The Forgotten Battle: The Salvation of the Soul
2 Kings 5:14-17; 2 Timothy 2:8-13; Luke 17:11-19
Samaria, the capital of Israel, came into international prominence with the Assyrian invasion and the exile of Israelites to Nineveh in 721 B.C. In those days, when a capital city and its king are captured, the battle is over with. So, like most capitals of many nations, to conquer Israel, its capital Samaria had to fall. The difference, however, was that the destruction of Samaria, by the Assyrians, was more than a material destruction, the destruction was aimed at her soul and mind, the transplantation of a new mindset and ethos. That is, the aim was to supplant the God of Israel with the Assyrian god and Assyrian morality. Hence, the physical destruction was to be accompanied by a metaphysical destruction.
More so, the rise of Nineveh, the capital of Assyria, required the demise of other powers and other gods. Israel was not the only nation conquered by Assyria in its rise to power. The beautiful title of Prof. Richard Jude Thompson’s book, “The Terror of the Radiance,” says it all. The rise of Assur, the god of the Assyrians, after whom their nation was named – Assyria – began a new phase in human history. The Assyrians were determined to show the supremacy of their god over other gods, and to subject other gods to their god. It was a spiritual warfare fought in the physical realm. One may say that the radiance of Assur was the begin of 8th century B.C. wisdom, because of the devastation the Assyrians left in their wake, wherever they went. Yes, new god, new power, new way of doing things.
In this scheme of things, the “Terror of the Radiance” or the terror of the Assyrians manifested itself in a political and military warfare. Today, on the contrary, our first reading draws attention to a different kind of warfare that must be fought for those who believe in the true and living God of Israel – the fight for the salvation of the human soul, and not the fight to conquer nations, kings and powers. This one area of importance was left unattended – the eternal salvation of the individuals fighting the war – the soldiers. After military conquests are over with, and the battle cries are silent, and garlands and wreaths deposited, human life continues, other needs are felt, and new dreams and visions conceived. At that moment, it is the time to remember the individual, the soldier of war. It is exactly the case with Na’aman. Despite many successes in physical battles for the glories of fatherland and in order to win laurels, Na’aman had other battles to fight, a battle which he neglected, probably because he was not aware of it, the battle for his soul. Because of what his eyes could see, and what people were muttering, Na’aman was conscious of his leprosy and he desired a cure.
The stigma of leprosy was real, it made one an outcast. It broke human communion with other human beings, and made loneliness the only companion and friend with which to while away time. Even when human visitors came around, they stood at a distance because a leper was a contaminant: leprosy made one both unfit for human relations and cultic participation or worship. In a word, leprosy was a human and divine rejection. Na’aman was really in troubled waters, needing human and divine remedies. It was only a contact with the living God of Israel that will change the situation of Na’aman.
Na’aman’s journey to Samaria, in our first reading, was epoch making, at least for himself. He desired a reintroduction into the communion of human beings which leprosy denied him. He sought a new look, call it a facelift (“bodylift” would have been a better expression), which leprosy prevented him from having. He was ready to risk everything for the sake of having a new outward appearance and looks. So, he journeyed to meet a prophet, whose name says it all – Elisha, a name which means “God is my salvation.” In other words, salvation is only possible in God, not in military victories and conquests. The highest victory is the salvation of one’s soul!
Na’aman’s encounter with Elisha shattered the physical and human barriers first, before embarking on a spiritual restoration. When Na’aman was sent to bathe in the stream, by Elisha, he protested: his nation was superior to Israel and his military rang and political status required that the prophet come out to see him, which the prophet never did. Of course, the waters and streams of his home were better than those of Israel, he retorted. Pride, it is said, goes before a fall. Interestingly, Na’aman was humbly enough to obey the prophet Elisha; it was after his worldly pride was conquered, that his spiritual victory began.
