Sermon: Can I have some dirt, please?

This morning I had the lovely opportunity to share God’s Word with my home church, North Tryon Presbyterian, Prince Edward Island. Instead of a new word this week, here’s a glimpse into the sermon. (Once it’s posted on YouTube, I will share the link)…

Hello everybody! Lovely to be back up here again! I really am thankful that you folks continue to let me share my passion.

When it comes to the Bible I am, primarily, an Old Testament/Hebrew scholar, but my favourite part of the Bible is the Gospels. The stories of Yeshua (Jesus) provide the core of my faith, and I always look at the Old Testament in light of the New Testament. The Old Testament was Yeshua’s Bible, and so many of the Old Testament writings point to the Messiah.  The Gospels are saturated with Old Testament references, and Yeshua was constantly either quoting scripture or referring to it. Let’s look at an example where He quotes the Bible and then he refers to two Old Testament stories.

Early in His ministry, Yeshua went to his hometown of Nazareth. The people of Nazareth would have remembered Yeshua as a young boy, a teenager, a young man. They’ve heard the stories of what Yeshua has been doing, like miracles and preaching, so when Yeshua went to the Synagogue to read from the sacred scrolls they all gathered in anticipation to hear Him. He started by reading from Isaiah 61:

LUKE 4:16-22

And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because He has anointed Me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”

And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

And all the people were speaking well of Him, and admiring the gracious words which were coming from His lips, and yet they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?” 

Yeshua could have stopped speaking right here and He would be the hometown hero. He was admired, people were saying good things about Him, it would be an easy and successful reunion, but Yeshua doesn’t leave it there. He had more to say:

LUKE 4:23-29

Jesus said to them, “No doubt you will quote this proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! All the miracles that we heard were done in Capernaum, do here in Your hometown as well.’ ”

But He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome  in his hometown. But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three and six months, when a severe famine swept over all the land; and yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet, and none of them was cleansed— but only Naaman the Syrian.”

On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged. They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.

What happened? How did this go sour so quickly?

Well it’s something to do with the two people Yeshua mentioned: the Widow of Zarephath and Naaman the Syrian. With the mention of these two individuals, the people of Nazareth went from speaking well of Yeshua to wanting to throw Him off a cliff.

The widow and the Syrian, they were in pagan Gentile land! Yeshua lifted up two GENTILES as examples of great faith, and left the Jews out of the story. That did not go over well with the congregation in Nazareth.

The people of Nazareth were living under pagan Gentile oppression. Living as a Jew under Roman occupation meant heavy taxation and always watching your back. 

Every Jew was waiting, anxiously for the coming Messiah in hopes that he would rise up as a valiant warrior, ready to destroy Roman occupation. Because of the communal sense of persecution, Jews were rigidly devoted to their heritage; holding a great sense of pride in following Torah to the letter. There was a sense of tribalism, us against them.

And so when Yeshua preached that these two Gentiles were the primary examples of faith… oh, that made them mad. How dare He elevate Gentiles over Jews! But there’s more to it than that.

So let’s take a look at the story of Naaman:

2 Kings 5:1-10

Now Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man in the view of his master, and eminent, because by him YHWH had given victory to Aram. The man was also a valiant warrior, but afflicted with leprosy. Now the Arameans had gone out in bands and had taken captive a little girl from the land of Israel; and she waited on Naaman’s wife. And she said to her mistress, “If only my master were with the prophet who is in Samaria! Then he would cure him of his leprosy.” 

And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “The girl who is from the land of Israel spoke such and such.” Then the king of Aram said, “Go now, and I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So he departed and took with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten changes of clothes.

And he brought the letter to the king of Israel, which said, “And now as this letter comes to you, behold, I have sent Naaman my servant to you, so that you may cure him of his leprosy.” 

But when the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to kill and to keep alive, that this man is sending word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? But consider now, and see how he is seeking a quarrel against me.”

Now it happened, when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, that he sent word to the king, saying, “Why did you tear your clothes? Just have him come to me, and he shall learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and his chariots, and stood at the doorway of Elisha’s house. And Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go and wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh will be restored to you and you will be clean.”

So, why the Jordan River? What big events happened at the Jordan River? First of all, under the guidance of Joshua, the Hebrew people crossed the Jordan River to enter into the Promised Land. Centuries later, John the Baptist baptised believers in the Jordan, and, of course, it was the Jordan River that Yeshua was baptised by His cousin John, and where God spoke saying, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17, Mark 1:11, Luke 3:22))

The Jordan River is a place of transition, moving from one status to another. It’s a place where you wash away the old and step into the new. The Hebrew people stepped out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. Yeshua stepped out of His life as a carpenter’s son and rose up, out of the water, ready for ministry. 

