Open-ended,
Life-centred,
Gospel-Focused Explorations of Hebrew Bible Readings from the
Australian Prayer Book.
2 Kings 5:1-15...20th S. after Pentecost
(C)...
(For LK 17: 11-19, scroll)
NOTES: 1]Read
the Hebrew Bible in the light
of our understanding of God revealed in Jesus.2] 1 & 2 Kings continue the
Books of Samuel. Here, in the mid-800s B.C., Elisha has inherited the
mantle of Prophet from his master, Elijah. 3] Omitting vv. 4-6 like the
Lectionary seems pointless. 4]
Jesus is very much influenced by both Elijah & Elisha. 5] The passage connects with thehealing
of 'lepers' in the Gospel. 6]
What is translated as
'leprosy' could be a form of psoriasis, not condemning a person to
exile from social contact of any kind as leprosy itself
(Hanson's Disease) did. WARMING UP: Are we ever
asked to do something that 'goes against the grain'?
TREASURES OLD & NEW:
Identify God at work in anything this week?
ENTERING INTO THE STORY:
1-7 How do we determine what
respect to hold (or not hold) a person in? Do we usually make that
judgment on the basis of whether we see them as favoured by God, as
Naaman is seen to be here? How are we to discern whether we or anyone
else are 'favoured by God'? Do we have the depth of
concern for others' well being that the servant girl here has for
Naaman
(& Jesus demonstrates again & again)? Do people ever suggest we
take what we see as extreme remedies for health problems we have? What
role does common-sense play in our deciding to take medical or other
professional advice or turn to alternative forms of 'healing' like -
prayer? Do we go too far in keeping professional & alternative
approaches to healing in 'separate compartments'? How far, figuratively
or
literally, are we prepared to go to stay well or get well?
Can we see
why the king of Israel would feel threatened by the letter from
the more powerful Aramaean king when on the surface, it is a simple
request for help for a friend? Are we good enough at showing people we
value them? Do we ever put ourself (or others put
us) in a situation that can be misconstrued & lead
to quarrels of one kind or another? How vital is
good, clear communication about the things of God or anything else? Is there anything else other than
'the things of God'?
8-15 Do we as
followers of God have any prospect of affecting people's
well-being, health-wise or politically, as Elisha confidently
undertakes to do here? If not, is that because we have lost
confidence in God, in ourselves, the community has
lost confidence in us, or any combination of these? If we
don't have Elisha's confidence to serve God, is that because we keep
faith & life in separate compartments? Or have we
created compartments because we can't 'do things for God' today? Is it
time we picked up Elijah's & Elisha's mantle? (2K2:13)
Do people see the
demands we make of them (or they think we make) as being unreasonable
like those Naaman saw Elisha making of him? Is it reasonable to expect
them to 'take the plunge' into faith as
Naaman thinks Elisha is asking him to do? What's being reasonable got
to do with 'the things of God'? How do we react to forms of
Christianity busily at work lobbying politically for their own agendas
in today's Australia as we've seen for a
long time in places like the U.S.A.?
Is there a difference between 'being on God's side' & 'God being on
our side'? Is there any substitute for taking the plunge if we're to
find God?
