AN EXPOSTION OF THE SACRAMENT OF HEALING IN RELATION TO 2KINGS 5:10-14.
Sr. Maria Assumpta Eberechi Uwanaka
Introduction
The concept of healing is most common to the average person in the world, but its link to sacrament is what most people will hardly consider. Healing can occur in many ways viz. physically, psychologically, emotionally, spiritually, and economically. Each person has his or her own place where healing is needed. But how this healing is gotten matters. Take for instance the story of Naaman. He got his healing not in his home country, but in Israel, a foreign land. Thus, in the land of Israel, specifically in the river Jordan, Naaman experiences an outward manifestation of the inward graces that characterized the land of Israel. Thus, Naaman's healing becomes a prefiguration of the sacrament of Healing. However, one will ask; why is the healing of Naaman referred to as a sacrament? What is the significance of the healing of Naaman? And what is its importance in our contemporary time? These questions will be addressed in this reflection. But before addressing the aforementioned questions, we need to analyze 2kings 5:10-14 as a biblical passage.
Analysis of 2Kings 5:10-14
The prophet sent him the message: “Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean.” But Naaman went away angry, saying, “I thought he would surely come and stand there to invoke the Lord his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy. Are not the Rivers of Damascus, the Abana and the Phapar, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be cleansed?” with this, he turned about in anger and left. But his servants came up and reasoned with him. “My father,” they said, “if the prophet had told you to do something extraordinary, would you not have done it? All the more now, since he said to you, wash and be clean, should you do as he said.” 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.
This account begins with Elisha’s cure of Naaman’s leprosy. This healing of Naaman was not only the healing of the physical illness that disfigured his body but also the spiritual illness that has disfigured his spirit. Through this healing Naaman the king of Syria who was a pagan converted from paganism to the worship of the true God. This healings he got in a gratuitous way, since they were a free gifts from God. This story links up with the proceeding narratives in its emphasis on the role of a servant and on Elisha’s power over the lives of others. It widened the perspective of the legend sequence by depicting the prophet using his powers on behalf of Gentile enemy.
Clarification of terms
Leper: the reference to a skin disease (Lev 13-14). Little maid: this stands in contrast to the figure of mighty Naaman who was greater and yet, without her and her speaking up he would never have been healed. Took: bringing of gifts when approaching a prophet was standard practice, (I Sam 9:6-10). Let him come: Elisha’s self-assurance contrasts with the king’s agitation. Thus, the story revolves around people moving from ignorance and misconception to genuine knowledge. The two figures of this story are significant of much beyond themselves. Elisha the prophet is the bearer of a divine cure. Naaman, the great Syrian noble, is striken with the disease that throughout the Old Testament is treated as a parable of sin and death.
The prophet sent him the message: this phrase indicates that, Elisha stands in his dignity, Naaman the suppliant does not dare to enter, and Elisha does not go out. This is not the case that Elisha was proving that he is holy, rather, it is a way of testing Naaman’s humility and obedience. And also Elisha had the confident that if only Naaman would obey his words he will be healed. This is an example for us to always obey the words of those we seek healing from. Again through the above phrase, Elisha maintained his superiority by dealing with Naaman only through an intermediary.
Go and wash seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will heal, and you will be clean: this declaration indicates that Naamna was not cured by any external means applied by the prophet. The Syrians as well as the Israelites knows that the Jordan could not heal leprosy. By this, Naaman was to understand that he was healed by the God of Israel, at his prophet’s prayer. The second phrase is an indication that leprosy is characterized by raw flesh running sores, which end in entire wasting away of the tissues. It is worth noting that, seven is a significant figure which means completeness, hence, when Naaman was asked to wash himself seven times that means that, he should wash completely. But Naaman’s misconception of how a prophet ought to operate almost abort him of his healing.
“I thought he would surely come and stand there to invoke the Lord his God…: Naaman’s pride is touched here, he was not received with due deference. If the prophet would have come and chanted incantations over him and made mystical motions of his hands above the patches of his leprosy he would have believed the cure. But there was nothing like that. Thus he went away and would have sacrificed his hope of cure to his passion.