Naaman was about to go through a profound change and I don’t mean just being healed of leprosy. 

Next question: Why seven times? That seems a bit excessive, right?

In the Bible, seven is the number of completion, full peace! It means wholeness or completeness. Where this is most evident is in the creation narrative. Creation was made in seven days and the seventh day was for rest and reflection. The world was complete, whole, and ready to move forward as a new creation.

When Elisha told Naaman to go to the Jordan River and go under seven times, he was basically saying to Naaman this: 

Naaman, you are about to be transformed into a New Creation!

So, did Naaman do it? Let’s read on:

2 Kings 5:11-12

But Naaman was furious and went away, and he said, “Behold, I thought, ‘He will certainly come out to me, and stand and call on the name of YHWH his God, and wave his hand over the site and cure the leprosy.’ Are Abanah and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, not better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them and be clean?” So he turned and went away in a rage.

Naaman had expectations. He expected to be healed on the spot, and now here’s this guy who won’t even come to him in person, and his messenger just tells him to take an elaborate bath?! He could have just done that at home!

2 Kings 5:11-1

Then his servants approached and spoke to him, saying, “My father, had the prophet told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more then, when he says to you, ‘Wash, and be clean’?”

Naaman’s servants convince him to give it a go. After all, it’s a pretty simple thing to do, and on top of that, if you look at a map, they’re going to have to cross the Jordan, heading home, anyway. 

So Naaman, although probably still a bit angry, was convinced to try:

2 Kings 5:14-15a

So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, in accordance with the word of the man of God; and his flesh was restored like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean.

Then he returned to the man of God with all his company, and came and stood before him. And he said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel.”

In my estimation, Naaman’s testimony is one of the most beautiful moments in the Bible.“Behold, I now know that there is no god in all the earth, except in Israel!”

This was Naaman’s statement of faith. YHWH, He’s the real deal. There is no God except YHWH. Naaman had been transformed! He was a New Creation! 

So what is his first gut instinct as a new believer? 

2 Kings 5:15b

[Naaman to Elisha:] “Please accept a gift from your servant now.” 

Naaman was thinking, I have to pay for this somehow. I owe this guy.

And what is Elisha’s response? 

2 Kings 5:16a

But he said, “As surely as YHWH lives, before whom I stand, I will accept nothing.” 

Elisha was being very clear:  The gift is free!

This was no longer about leprosy; it’s about Salvation! It’s not just physical healing, it’s Spiritual healing!

Other than giving your loyalty and love to YHWH and holding onto faith, there is no payment required for this gift. It’s not about being ritually perfect, or having perfect church attendance, or gaining souls for the Kingdom… The gift is free. There is no debt to be paid!

Back to Yeshua in Nazareth. Why were the people so upset when Yeshua mentioned the Widow in Sidon and Naaman the Syrian? This story about Naaman was clearly not their favourite story in their Bibles. Naaman was a pagan Gentile. He fought against Israel and even had Hebrew slaves in his house! And Yeshua had the gall to lift this man up as an example of faithfulness?! 

Here’s what they were thinking about Gentiles:

• They don’t follow Torah
• They’re not circumcised
• They don’t follow ritual practises
• They break the food laws
• They don’t celebrate the Feasts
• PLUS, they’ve oppressed us for years!

But here’s the thing, God knew that Naaman would probably never be circumcised or celebrate the Passover, but in the end, that stuff didn’t matter… all God wanted was a sincere heart filled with a loyal love for God… and that’s what Naaman had.

The people of Nazareth didn’t get Naaman’s story and they had no interest in getting it either. But they were missing out because there’s even more to Naaman’s story. Let’s take a look:

2 Kings 5:16b-18

And he [Elisha] urged him to accept it [the free gift], but he refused. Then Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant be given two mules’ load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer a burnt offering nor a sacrifice to other gods, but to YHWH. Regarding this matter may YHWH forgive your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow down in the house of Rimmon, when I bow down in the house of Rimmon, may YHWH please forgive your servant in this matter.” 

What was he really asking here? Naaman recognized that he had a job to do when he went home. He’s the king’s right hand man. He accompanied the king, by hand, into the pagan temple of Rimmon. When the king bowed, he would have to bow. And so Naaman, as a new believer, had many questions:  

I have to go back into the wilderness, into a temple of a pagan god. If I do this, will YHWH forgive me? Will I lose my salvation if I do this? What kind of God am I dealing with, here?

What is Elisha’s response?

2 Kings 5:19a

He said to him, “Go in peace.” 

