Today we turn to the Hebrew scriptures to hear another healing story involving a foreigner (see 2 Kings 5:1-19). But this time, it is not only a foreigner but a general from a nation that has been actively hostile to Israel. But this does not stop God from healing.
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As we consider our text this morning, you may have noticed a few familiar things going on that are similar to our story last week where Jesus healed the ten men suffering from a skin disease, commonly translated as leprosy. In that story, after realizing they were healed, one of the men, a Samaritan and foreigner, returned to give thanks to Jesus, praising God as he did.
In today’s story from the Hebrew scriptures, we have another foreigner who is central to the storyline. Naaman is described as a great man and a highly regarded general from the kingdom of Aram. We learn that God has just given this man a victory in battle. He is a mighty warrior for his king, but he has a skin disease. This is the same skin condition that the ten men we heard about last week suffered from. And in this time it would normally lead to the same results - being cast out and marked as unclean.
No matter that Naaman was a mighty warrior. No matter that he is a general in the king’s army. No matter that he is highly regarded. This skin condition, once it is widely known, will cause him to become an outcast as surely as any other.