In yesterday’s sermon we considered the contrast of two men in Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector from Luke 18. We saw that the good guy exalted himself in his prayer and left the temple smug yet unaccepted by God. The bad guy, however, humbled himself and left justified.
A similar, though more subtle contrast can be found in 2 Kings 5. Filling the shoes of the tax collector is Naaman, a celebrated general for the cruel empire of Syria. His troops had devastated the people of God before; he even had a household slave girl who was Israelite. But Naaman had an impurity problem. He had contracted the corrupting and eventually lethal disease of leprosy. He could not save himself.
In place of the Pharisee we find Gehazi, the faithful servant of Elisha, the anointed prophet of God. Gehazi’s whole life was devoted to supporting the works of God. We get the impression that Gehazi assumed his own righteousness. After all, he wasn’t a pagan killer like Naaman. He had enjoyed a front row seat to miracles and holy wonders unlike any seen before. God’s kingdom seemed to be coming in power, and Gehazi was part of the in-crowd.
Strangely, God’s grace comes to Naaman through his slave girl, who told Naaman’s wife of the healing power of Israel’s mighty prophet. He then travels with horses and chariot to Elisha’s house. Elisha doesn’t even see Naaman, but simply sends him a message that if he washes seven times in the Jordan River, he will be cleansed. At first, Naaman is outraged. The Jordan is a dirty river, and he expected Elisha to actually show his face and heal him directly. Why should he jump through hoops like this? But then Naaman’s servants challenge him: “He said you’d be healed! Will you not just try it?” So Naaman humbles himself and washes. And God thoroughly cleanses him! He’s so full of gratitude that he wants to make great gifts to Elisha. But the prophet refuses; God’s grace is always free.
Elisha refused to seek his own glory from the works of God, but not so Gehazi. He secretly seeks honor from this interaction, and so ends up with the gifts Naaman was more than happy to bestow. And just as we, in our self-righteous moments, deny the fact of our posturing or pandering for glory from other people, so also Gehazi fibs to Elisha, “Your servant was nowhere.” But Elisha calls out this self-honoring Israelite and pronounces, “‘Therefore the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you.’”
Scripture tells us again and again that the self-exalting (however outwardly clean and meticulous) will be brought low, while the humble (however horrific their past crimes) will be exalted. As grace goes out to the humbled bad guys from God’s Anointed One, may you not see yourself as deserving of honor. May you instead likewise say, “Have mercy on me, a sinner!” And as you interact with other Naamans, may it not be with contemptuous comparison, but as conduits of free grace like Naaman’s slave girl and the servants. Knowing God’s mercy for ourselves, we don’t grow self-assured in that status. Instead we glorify the God who justifies sinners, retelling, “It is a great word He has spoken: ‘Wash and be clean!’”