Proper 23 :: II Kings 5:1 – 3, 7 – 15c / Psalm 111 / II Timothy 2:8 – 15 / Luke 17: 11 – 19
This is the homily given at St. John’s, Huntingdon, Pennsylvania by Fr. Gene Tucker on Sunday, October 9, 2022.
“THIS IS A TEST, THIS IS
REALLY A TEST”
(Homily
texts: II Kings 5: 1 – 3, 7 – 15c & Luke 17: 11 - 19)
“This
is a test, this is only a test…” We’ve
all heard that announcement on the radio, on television, or elsewhere. It’s a
test of the emergency broadcast system, meant to alert people to some sort of
an emergency. It’s followed by that very annoying “beep, beep, beep”, which is
- in and of itself – designed to get our
attention.
Let’s
borrow this statement we’ve cited it above, and apply it to the difficult
situations that Na’aman, a general in the Syrian army in Old Testament times
who was afflicted by leprosy[1], and
to the ten men who – about eight centuries later – were also afflicted by
leprosy. Each of these seeks a healing.
These
two passages from Scripture are well-matched for their common theme about
leprosy. But they are also linked in another way: In each case, the healing
prescribed involved some prior action on the part of the afflicted men, some
test of their belief that they could be healed.
Let’s
explore each test.
Na’aman’s
test comes in the form of an instruction from the prophet Elisha, that he is to
go to the Jordan River and immerse himself seven times. (At this point, I wish
we could hear the tone in Na’aman’s voice.) Na’aman says in response to this
instruction, that the rivers in his native land are far better than the Jordan
is. Why couldn’t he immerse himself in them, he asks. Furthermore, it’s
possible that he may have questioned why it was necessary for him to immerse
himself seven times. We don’t know for sure, but perhaps he wondered why one
immersion wouldn’t do the trick. It seems clear that Na’aman’s healing didn’t
happen right away. It seems to have taken place during the process of the seven
immersions.
The
healing given to the ten lepers didn’t take place right away, either. Jesus
tells them that they are to go to the (local) priest and show themselves to
him. (In those days, it was the priest’s job to declare that a previously
infected person was now healthy again.) Now, notice that Luke tells us that the
men were healed as they made their way
to the priest. When they left Jesus’ presence, nothing had happened. Therein
lies the test.
It
seems that, when we ask God for some deliverance or some blessing, we might
expect that what we’ve asked for will be granted immediately and on our terms.
(I’m reminded of the person who prays for God to grant patience, saying, “Lord,
give me patience, and give it to me now!”)
But
oftentimes, God tests us in some way. Sometimes, we have to make the first move
stepping out in faith, like Na’aman and those ten lepers did. God wants us to
do our part.
AMEN.
[1] When the Bible mentions leprosy, the term can refer to a number of skin conditions, not just to the modern use of the term for a specific disease (known as “Hansen’s Disease”, I think). For Jews, having an such condition meant that they were ritually unclean and could not enter the Temple in Jerusalem. Furthermore, they were cast out from society.
