Show and Ceremony

2 Kings 5:8-12

“8 But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” 11 But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. 

The mighty warrior, Naaman, had won a glorious victory for the King of Aram.  In turn, the King of Aram wrote a letter to the King of Israel telling him that he was sending Naaman to the prophet Elisha so that Naaman could be healed of his leprosy.

When Naaman arrived with his horses and chariots, he expected the prophet Elisha to give him personal treatment.  Instead, Elisha sent his servant to tell Naaman to bathe in the Jordan River seven times, and if he did this he would be healed of his leprosy.

Naaman was not thrilled with these instructions, even though the message was one of healing and hope.  Naaman wanted the show and the ceremony more than he wanted to be healed. He wanted the prophet himself to stand over him, wave his hand over the leprosy and let everyone see how the prophet himself cured him.

Sometimes we let our need for the show and the ceremony overshadow our need for the  healing and the hope of Christ.

Christ did not come to earth so that we could have vast, complicated, ornate and lavish worship services.  He came to heal us and make us whole.

“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:16)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)