In today’s readings two foreign lepers, Naaman the Syrian and an unnamed Samaritan, thank God for the gift of salvation. Let us rejoice with them in the words of the responsorial psalm: “All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation by our God” (Ps 98).
The beautiful story of Naaman and Elisha challenges stereotypes about wisdom, power, and race. Naaman is a highly-esteemed Syrian army commander, but he is afflicted with leprosy. Although Aram ( Syria ) and Israel are bitter enemies, at the suggestion of his wife’s servant girl, Naaman comes to Israel to be healed by “the prophet in Samaria.” But the king of Aram assumes that Naaman will be cured by the king of Israel and therefore provides his commander with extravagant gifts and a letter of introduction. When the Israelite king reads the letter requesting a cure, he acknowledges his powerlessness in these matters by lamenting, “Am I a god with power over life and death, that this man should send someone to me to be cured of leprosy?” Elisha then sends word to the king: “Let him come to me and find out that there is a prophet in Israel.”
At first, Naaman is offended by the simplicity of Elisha’s instructions to plunge seven times into the Jordan River. “I thought that he would surely come out and stand there to invoke the Lord his God, and would move his hand over the spot, and thus cure the leprosy.” He also denigrates the modest waters of the Jordan in comparison with the mighty rivers of Syria. Despite his reservations, a servant convinces Naaman to do as the prophet has commanded.
Once he has been cured, Naaman is overwhelmed with gratitude and courageously converts to belief in the God of Israel. He offers a gift to Elisha, the prophet, who refuses it because he has only been fulfilling his duty. Although Naaman will have to return to his native country and enter the temple of the god of Aram, he asks the prophet for two mule-loads of earth from Israel so that he may build an altar upon it and continue to offer sacrifice only to the Lord the God of Israel. Impressed by this foreigner’s courageous faith, Elisha dismisses him with the words, “Go in peace.”
The epistle reading instructs Timothy that he must bear his share of the hardships which come from preaching the Gospel. The Pauline author admonishes him to “remember” that the heart of the Gospel is that “Jesus Christ was raised from the dead.” Therefore, any suffering, including Paul’s imprisonment in “chains” as a criminal, is to be endured with the confidence that “there is no chaining the word of God.” Using a baptismal hymn, the author assures Timothy of the reliability of his faith.
You can depend on this: If we have died with him we shall also
live with him; If we hold out to the end, we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he will still remain faithful; for he cannot deny himself. (2 Tim 2:11-13)
To appreciate the shocking nature of the Gospel story, we have to recall that at the beginning of Jesus’ journey to Jerusalem in Luke, Samaritans refused to receive Jesus and his disciples into their village because he was going to Jerusalem. On that occasion, the disciples asked Jesus to retaliate with the words, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” But Jesus rebuked them for their hatred and moved on to another village. Now as Jesus draws near to Jerusalem, only a Samaritan, among the ten lepers Jesus cleansed, returns to give thanks. Like the famous character of the “Good Samaritan” in Jesus’ parable (see Lk 10:29-37) who exemplifies true love of neighbor, this real Samaritan illustrates the appropriate response to God’s merciful action. Luke skillfully conceals his identity until he has described his grateful actions.
One of them, realizing that he had been cured, came back praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself on his face at the feet of Jesus and spoke his praises. This man was a Samaritan. Let us resolve to imitate the Samaritan by being grateful for God’s saving action in our own lives.
“Was there no one to return and give thanks to God except this foreigner?” Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go your way; your faith has been your salvation.”
