Daily Readings - Mon Mar 04 2024
2 Kings
1Now Naaman, captain of the host of the king of Syria, was a great man with his master, and honourable, because by him the LORD had given deliverance unto Syria: he was also a mighty man in valour, but he was a leper.2And the Syrians had gone out by companies, and had brought away captive out of the land of Israel a little maid; and she waited on Naaman's wife.3And she said unto her mistress, Would God my lord were with the prophet that is in Samaria! for he would recover him of his leprosy.4And one went in, and told his lord, saying, Thus and thus said the maid that is of the land of Israel.5And the king of Syria said, Go to, go, and I will send a letter unto the king of Israel. And he departed, and took with him ten talents of silver, and six thousand pieces of gold, and ten changes of raiment.6And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, saying, Now when this letter is come unto thee, behold, I have therewith sent Naaman my servant to thee, that thou mayest recover him of his leprosy.7And it came to pass, when the king of Israel had read the letter, that he rent his clothes, and said, Am I God, to kill and to make alive, that this man doth send unto me to recover a man of his leprosy? wherefore consider, I pray you, and see how he seeketh a quarrel against me.8And it was so, when Elisha the man of God had heard that the king of Israel had rent his clothes, that he sent to the king, saying, Wherefore hast thou rent thy clothes? let him come now to me, and he shall know that there is a prophet in Israel.9So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha.10And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.11But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.12Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.13And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean?14Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.15And he returned to the man of God, he and all his company, and came, and stood before him: and he said, Behold, now I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel: now therefore, I pray thee, take a blessing of thy servant.
Luke
24And he said, Verily I say unto you, No prophet is accepted in his own country.25But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;26But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.27And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian.28And all they in the synagogue, when they heard these things, were filled with wrath,29And rose up, and thrust him out of the city, and led him unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast him down headlong.30But he passing through the midst of them went his way,
Sermon
In today's readings, we encounter two powerful stories that invite us to reflect on faith, humility, and the universal reach of God's grace. The first reading from 2 Kings tells the story of Naaman, a Syrian military leader afflicted with leprosy. Through the faith of a young Israelite girl and the prophet Elisha, Naaman is healed after humbling himself and washing in the Jordan River. This story highlights the importance of trusting in God's providence, even when His ways seem strange or unexpected. Naaman's journey from pride to humility reminds us that true healing comes from surrendering to God's plan.
In the Gospel, Jesus speaks in the synagogue of Nazareth, referencing the same stories of Elijah and Elisha. He points out that God's mercy often extends to those outside the boundaries of expectation—in Elijah's time to a widow in Sidon, and in Elisha's time to Naaman, a Syrian. This message angers the people of Nazareth, who reject Jesus because they cannot see beyond their own limited understanding. Jesus' words challenge us to recognize that God's love is not confined to any one group or place. His grace is universal, and we are called to embrace this truth with open hearts.
These readings invite us to examine our own lives. Are we like Naaman, resistant at first to God's unexpected ways, or are we like the people of Nazareth, unwilling to see beyond our own biases? Let us learn from Naaman's humility and Jesus' teaching. May we trust in God's plan, even when it surprises us, and may we be open to the ways He works in the lives of others, both near and far. In doing so, we allow His grace to flow freely, healing us and drawing us closer to Himself.