The Waters Of Faith
Then [Na’aman] and his whole escort went back to the man of God. He stood in front of Elisha and said, “To be sure, now I know that there is no God in all the earth except in Israel. Now accept a gift from your servant.” (2 Kings 5:15)
Na’aman was not an Israelite. He was the commander of the army of Aram. Aram was an enemy of Israel. They had attacked Israel and taken some of the Israelites as prisoners. One of those prisoners became the servant girl to Na’aman. When Na’aman fell ill with leprosy, this servant girl directed him to visit Elisha. When Na’aman came to Elisha, Elisha told him to cleanse himself in the Jordan River. After Na’aman washed in the Jordan river and his leprosy was cured, he returned to Elisha to thank him for healing him.
Na’aman’s cleansing in the Jordan River created faith in him. By the physical cleansing of his leprosy, Na’aman came to know that the God of Israel is the only true God. He came to believe in the God who saves us. Several hundred years later, that very God would be baptized in the same Jordan River. John would baptize Jesus, and by doing so, place on him the sins of the whole world.
While we may not use the Jordan River for our baptisms, the baptisms we receive are no less effective. The water connected with the Word of God cleanses us of our sins. It creates faith in us to know the one true God. And it assures us of a resurrection with Jesus on the Last Day. Because of our baptism, we have the same hope and joy that Na’aman had whne he stood before Elisha and offered him a gift. Amen.
The song for today is “Baptized in Water” by Jubilate