Elisha Heals the Leper
Scripture: 2 Kings 5 v 6 - 14
Verse 10 - 11: "And Elisha sent a messenger unto
him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan even times, and thy flesh shall come again
to thee, and thou shalt be clean.....But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and
said, Behold I thought..."
A little Israeli slave girl told Naaman, a Syrian who
suffered from leprosy, that there was a prophet called Elisha who lived in
Israel who could pray for him to be healed of his disease. So the King of Syria
wrote a letter to the King of Israel, sending it by Naaman's hand to ask for
Elisha to heal him.
Elisha was summoned and he told Naaman that he
should wash in the Jordan river 7 times and he would be cleansed of leprosy and
made whole. Stubborn, angry Naaman had thought the prophet would pronounce him
healed after some prayers. He also considered the rivers in his own land
superior to the Jordan.
He sounds just like anyone of us when our expectations
are not met. We shout and perform. We want set rituals and a religious show to
ensure that God is taking notice, but our God works in mysterious ways. He does
the unexpected every time. He needs to outwit the predictable things of Satan.
Satan loves rituals and showiness and other attention-seeking devices.
Go dip yourself in Jordan River 7 times for healing was
Elisha's word to Naaman. And, after many complaints, he obeyed and was
completely healed. How many times have we missed a blessing or a miracle
because the manner of it was not to our liking. Our pride and perfection become
stumbling blocks to the moving of the Holy Spirit. We even project our own hidden pride upon
those trying to help us, insulting them to the point of being rejected by them.
Jesus hates organised religion because it completely
blocks the true spiritual anointing.
He wants us to live in simplicity and to love one another
in humility and trust. Miracles will flow from the hands of people who are
fully submitted to the Lordship of Jesus.
Jesus wants us to be living saints who are willing to
follow where He leads us. Willing to be obedient to every instruction He writes
on our hearts - every day has new and different commands specifically crafted
for each individual who is in a personal relationship with Jesus. Jesus always
resists those who are proud and stubborn, and gives grace to humble people,
through whom He works His miracles.
Think of the dead saints being prayed to in the Catholic
Church. We are not permitted to communicate with the dead. Now another two
popes - John Paul 2 and John 23 - "canonized" as saints years after
their death because John Paul has performed two miracles since his death while
John is lagging behind with only one miracle.
This is false Christianity at its very worst! It is a
mockery of the true walk of faith that born again saints experience every day.
There is no Christian teaching that tells us that we must expect to perform
miracles after we are dead. There are those evangelists alive today who lie on
the graves of exalted ministers to "catch the anointing".
If Naaman had had to wait for a dead prophet to heal him
he would have had a very long wait.
If you need healing of any disease you have a living
Healer called Jesus Christ to whom all things are possible. He performs many
miracles every day and is the only true miracle worker. This is the real
mystery of Christianity that the unsaved cannot grasp - Christ in us the hope
of glory.
Jesus who died on the Cross and rose from the dead joined
Himself to each one of us to make a new creation that could live on Earth but
be separate from the world system. When you are born again, baptised in water
and the Holy Spirit you are that new creation and Jesus in you can continue the
work He started when He lived on Earth. Healing, saving, delivering, preaching,
honouring His Father and creating love and reconciliation in us.
Prayer: Father God forgive my religious pride that makes
mockery of true Christian ministry, and belittles those who have lived by faith
for many years. Teach me Your perfect
way and let me be humble before you. Let
me not grumble and complain but let me fully understand the power of Jesus
Christ within me - the hope of glory. In Jesus' name. Amen.