2 Kings 5:1-15/Romans 1:8-17/St Matthew 8:1-13
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
He had gone up on the mountain to catechize them. He preached to the crowds; the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes, the Our Father, almsgiving and oaths, anxiety over mammon. His instruction was thorough. And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at His doctrine, for He gave them doctrine as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
When He came down from the mountain, great crowds followed Him. He cleanses a leper and heals the servant of a Roman centurion. He preaches and shows mercy. For our Lord doctrine and practice go together in the life of the Church.
It is by the same authority with which He teaches that He cleanses and heals. For the words that He speaks are spirit and they are life; that is, His doctrine is life. And it is by the selfsame authoritative Word that Jesus wills the leper to be clean. As it was in the beginning, He speaks, Be light, and there is light; so now, Be clean, and he is cleansed. His word bespeaks the leprous man clean; His Word bespeaks him righteous. And the leper who was once an outsider is restored not only in health, but also to his standing and place in the community.
So it was for Naaman. He was doubly an outsider. Not only was he a leper, but he was also a Syrian, a Gentile. He is the leper and the Roman centurion in one. But unlike them he doubts the Word of the Lord and scoffs at Elisha’s catechesis. “Bathe in the Jordan? How outrageous! That dirty stream is useless!” He expected a show, if not in honor of his wealth and prestige, at least for the sake of the miracle. He wanted Elisha to stand and call upon the name of the Lord and wave his hand over him and cure him. Naaman wanted a faith healer, a showman, who would razzle-dazzle him.
Such is the expectation of the unbeliever to the words and work of our Lord. Elisha did not pander to this unbeliever’s expectations and wishes. But the Church does! Looking for a good show? A little razzle-dazzle? If that’ll get you in the door, you got it! But Elisha isn’t concerned with meeting the expectations of this Gentile unbeliever. He doesn’t even invite him in the house! He simply sends the Word out to him, fully trusting the authority of the Word and the promise of God, the One who kills and makes alive. It will do what it says.
And it does. At the behest of his servant, who is like a child, a son to him, Naaman dips seven times in the Jordan and according to the Word of the Lord, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. A man who had lived perhaps years with this horrible, painful illness is at last healed; fully restored, pain free, his skin like a baby’s! But there is more: through the promise of the Word, Naaman was not only cleansed of his leprosy, but was given faith in the God of Israel, the true God. He is cleansed of his spiritual leprosy! Sins forgiven in through this simple bath of water and Word.
And of course we who have in Christ the fulfillment of the Old Testament see in Naaman’s healing a foreshadow of our baptisms, the means by which our God cleanses us in body and soul of the leprosy of sin, dipping us in the righteousness of Christ, and restoring us in mercy to stand before Him in holiness and life.
But we are inclined to ask, like Naaman, “How can water do such great things?” Certainly not just water, for whether the Jordan or Abana or White River, the water is plain water. But when that simple water is joined to the Word and promise of God, it is a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a baptism of the forgiveness of sins, granting the gift of the Holy Spirit. Faith does not make or produce baptism. Rather it trusts this promise given in baptism; trusts the Word of the Lord.
And we are given a blessed picture of faith in today’s Gospel from the Roman centurion. This is how the saints of old instruct us - in steadfastness of faith and purity of life. Now again, this outsider, this Gentile, approaches our Lord and beseeches Him to heal his paralyzed servant, who is as a dear son to him; for the word for servant here, pais, can also be used for a son. This relationship is not unlike that of Naaman to his servants. A servant, a slave, has no proper standing in the house, no inheritance, no honor. But a son has claim to the goods of his father and receives the honor of the family name.
Thus this Roman military captain appeals to our Lord’s compassion as a father to his son, not merely a master to his servant. Our Lord replies, I will come and heal him. And now are a given the great picture of faith. This solider understands authority, for he is himself not only a man of authority, but is under authority. His authority is derived from the honor and power of one greater than he - his own commanding officer on up to the Commander and Chief of Rome. And so he says, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only speak the Word and my son will be healed.
Our Lord marvels at such faith, never before seen in Israel, but confessed now from a Gentile. Faith that trusts in the Word and promise of Christ; the authority of His Word to do what it says. And though the cleansing of a leper and the healing of a paralytic are remarkable, this is still a power hidden under weakness, an authority masked behind obedience.
For Christ does not use His authority for His earthly good, but for your heavenly benefit. He who receives His authority from His Father, obediently submits Himself to that authority. He becomes the leper, infected with your sin. He becomes the outsider, cut off from Israel’s God. Such was the will of the Father. For the Gospel, the good news, the power of God for salvation is this: the Son of God was made Sin for you. He was hauled outside the gate and nailed to a tree. There He died a most gruesome and horrible death, spilling the last once of His lifeblood upon that dusty earth at the hands of wicked and evil men. This is your salvation, this is your boast!
