our hearts to God, and to the other in need. For it is in our weakness that God’ power is made manifest. It is in dying to ourselves that we are raised to new life.