Dr Paul Allen

Elisha’s healing of Naaman in the Bible (the leper [and] commander of the army of the king of Syria) is a familiar story to many (2 Kgs 5:1–27). Naaman hears that Elisha, the prophet of Israel, can heal him, so he makes the trip. When the two meet, Elisha tells him rather dismissively that he needs to take a bath in the Jordan River. Naaman doesn’t take this well and prepares to go home. At the behest of some servants, he consents to dip himself in the Jordan. He is miraculously healed by the simple act. The display of power, so transparently without sacrifice or incantation, awakens Naaman to the fact that Yahweh of Israel is the true God. Here’s where the story usually ends in our telling, but that would result in the omission of one very odd detail—what Naaman asks to take back home. Two mules and a pile of dirt In 2 Kings 5:15–19, the elated Naaman returns to Elisha and begs him to take payment for healing him. Elisha repeatedly refuses. Finally, before embarking for Syria, Naaman ...

Elisha (right) Refusing Gifts from Naaman (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) Elisha refuses the gifts of Naaman (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) There is a tension between loving your enemies and using the sword against your enemies–yet both are commanded by God . How do they work together? The clearest example of these two principles working in concert is in the life of Elisha . Perhaps no one in Israel ’s history had more opportunities to demonstrate love for his enemies than Elisha, yet we also see that he was hardly a pacifist. Elisha was God’s chosen messenger in particularly hostile times. His predecessor, Elijah, was run out of the country when the Queen ordered him murdered as punishment for killing the priests of a false god. Rejected by Israel, he fled to Egypt and begged God to take his life. Instead, God gave him a final task: to anoint Elisha as his successor ( 1 Kings 19:16). Thus Elisha became a prophet with no shortage of enemies. The Israelite king stood opposed to him—an...

Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia Image via Wikipedia "Then 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." ( 2 Kings 5:14 ) The familiar story of Naaman the Syrian was cited by the Lord Jesus as an example of God's concern for people of all nations: "Many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus |Elisha| the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian" ( Luke 4:27 ). It is also a striking picture of salvation. Naaman was a great and highly acclaimed general, but nevertheless was stricken with an incurable and loathsome disease. Similarly, any natural man, no matter how powerful, is afflicted with the lethal disease of sin. Before this proud official could be cured of his leprosy, he had to humble himself in several ways. First, he had to accept the advice of a slave girl from an enemy nati...

Image via Wikipedia On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers , who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, " Jesus , Master, have mercy on us"  (Luke 17:11-13, ESV , used throughout). Jesus is called aside by the plaintive shouts of men afflicted with a serious skin condition that present-day translators render as leprosy. Some Bible scholars generally don't believe their disease was the same as modern-day leprosy, but clearly it fell under the unhappy strictures of the Old Testament law intended to keep communicable disease from spreading. These ten men knew the law. They had to; it was a matter of life and death. But they also knew something of the kindness and power of Jesus. His fame had preceded him, even in this seemingly godforsaken dead end.  Surely,  they must have thought,  if Jesus can cure the blind, heal the lame, and raise the dead, he has the power ...

Image via Wikipedia On the way to Jerusalem he was passing along between Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered a village, he was met by ten lepers , who stood at a distance and lifted up their voices, saying, " Jesus , Master, have mercy on us"  (Luke 17:11-13, ESV , used throughout). Jesus is called aside by the plaintive shouts of men afflicted with a serious skin condition that present-day translators render as leprosy. Some Bible scholars generally don't believe their disease was the same as modern-day leprosy, but clearly it fell under the unhappy strictures of the Old Testament law intended to keep communicable disease from spreading. These ten men knew the law. They had to; it was a matter of life and death. But they also knew something of the kindness and power of Jesus. His fame had preceded him, even in this seemingly godforsaken dead end.  Surely,  they must have thought,  if Jesus can cure the blind, heal the lame, and raise the dead, he has the power ...