But his servants came up and reasoned with him. “My father,” they said…: his servants filled with brevity brought him to his common sense with their cool remonstrance.
WHY IS THE HEALING OF NAAMAN REFERRED TO AS A SACRAMENT?
Having analyzed the above passage let us now consider why this passage is considered as the sacrament of healing. By so doing we now ask, what is a sacrament? A sacrament is an outward sign of an inward grace, ordained by Christ, by which grace is given to our soul. By this definition the healing of Naaman is linked as a sacrament of healing because it consist of the outward sign “washing in river Jordan” and inward grace “been cleansed and his body returned like that of a little child.” This is what a sacrament does for us when we receive it. Naaman was not only healed of his physical illness “leprosy” but also his spiritual illness that disfigured his spirit. He was a pagan but through this healing he became a new person in the worship of the true God.
WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE HEALING OF NAAMAN?
Concerning the significance of this passage, three things are to be considered; First, God’s cure puts us all on one level; Naaman wished to be treated like a great that happened to be a leper while Elisha treated him like a leper that happened to be a great man. This is what Christianity stands for, it brushes aside all the surface of differences of all men and goes in its treatment of them straight to the central likenesses, the thing which in all mankind are identical. Thus, the differences in cultures, stations, statues etc are all accidents of life, we are all the same in the sense that we have all sinned and come short of the Glory of God; and our great physician (Christ) in His great remedy, insisted in treat us all as patients and not as this, that, or other kind of patients. Thus, Christianity insists on looking at all men as standing on the one level and partaking of the one characteristic.
Second, God’s cure goes beyond our expectations: Naaman wanted something sensuous for his confidence in the prophet’s cure to lay hold upon. But that is what the prophet did not want him to believe in, hence he decided to conceal himself and make God’s power prominent. He wished to cure Naaman’s soul of the leprosy of idolatry as well as to cure his body. The prophet’s part in this story was not to cure but to bring God’s cure. He is only a voice of God, and doing this, Naaman was able to exclaim that “there is no other place that there is God except in Israel. Thus, Christianity has no priest’, no sacraments’, no external rite which bring grace or help except in so far as by their aid the soul is brought into contact with the truth, and by meditation, and faith is thus made capable of receiving more of Christ’s Spirit.
Thirdly, God’s cure wants nothing from you but to take it: this aspect brought out the right statement of Naaman servants “My Father, if the prophet had bid you do some great thing…, Naaman’s cleansing was only a test of his obedience, and a token that it was God who cleansed him. There was no power in Jordan’s waters to take away the leprosy. Our cleansing is in that blood of Jesus Christ that has the power to take away all sin, and to make the foulest amongst us pure and clean.
THE IMPORTANCE OF THE SACRAMENT OF HEALING IN OUR CONTEMPORARY TIME?
The contemporary relevance of this topic could not be underestimated. This is because through it we learn to always be obedient to the instruction of God and His ministers. Also, it teaches us to have trust in God’s word and that of his ministers. Again, just as Naaman who humbles himself and gives a listening ears to his servants, this story teaches us to be humble, and have listening ears. Recall the action of Naaman when he found out that he has been healed. This challenges us to learn to give thanks to God and be appreciative of His numerous wonderful deeds He does in our life. In addition, Naaman's confession and packing of the soil, exhorts us to increase our adoration to God; especially when He does something for us. And through this we receive both physical and spiritual healing as what happened to Naaman. We need not to look down on anybody or the words and instructions of the representative of God.
CONCLUSION
Speaking of the sacrament of healing is very crucial to us since we all have different forms of sickness that we need to be healed of. The most important thing is that our actions are required for the healing to occur. We need to make a move just like Naaman did, and we need also to listen and keep away our pride and ego when it come to the instruction of those we approached in order to be healed. However, we need first to discover and acknowledge that we are sick no matter how comfortable we think we are, and listen to the suggestions of those around us no matter the age or size of the person (meaningful ones). Thus, let us carefully observe ourselves and approach the throne of mercy for physical and spiritual healing.
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