Obedient to prophetic injunction, and a bath in the river, restored the physical health of Na’aman, and he began a new spiritual journey in his life. The first sign of transformation in the life of Na’aman was his confession: “now I know that there is no other God in all the earth except in Israel.” A quest which began with a physical need, leprosy, ended up with a double blessing – physical and spiritual transformation. What a God we serve and worship, a God who goes beyond our expectations to shower more blessings than was asked of him! Yes, the second sign of conversion, in Na’aman, was the giving of tithes to the prophet for God’s blessings to him. Na’aman showed gratitude to God for his physical and spiritual restoration. Today, so many people too give their thanks to God through generous donations and charitable acts.
The massage of the first reading, the importance of the salvation of human soul, continues in the gospel of today. Ten lepers were cleansed and restored to health, like Na’aman, but only one, a Samaritan, returned to give thanks. There is an irony here, Na’aman, who was not an Israelite, recognized and confessed that there was no god on earth besides the God of Israel, and the capital of Israel was Samaria. In today’s gospel, Jesus, who came to Judah, with its capital as Jerusalem, heals ten lepers, but the residents of Judah did not recognize him, but a Samaritan did, and he returned to give thanks to God in Jesus Christ. Outsiders, Na’aman and the Samaritan leper, came to have faith in the God of Israel before the Isrealites and Jews. The lesson here is that there are many ungrateful people, even if they received gifts and blessings from God. People like that worry more about material success and not spiritual break through. They do not have faith, and they fail to attribute to God the good things that happen in their lives, for which they should give thanks. But what God cares more about, is the salvation of the human soul, only the Samaritan realized that, according to the gospel.
Just like Na’aman, who left his country in search of physical health, ten lepers came out of isolation to accost Jesus in search of a cure. Na’aman was cured physically and spiritually; as for the ten lepers, only the Samaritan was healed spiritually and physically, the other nine only obtained physical cure. As Elisha sent Na’aman to the stream and after he was cured he realized that it was not the stream but that Elisha was God’s instrument for his healing, Jesus sent ten lepers to see the priest, but only a Samaritan recognized that Jesus was the God who healed him.
A very important point to retain today is that the salvation of the human soul is very important but sometimes it is only through adversity that we realize that there is God. The English proverb, “every cloud has a silver lining,” is very true. Adversities prepare us for the appearance and intervention of God. In fact, for us Christians, adversities are God’s forerunners, announcing the proximity of God. If there is a message to be taken home today, it is the patience that should characterize every Christian going through a difficult time. Our ability to weather-the-storm confirms our Christian identity. This is the message of Paul, when he says: “This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him, we shall also live with him; if we persevere, we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him, he will deny us. If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself” (2 Timothy 2:11-13).
Going by what Paul says, the knowledge of Christ’s suffering and death provide the needed example for human beings to learn how to deal with adversity. The acceptance to remain faithful in the midst of adversity defines a Christian because Christ remained faith until death, despite adversities. The contrary is also true, when we abandon our faith in adversity, God abandons us to our adversity; but this is just phase one; worse still, when we deny him, by finding alternative solutions, he will deny us his heavenly kingdom; this is phase two. In order words, earthly adversities are endured in the flesh, for which we are rewarded with heaven. This means that the soul reaps the good harvest of all that is sowed in the flesh, while one is upon the earth.
If the Assyrians conquered Israel militarily, Israel’s God showed himself, through Elisha, to be more powerful than the Assyrian gods, for he fights for human soul and immortality than anything else. If the Assyrian God forced people to kill and subjugate other peoples and nations, the Christian God takes flesh to be friends with his creatures, this is what Jesus did. Jesus came in weakness, so as to make the weak strong. Jesus died, so that his creatures may have life everlasting. Just compare the Christian God and our daily experience with the god of Islamic religious fundamentalists, then we will realize that the battle for our souls should be taken seriously!
Since Jesus died for human salvation, the salvation of the soul is worth fighting and dying for. If many people are ready to compromise their chances of going to heaven because of their attachments to earthly pleasures, a Christian should make it his/her duty to use material things in such a way that they lead him/her to his/her eternal reward in heaven. The leprosy plaguing the world today is the forgetfulness of the reality and necessity to fight for heaven, it is high time we changed it!
Assignment for the week:
Give up something you love doing or eating, this week, as a reminder that your soul needs taking care of for salvation!