BibleWorm

This week we’re reading the story of Elisha and Naaman as told in 2 Kings 5:1-19a. We meet Naaman, a mighty Aramean general afflicted with a skin disease that he cannot cure. At the suggestion of an Israelite girl he has enslaved, Naaman makes his way to the prophet Elisha and ultimately to healing in the river Jordan. We notice that in this story truth is conveyed by the marginal characters—by a slave girl, by a peripheral prophet, by Naaman’s servants—whereas as the kings and officials have no real understanding and thus no real power. And we recognize the bias in Naaman, who wants to receive healing in a certain way and in a certain place but is forced to lower himself from his mighty position into the inferior waters of the Jordan River. We wonder who it is we should be listening to, who may carry truth and healing not available through official channels. And we ponder the ways we may need to lower ourselves, to receive the healing that is on offer in in unexpected ways and through unexpected people.