Daily Readings - Mon Mar 21 2022
2 Kings
1Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.2Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman's wife.3She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."4Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said.5"By all means, go," the king of Aram replied. "I will send a letter to the king of Israel." So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing.6The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: "With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy."7As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, "Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!"8When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: "Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel."9So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha's house.10Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."11But Naaman went away angry and said, "I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.12Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than any of the waters of Israel? Couldn't I wash in them and be cleansed?" So he turned and went off in a rage.13Naaman's servants went to him and said, "My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, 'Wash and be cleansed'!"14So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.15Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant."
Luke
24"I tell you the truth," he continued, "no prophet is accepted in his hometown.25I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah's time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land.26Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon.27And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed--only Naaman the Syrian."28All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this.29They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him down the cliff.30But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.
Sermon
The readings today present us with two powerful stories that highlight God’s grace and the challenge of trusting in His ways. In the first reading, we have the story of Naaman, a powerful military leader from Syria who is afflicted with leprosy. Through the humble suggestion of a young Israelite girl, Naaman seeks out the prophet Elisha, who instructs him to wash seven times in the Jordan River. Though Naaman initially hesitates and even questions the instruction, he eventually obeys and is healed. This story reminds us that healing and transformation often come through faith and obedience, even when God’s ways seem strange or unexpected.
In the Gospel, we hear Jesus teaching in the synagogue. He reminds the people that no prophet is accepted in their own country, and He points to the examples of Elijah and Elisha. Elijah helped a widow in Sidon, and Elisha healed Naaman the Syrian, both outsiders to the people of Israel. This message angers the crowd, who reject Jesus and try to throw him off a cliff. This passage challenges us to think about how we might limit God’s grace to those we consider insiders, while God’s favor extends to all people, regardless of background.
Together, these readings teach us to trust in God’s ways, even when they seem strange, and to recognize that God’s grace is not limited to a select few. In our daily lives, we are called to open our hearts and minds to those outside our circles and to trust in God’s plan, even when it challenges our assumptions. Let us remember that true faith requires humility and openness, and that God’s healing and grace are available to all who seek them in faith.