This is what St Paul means when he says, I am not ashamed of the Gospel. There was certainly much of which to be ashamed. The Cross, the most shameful of deaths, reserved for criminals and terrorists - and he was preaching as the icon of our salvation! The weakness of a god becomes Man and saves men by dying. The impotency of a Word. The silliness of a splash in the water. The offense of bread and wine actually being the body and blood of your dead god. Oh yes, there was much of which to be ashamed.
But St Paul says, I am not ashamed. I preach Christ and Him crucified. A stumbling block. An obstacle. An offense. Life. The means of your salvation and all who believe. The righteousness of God revealed.
So do not be ashamed of Elisha refusing to come out to meet Naaman or to pander to his unbelief. The Word has its way. Naaman was made a believer. He reclines at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Do not be ashamed of your catechesis, your thorough going instruction in the Word, both in doctrine and practice. Though there is no waiving of hands and razzle-dazzle, there is the Word, strong and powerful to save. But it is a strength made perfect in weakness and a power shown in humility.
With good reason the Church has seen fit to emulate the faith of this centurion. Our Lord praises His faith, faith that clings to the mere Word and promise, faith that looks not to itself own self-worth or character, but to Christ, its object and goal. So the faithful take this centurion’s pray for their own. Kneeling here you are given to pray, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only speak the Word and I shall be healed.”
For here, in these humblest of means, in bread and wine, your Lord comes under the roof of your mouth. To you, who are not worthy of yourself, are given to feast with and on the Lord of Life. And He who is the Word made flesh bespeaks you righteous. He comes to you and heals you. Cleanses you of the leprosy of sin and heals your paralyzed heart by His Word of forgiveness. It is not the wealth or prestige of Naaman which makes you worthy to approach Him. It is humble faith, like that of the centurion, by which you enter into Christ and appeal to His Father. And that whether you are master or child.
For here each one of you reaps a harvest from among your brothers and sisters. Here you are mutually encouraged by each others faith and the faithfulness of Christ our Lord. For here the preaching and mercy of Christ meet. Here His doctrine and practice come together to create and strengthen your faith; to forgive your sins. Here it is done for you as you have believed.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
In the Name + of JESUS. Amen.
He had gone up on the mountain to catechize them. He preached to the crowds; the Sermon on the Mount. The Beatitudes, the Our Father, almsgiving and oaths, anxiety over mammon. His instruction was thorough. And when Jesus finished these sayings, the crowds were astonished at His doctrine, for He gave them doctrine as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.
When He came down from the mountain, great crowds followed Him. He cleanses a leper and heals the servant of a Roman centurion. He preaches and shows mercy. For our Lord doctrine and practice go together in the life of the Church.
It is by the same authority with which He teaches that He cleanses and heals. For the words that He speaks are spirit and they are life; that is, His doctrine is life. And it is by the selfsame authoritative Word that Jesus wills the leper to be clean. As it was in the beginning, He speaks, Be light, and there is light; so now, Be clean, and he is cleansed. His word bespeaks the leprous man clean; His Word bespeaks him righteous. And the leper who was once an outsider is restored not only in health, but also to his standing and place in the community.
So it was for Naaman. He was doubly an outsider. Not only was he a leper, but he was also a Syrian, a Gentile. He is the leper and the Roman centurion in one. But unlike them he doubts the Word of the Lord and scoffs at Elisha’s catechesis. “Bathe in the Jordan? How outrageous! That dirty stream is useless!” He expected a show, if not in honor of his wealth and prestige, at least for the sake of the miracle. He wanted Elisha to stand and call upon the name of the Lord and wave his hand over him and cure him. Naaman wanted a faith healer, a showman, who would razzle-dazzle him.
Such is the expectation of the unbeliever to the words and work of our Lord. Elisha did not pander to this unbeliever’s expectations and wishes. But the Church does! Looking for a good show? A little razzle-dazzle? If that’ll get you in the door, you got it! But Elisha isn’t concerned with meeting the expectations of this Gentile unbeliever. He doesn’t even invite him in the house! He simply sends the Word out to him, fully trusting the authority of the Word and the promise of God, the One who kills and makes alive. It will do what it says.
And it does. At the behest of his servant, who is like a child, a son to him, Naaman dips seven times in the Jordan and according to the Word of the Lord, and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean. A man who had lived perhaps years with this horrible, painful illness is at last healed; fully restored, pain free, his skin like a baby’s! But there is more: through the promise of the Word, Naaman was not only cleansed of his leprosy, but was given faith in the God of Israel, the true God. He is cleansed of his spiritual leprosy! Sins forgiven in through this simple bath of water and Word.
