Grace, Mercy and Peace to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. Our text today is the Old Testament lesson.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ. Have you ever thought that something was impossible, only to learn latter you were wrong? It happens all the time in our world. Even when we look back on history, we see this type of thing happen. 200 years ago, people thought it was impossible to fly, but now airliners fill the sky. 600 years ago, people thought it was impossible to sail around the world, but now there are thousands of ships circling the globe. The list of the seemingly impossible things that happen all the time could go on and on, but we still struggle to believe some of these things an actually happen. We still have doubts. For example, we struggle to believe that a man could rise from the dead, because it seems impossible. We struggle to believe that pouring water on a babies head can actually distribute forgiveness of sins, life and salvation, it seems impossible.
Today’s scripture lesson is about a man who had similar doubts, a man who didn’t believe that something seemingly impossible could happen to him.
Today’s lesson is about a man named Naaman. Naaman was a great man in his day and age. He had everything that he could possibly want. He had a wife, a home, servants and he even had a good job. He was the leader of the army’s of Syria. He had even defeated Israel, and given power to Syria. Naaman’s life should have been a good one. He should have had a lot of prestige among his people and lived an easy life. But he didn’t. Instead he had another problem. He was sick with Leprosy.
Leprosy is a disease that attacks your flesh, slowly eating it down to the bone. It leaves you crippled and disfigured. Your face would have huge scars covering it. You were more likely to injure your fingers and hands, and they healed slower. Leprosy was a life changing disease, not only because of your illness, but because you became an outcast of society. You had to leave your home and family to live in a leper’s colony with other lepers. This was not the way it was supposed to be for a great man like Naaman. He was supposed to have a big house, not be forced to live on his own.
Instead, he was sick with leprosy, and waiting a slow painful death. He was separated from his family and friends. He had no where to turn to be healed. Lepers fates were sealed, there was nothing at that time that could heal him. There were no hospitals or Antibiotics. If you had leprosy, you would die. Naaman was doomed. It was impossible for him to be healed.
You and I also are suffering from a disease. Not a flesh eating bacteria, but a much more deadly disease, sin. Sin infects our entire life and body. Our disease has a 100 percent death rate. Every single person who has it will die, and every person alive on earth has it. We have all inherited it from our parents and grandparents all the way back to Adam and Eve. Sin infects us all.
And just as Naaman’s illness meant separation for him, ours means the same for us, only our separation is also from God. With our sin sick souls, we are no longer worthy to stand in the presence of a Holy God. We are unworthy to be before him. Instead, on our own, we are only worthy to be cast into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
And this sickness shows forth its symptoms in every aspect of our lives. We are disfigured by our hate for others. We are desensitized to sexual immorality that we see on T.V. We always put ourselves ahead of others. And we, just like Naaman doubt that there is a God who loves us and will take care of us. As Lutherans we confess that God has given us “everything we need to sustain this body and life,” but we don’t always believe it. Like Naaman, we doubt God’s promises, we doubt that he is there taking care of us. Instead all we focus on is the symptoms of our illness.
Our lives are full of the pain of loved ones suffering in illness and dying. Friends get divorced and families fall apart around us. Why would God allow these things to happen to us? Why would God allow so much suffering? In these questions, we begin to doubt that God exists. We no longer trust His word. Instead we only trust our sinful selves, and trust Satan’s lies to us instead. And Satan is good at what he says. He tells us there is no hope, that we are doomed to die in our sin, and that we cannot be rescued. It is impossible.
But there are other voices speaking.
At a time in his life when he could easily fall into and wallow in his own self pity, Naaman hears a message of hope. Verse 3 tells us that an Israelite slave girl working for Naaman tells him that the prophet in Israel can heal him of his leprosy. He is told that the impossible is actually possible, that he can be healed and resume his regular life again, and he believes it. Through hearing of this promise he believes that he will be saved from his sickness.
We too hear of a different promise. We too are told of a way out of our sickness, we too are told that we can be rescued. We too can be healed.
In verse 10 of our text, Naaman finally comes to the prophet Elisha, to hear how he will be healed. He is so eager that has brought thousands of dollars in gold and silver, and the finest clothing he can find. He wants to pay to be healed. HE wants to earn it for himself, but he can’t. No, God doesn’t take payment, instead He gives free gifts. God will heal him and it won’t cost Naaman a thing. God will do the impossible. To be healed, Naaman is told something that doesn’t make sense. “wash 7 times in the Jordan river, and you will be healed.” It sounds impossible, how will washing in the dirty water of a muddy river heal leprosy? It doesn’t make sense. It doesn’t seem plausible. But it is what God says.
That is the key, it isn’t anything that Naaman is doing, it isn’t the gifts he brought, it isn’t the effort he puts forth climbing in the Jordan river, it isn’t saying some magical words like hocus pocus. It is the promise of God that heals Naaman. IT is the words that came from the mouth of God, the same voice that spoke, “Let there be light” and there was. This voice speaks things, and it spoke that Naaman would be healed from his leprosy.
It is the same promise that we also see when a tiny helpless baby is brought to the waters of baptism. God speaks through a fumbling pastor saying, “You are mine, you are healed from sin, baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.” IN those words, everyone who is baptized is connected to the bloody death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In those words, we are nailed to a cross with Christ, and our sickness dies with him. IN those words we are raised to a glorious new life, free from sin, free from pain and suffering, Free to live as God’s children.
And that promise is for each of us. Though it seems impossible that we might be saved from our sickness of sin, the blood of Christ heals us. Just as Naaman washed in the Jordan River, we are washed in the Baptismal font. We don’t earn it, we don’t pay for it, we don’t even do anything. Instead we are freely saved by God’s declaration. Through God’s word and the water, we are given life and Salvation. There, sin death and the devil no longer have power over us.
Now we are given comfort in our sickness. We are now God’s precious possession. We no longer worry about death, because washed in Christ’s blood, we are promised eternal life. We no longer worry about pain, because Washed in Christ’s blood, we have the promise of no more suffering. Yes here on Earth we will have struggles, yes here on Earth we will experience suffering, but one day that will all pass away into glorious eternity.
With God, nothing is impossible. He healed Naaman from leprosy, and he can heal us from sin and death. In his words, impossible things happen all the time.
Amen.
