Daily Readings - Mon Mar 04 2024
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
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.