And of course we who have in Christ the fulfillment of the Old Testament see in Naaman’s healing a foreshadow of our baptisms, the means by which our God cleanses us in body and soul of the leprosy of sin, dipping us in the righteousness of Christ, and restoring us in mercy to stand before Him in holiness and life.
But we are inclined to ask, like Naaman, “How can water do such great things?” Certainly not just water, for whether the Jordan or Abana or White River, the water is plain water. But when that simple water is joined to the Word and promise of God, it is a life-giving water, rich in grace, and a baptism of the forgiveness of sins, granting the gift of the Holy Spirit. Faith does not make or produce baptism. Rather it trusts this promise given in baptism; trusts the Word of the Lord.
And we are given a blessed picture of faith in today’s Gospel from the Roman centurion. This is how the saints of old instruct us - in steadfastness of faith and purity of life. Now again, this outsider, this Gentile, approaches our Lord and beseeches Him to heal his paralyzed servant, who is as a dear son to him; for the word for servant here, pais, can also be used for a son. This relationship is not unlike that of Naaman to his servants. A servant, a slave, has no proper standing in the house, no inheritance, no honor. But a son has claim to the goods of his father and receives the honor of the family name.
Thus this Roman military captain appeals to our Lord’s compassion as a father to his son, not merely a master to his servant. Our Lord replies, I will come and heal him. And now are a given the great picture of faith. This solider understands authority, for he is himself not only a man of authority, but is under authority. His authority is derived from the honor and power of one greater than he - his own commanding officer on up to the Commander and Chief of Rome. And so he says, Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof, but only speak the Word and my son will be healed.
Our Lord marvels at such faith, never before seen in Israel, but confessed now from a Gentile. Faith that trusts in the Word and promise of Christ; the authority of His Word to do what it says. And though the cleansing of a leper and the healing of a paralytic are remarkable, this is still a power hidden under weakness, an authority masked behind obedience.
For Christ does not use His authority for His earthly good, but for your heavenly benefit. He who receives His authority from His Father, obediently submits Himself to that authority. He becomes the leper, infected with your sin. He becomes the outsider, cut off from Israel’s God. Such was the will of the Father. For the Gospel, the good news, the power of God for salvation is this: the Son of God was made Sin for you. He was hauled outside the gate and nailed to a tree. There He died a most gruesome and horrible death, spilling the last once of His lifeblood upon that dusty earth at the hands of wicked and evil men. This is your salvation, this is your boast!
This is what St Paul means when he says, I am not ashamed of the Gospel. There was certainly much of which to be ashamed. The Cross, the most shameful of deaths, reserved for criminals and terrorists - and he was preaching as the icon of our salvation! The weakness of a god becomes Man and saves men by dying. The impotency of a Word. The silliness of a splash in the water. The offense of bread and wine actually being the body and blood of your dead god. Oh yes, there was much of which to be ashamed.
But St Paul says, I am not ashamed. I preach Christ and Him crucified. A stumbling block. An obstacle. An offense. Life. The means of your salvation and all who believe. The righteousness of God revealed.
So do not be ashamed of Elisha refusing to come out to meet Naaman or to pander to his unbelief. The Word has its way. Naaman was made a believer. He reclines at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Do not be ashamed of your catechesis, your thorough going instruction in the Word, both in doctrine and practice. Though there is no waiving of hands and razzle-dazzle, there is the Word, strong and powerful to save. But it is a strength made perfect in weakness and a power shown in humility.
With good reason the Church has seen fit to emulate the faith of this centurion. Our Lord praises His faith, faith that clings to the mere Word and promise, faith that looks not to itself own self-worth or character, but to Christ, its object and goal. So the faithful take this centurion’s pray for their own. Kneeling here you are given to pray, “Lord, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof, but only speak the Word and I shall be healed.”
For here, in these humblest of means, in bread and wine, your Lord comes under the roof of your mouth. To you, who are not worthy of yourself, are given to feast with and on the Lord of Life. And He who is the Word made flesh bespeaks you righteous. He comes to you and heals you. Cleanses you of the leprosy of sin and heals your paralyzed heart by His Word of forgiveness. It is not the wealth or prestige of Naaman which makes you worthy to approach Him. It is humble faith, like that of the centurion, by which you enter into Christ and appeal to His Father. And that whether you are master or child.
For here each one of you reaps a harvest from among your brothers and sisters. Here you are mutually encouraged by each others faith and the faithfulness of Christ our Lord. For here the preaching and mercy of Christ meet. Here His doctrine and practice come together to create and strengthen your faith; to forgive your sins. Here it is done for you as you have believed.
In the Name of the Father and + of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
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