~~~ 2 Kings 5:1-15ab ~~~ Psalm 42 ~~~ Luke 4:24-30 ~~~
The prophet said...
“Go and wash seven times in the Jordan,
and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.”
and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.”
The water of the Jordan River would not be known for its purity or clarity.
It is mentioned 175 times in the Old Testament.
It is the river where John baptizes Jesus.
It is the river of holiness.
In the New Testament the Jordan River becomes the place
where people went to confess their sins.
The River Jordan was the water of soul cleansing.
God knows we rely heavily on things which
we can identify with our senses.
Today the prophet has the diseased man
wash in the waters of the Jordan.
He is instructed to not just take a casual dip in the water,
but rather to wash himself seven times.
Seven, the number of perfection and wholeness.
In Biblical times bathing was not customary as it is today.
So Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times
at the word of the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh
of a little child, and he was clean.
at the word of the man of God.
His flesh became again like the flesh
of a little child, and he was clean.
It is initially a child that makes the suggestion for
Naaman to make a visit to the prophet Elisha.
Naaman to make a visit to the prophet Elisha.
God says unless you become like little children
you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
The healing of Naaman comes first from the outside.
As his body is renewed, like that of a child,
his soul is also cleansed and changed.
As his body is renewed, like that of a child,
his soul is also cleansed and changed.
It is in the river waters of the Jordan in the land of Israel
that profound healing takes place.
that profound healing takes place.
Everyone is welcomed to the cleansing, healing,
living waters of God.
living waters of God.
Every year hundreds of pilgrims flock to the Jordan River.
They come searching for and believing in the healing powers of this water.
For some plunging into theses waters they emerge spiritually renewed.
They come searching for and believing in the healing powers of this water.
For some plunging into theses waters they emerge spiritually renewed.
They come out a new person.
The same thing can happen to us during Lent...
we can emerge from these forty days as a new person.
It is not necessary to travel to the banks of the River Jordan.
We are the children God came to save.
The same thing can happen to us during Lent...
we can emerge from these forty days as a new person.
It is not necessary to travel to the banks of the River Jordan.
We are the children God came to save.
Our spirit of true repentance will leave our soul renewed.
The grace and blessings of God will refresh our soul.
Jesus, as the Living water, has the power
to not just cleanse the outside of the body,
but he also cleanses the soul of the individual.
The whole person is brought together
in a way unique only to God.
Repenting, just as loving, requires the mind, body, and the soul.
I invite you to consider the long connection
our bodily and spiritual wholeness has to the element of water.
The grace and blessings of God will refresh our soul.
Jesus, as the Living water, has the power
to not just cleanse the outside of the body,
but he also cleanses the soul of the individual.
The whole person is brought together
in a way unique only to God.
Repenting, just as loving, requires the mind, body, and the soul.
I invite you to consider the long connection
our bodily and spiritual wholeness has to the element of water.
Water is more than just a symbol...
it is rich in meaning.
Peace.
it is rich in meaning.
Peace.
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