Go in PEACE! You’ve done it. You’ve handed over what YHWH wants: your love and your loyalty! You’ve given Him your heart and that’s all He requires.

God reads the heart of us. He knows if we are sincere in our faith. He knows if your relationship with Him means something to you! It’s not about what we do, where we are, how we present ourselves to others… God looks at the heart. Are you for Him or are you against Him. It’s that simple. 

Naaman, to solidify his faith, asked for dirt. Why?

It’s all about Sacred Space! Naaman is leaving the land of YHWH and returning to the “wilderness”, back into pagan territory. He may be a transformed new creation, but he still has to live in the world from which he came. This was God’s calling for him…bear My Image in your hometown. It’s what Yeshua did in His hometown, and the people wanted to throw Him off a cliff for it. But Naaman didn’t want to go alone, so with Elisha’s permission, he brought some YHWH territory with him… two mules worth of dirt.  

What’s he going to do with it? We don’t know. The story doesn’t tell us. Maybe he put some in his pocket every time he entered the temple of Rimmon. Maybe he planted a garden, his own mini-Eden, where he could pray to YHWH and worship Him. Whatever he did with it, it would have been a reminder that he was a sojourner in a foreign land… but God was with him. He wasn’t alone in the pagan land of ancient Syria. God was right there by his side.

Farmers, you know the importance of good soil. It’s where we plant seeds and good things grow. This was what Naaman was going to be doing in Syria. He would be casting the seeds and watching the harvest. He would be a light in a dark land… reflecting the goodness of YHWH to his Syrian brothers and sisters.

I’d like to bring this story a little closer to our own time period. Show of hands. How many people here have heard of Corrie ten Boom or the ten Boom family?

These are the three ten Boom sisters. The oldest is Betsie, the youngest is Corrie, and in the middle is Nollie. Add 40 years to that picture and these three were living in very difficult times. If you’re unaware of their story, they were Dutch Christians living in Nazi occupied territory during WWII. Nollie had married, but Betsie and Corrie lived at home with their elderly father, Casper ten Boom. During the war the ten Booms were part of the Dutch resistance. They hid Jews in their home.

One evening, when Nollie, her son, and their brother Willem were visiting Betsie, Corrie, and Caspar’s home, there was a harsh knock on the door. The Nazi’s raided the house and the entire family was taken into custody. Fortunately the Jews were able to reach their hiding place and were not discovered. 

Eventually Nollie, Willem, and Nollie’s son Peter,  were released from prison, and shortly after the arrest their father Casper died in custody. Betsie and Corrie were not released. Nollie came to visit her sisters in prison and bravely snuck Corrie a little pocket Bible. Corrie now had a little bit of “God Space” with her. She took that Bible, by the grace of God, in the wilderness, as she and her sister Betsie were transferred to Ravensbruck Concentration camp. By the grace of God, Corrie was able to sneak that Bible into the Concentration camp.

That little Bible was a light in the darkest of places, where Corrie and Betsie shared the Gospel and where many women were transformed into New Creations in the darkest wilderness of a concentration camp. Betsie would not survived and died in the camp after an illness. Corrie returned home after the war and wrote The Hiding Place as a memoir. In the memoir Betsie stands out as a woman of incredible faith. While living in the hell of a concentration camp, she said:

“What better way could there be to spend our lives?”

To Betsie, they were in the perfect place and situation to share God’s love. Looking towards the harsh Nazi women guards, she said:

“Corrie, if people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love! We must find the way, you and I, no matter how long it takes.”

Loving our enemies, even in the midst of persecution, that’s what we’re called to do, and Betsie knew it.

Think back… who was the unsung hero of Naaman’s story? Was it Elisha? Naaman? the king? No, Naaman’s transformation happened because one little Jewish slave girl was brave enough to show LOVE to her captor, her oppressor. Yeshua was asking the same thing of his hometown people… and they wanted to throw Him off the cliff for it.

Naaman’s story has SO MANY rich lessons: it’s about loving your enemies; it’s about Salvation and becoming a new Creation; it’s about accepting God’s FREE gift, and dropping the feeling that we’re in debt to God or that we’re not worthy; it’s about living in faith when the darkness surrounds us; it’s about reflecting God’s love and compassion onto the world, even if the world hates us, and even if we think they don’t deserve it; and it highlights the important fact that God knows your Heart.

It’s not what you do in this lifetime, it’s how you LOVE!

If you love YHWH with all your heart you can be sure that, regardless of your theology, your religious practices, your church attendance, your prayer life, or your Bible reading skills… you have done enough to achieve salvation. God wants your love, your loyalty, and your faithfulness. That is all. When you are truly loving God with all your heart, the rest all falls into place.

Next week: Tearing clothes