The 'Holy' River

~~~ 2 Kings 5:1-15AB ~~~ Psalm 42 ~~~ Luke 4:24-30 ~~~

But Naaman went away angry, saying,
“I thought that he would surely come out and stand there
to invoke the LORD his God,
and would move his hand over the spot,
and thus cure the leprosy.

Naaman was angry because God did not meet his expectations.
How often we have the very same mind set.
Why does God not act as we envision in our own small mind?

Sometime I think God just wants to pull us by the ears saying...
I've got this under control. Trust me.

Naaman wanted to witness his healing on his terms.
He wanted to be physically touched by God...
he wanted to feel something.

Elisha was confident in his ability to heal Naaman.
He gave precise directions as to washing in the Jordan River.

What was so special about the Jordan River?
The Jordan River is mentioned about 175 times just in the Old Testament.
The Jordan River flows into the Sea of Galilee,
where Jesus would call his first disciples.
The Jordan River is where John would Baptize Jesus.

This river was destined to be a vital part of our salvation story.

Why the Jordan River?

Earlier in 2 Kings 2:8-9
Elisha witnessed Elijah using his rolled up cloak to part the waters
 of the Jordan so that could safely cross to the other side. 

Elisha remained faithful to Elijah until his time of death.

When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, 
“Request whatever I might do for you, before I am taken from you.” 
Elisha answered, “May I receive a double portion of your spirit.”

Elisha has a connection with the river Jordan.
He has faith that the spirit he had received from Elijah's
 passing was active within himself.

He believed and thus told Naaman to bathe seven times in the river.
Seven, the number representing wholeness.

Being healed meant being restored to wholeness,,,
physically, mentally, and spitiually.

The River Jordan was the source of 'Holy Water'.

These waters did indeed heal Naaman that day
even though he had many doubts...
even though he questioned the prophet.

Come to Jesus in your doubts...
he will bless you anyway.
Why not?
He has nothing to lose by Blessing you.
~~~Peace~~~

Water...Not Just a Symbol

~~~ 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.”

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.

It is initially a child that makes the suggestion for
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.

It is in the river waters of the Jordan in the land of Israel
that profound healing takes place.

Everyone is welcomed to the cleansing, healing,
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 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.

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.

Water is more than just a symbol...
it is rich in meaning.
Peace.

View Things Differently

~~~ 2 Kings 5: 1- 15 AB ~~~ Psalm 42 ~~~ Luke 4: 24-30 ~~~

"Amen, I say to you, No prophet is accepted in his own town."

Whenever Jesus begins a sentence with 'Amen' that means 

pay attention something important is to follow.

Amen means truth...verily...so be it...

Here we see Jesus speaking to the people of his own town of Nazareth.

The question has been asked if anything good can come out of this town.

The closer you are to a situation the harder it is to see clearly.

The locals were not able to get beyond the humble background

of Jesus. His family was not of the aristocratic segment of the population.

A child servant suggests that Naaman, 

who was stricken with leprosy, visit the prophet.

When he finally reaches the prophet 

he had in his mind an idea of what might take place.

But he was mistaken.

We believe that a miracle of healing takes place 

as a kind of spectacle.

We are mistaken too.

The prophet does indeed cure Naaman of his leprosy by directing him to

wash seven times in the waters of the river Jordan.

“Go and wash seven times in the Jordan,
and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.”

Naaman had been in these very waters previously with nothing
significant or healing occurring.
So why would this time be any different?
He was very familiar with this river just as the community of Nazareth
knew the family of Jesus.

God takes ordinary everyday things and changes them into something holy.
When God chooses to set apart something for his use
prepare to be amazed.
The ordinary will no longer remain ordinary.
Actually I am not sure if ordinary is a word God possesses.

Whatever God sets apart to be his chosen
 instrument is imbued with special graces.

The prophets were normal people that God blessed with special insight.

The waters of the River Jordan were made holy by God
to deliver healing to Naaman.
The waters blessed by God restored his skin removing all
signs of the leprosy.

Imagine the worst case of acne imaginable.
Leprosy was much much worse.
The cleansing of his outward appearance
must have profoundly changed his future life.

He was now able to be a contributing member of his society.
It was the at the urging of a child that he was healed.
This small child was instrumental in getting healing for her master.

Never think for a minute that you are not someone
 whom God would use.
God will use you if you let him.

 Blessed Mother Teresa considered herself
but a pencil in the hand of God.

Can you picture yourself in this position?
Try...See how it might feel.
You are his.

Do You Want to be Healed?

~~~ 2 Kings 5: 1-15 ~~~ Psalm 42-43 ~~~ Luke 4: 24-30 ~~~

Why do we question God's will?

Children are forever asking 'why' they have to obey or to follow directions. But the truth be told adults are much the same way. I find that I am often questioning why this or why that. We do not see the reasons for doing something a certain way or at a certain time.

Today in the second book of Kings we find Naaman asking this very question; 'Why?'

Why is it necessary for him to bathe in a specific river namely the river Jordan?

Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River. It flows down into the Sea of Galilee. The Dead Sea is the final resting place for this flow of water.

Today the waters of the Jordan River are a major point of division among the neighboring peoples of Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinians.

In ancient times the River Jordan was viewed as a source of fertility.

It is said to be the 'Garden of God'.

At the time, Naaman did not know the importance of the Jordan River, but the prophet Elisha had the insight to send him there to be cured. Naaman had the terrible disease of leprosy, a dread disease which kept the person by law separated from the rest of society. The concern of a little slave child for her master prompted him to seek healing from the prophet, Elisha.

The faith of a child is pure and sincere. The innocence of our childhood is mostly a mere anomaly of our past. God was at work here though or this child would not have been given any attention or taken seriously.

The initial petition for healing was presented to the wrong person; the king of Israel, since he was not the one who could prophesy he misinterpreted the request. How many times do we make our requests known to the wrong person. We place our trust in things of the world hoping they will bring us the happiness we are seeking.

Finally Naaman arrives at the door of Elisha where he is told to wash not once but seven times in the Jordan River. His first reaction was to leave in anger thinking this prescription for healing was absurd. He does not consider this river to be of any special significance.

The number seven is one of the most significant numbers in the Bible. Most importantly the number seven represents wholeness and completeness.

The healing and cleansing of Naaman's body only occurs when he is obedient to the words of the prophet. We too can only be healed of our sins and cleansed of guilt by being obedient to the words of God. By living our life as he modeled for us loving and forgiving others. Spreading peace and compassion along the way.

We must leave the comfort zone of what is familiar to be healed. Elisha was in Israel and Naaman came from Syria. Our comfort zone may be our own mind set and beliefs about the healing power of God.

Jesus came to heal our souls; to make us whole and complete in him. For it is only in God that we can attain complete wholeness.

Dip into the healing river of living water and renew your life in Christ.