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SERMONS

Sixth Sunday after the Epiphany
February 15, 2009

By The Rev. Sylvia Czarnetzky

            2 Kings 5:1-14
            1 Cor. 9:24-7
            Mark 1:40-5

Dickie Scruggs was back in the news this past week. Scruggs was back in Mississippi to plead guilty to the federal criminal charge of trying to bribe a Hinds County judge. Scruggs, of course, is already in prison, serving time for another judicial bribery scheme, this one involving a Lafayette County judge. In both instances, Scruggs was trying to get the judges to rule in his favor in lawsuits over legal fees. Apparently, Scruggs had a hard time settling up with his fellow lawyers when the time came to divvy up the attorneys’ fees.

At any rate, Scruggs’s guilty plea to the second bribery scheme was covered widely in the press, and, because this week two of his co-conspirators in the first case were sentenced, and a local judge was indicted in the second case, Scruggs news has been everywhere.

I was listening to public radio the day Scruggs pled guilty in Aberdeen, and they quoted a proverb that I had never heard before – one that had, apparently, been quoted at the guilty plea hearing. Judge Davidson had quoted an old Roman proverb, that goes like this: Money is like seawater – the more you swallow, the thirstier you get. Now, perhaps Judge Davidson didn’t feel comfortable quoting a proverb from the Bible at the federal hearing, I don’t know. But I am not in a federal court; I’m in a church! So nobody can really complain if I quote a proverb from the Bible! It’s kind of part of my job!

And the first thing from the Bible that came to my mind, in connection with the rise and fall of Dickie Scruggs, was a passage from Second Samuel: “[H]ow [] the mighty have fallen.” (1:25) The second thing that came to mind was the old saying, pride goeth before a fall. That’s how most of us remember the phrase. But actually, that’s not precisely how it goes. The actual passage in the Book of Proverbs reads: “Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.” (16:18) Well, that’s actually even better! “Pride goeth before destruction, And a haughty spirit before a fall.”  (16:18)

Mr. Scruggs seemed to believe that the law didn’t really apply to him; that justice was for sale; that everybody has a price! Mr. Scruggs tried to illegally manipulate, to his own benefit, The same legal system that made him rich In the first place!  Now, if that’s not arrogant, Then I don’t know what is. But this rich, powerful man was brought low. And the person whose actions brought about Scruggs’ downfall was a man named Henry Lackey. And, compared to Scruggs, Judge Lackey was a nobody – He wasn’t rich, like Scruggs. He wasn’t famous, like Scruggs. He didn’t have movies made about him, like Scruggs did. But Judge Lackey was honest! When he was first approached with the offer of a cash bribe, Judge Lackey did the right thing. He called the authorities. And because of his honesty and his willingness to tell the truth, Scruggs is in jail.

The story of the rise and fall of Dickie Scruggs is a cautionary tale about where arrogance can lead. But he is certainly not the first powerful, successful man whose pride caused him to stumble. The Old Testament reading today from Kings tells the story of a powerful, successful man whose pride also caused him to stumble. Naaman, though, stumbled but didn’t fall, thanks to the intervention of a couple of nobodies.

“The story begins with Naaman, the chief military commander of the Aramean army.” (Seow 193) We are told in the first line of the passage that Naamam “was a great man and in high favor” with the king. (2 Kings 5:1) Naaman was a war hero, A victorious military commander, (193) A Very Important Person in the world of ancient Israel. But “[i]n spite of all his accomplishments and greatness, Naaman has a problem.”  He’s a leper. So the one thing that this powerful, great man hasn’t got that he needs is a cure for his leprosy.  (193)

The first “nobody” who helps Naaman out is a young servant girl in his household. She was captured in Israel and then made a servant in Naaman’s household. It is she who first reveals that there is a prophet. (5:2-3) She is the person who puts Naaman on the path that leads to healing and wholeness. (Bartlett 339) On the strength of her information about the prophet, Naaman journeys all the way from Damascus to Samaria, in search of a cure for his leprosy. (197) Naaman arrives in Samaria with a letter from his king in hand, To try to secure a cure for himself, he brings with him a bunch of lavish gifts – “Ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments….”  (5:5b) to help grease the wheels. (Howell 20) But Naaman doesn’t get anywhere with the king, so eventually he goes directly to the house of Elisha the prophet.  And with all his horses and chariots and presumably his whole entourage looking on, Naaman comes to Elisha’s door. He is ready for his miracle.

But, again, things don’t go as smoothly as Naaman had hoped.  Elisha himself doesn’t come to the door -- he sends a messenger out to tell Naaman what to do to get his miracle.  Naaman must “wash seven times in the Jordan.” (5:8-10) But that does not sit well with Naaman. Naaman, remember, is an important guy. A VIP. And he comes to Elisha’s door with definite ideas about how this healing should take place. (Bartlett 340) Naaman says, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand…and cure the leprosy!” (5:11, emphasis supplied)
And when Naaman doesn’t get the VIP treatment he was expecting, he gets mad.  When Elisha doesn’t come out himself to cure him, he becomes “indignant.”(194) He “turned and went away in a rage.” (5:12) So things look like they are really falling apart now. Elisha is in his house, sending out a messenger. Naaman has stormed off from the house, angry that Elisha has disrespected him. In his frustration and anger, Naaman asks, Why did I come all this way, just to wash in your puny old river, when I could have just stayed home and washed in my own perfectly good rivers! (5:12)

And just when things look hopeless – just when it looks like Naaman will give up in anger and go home with no cure, some of Naaman’s servants intervene. (Bartlett 343)
They soothe his wounded pride, and smooth his ruffled feathers. Now, Naaman, they say (as if they’ve had some previous experience calming Naaman down), come on.  If Elisha had asked you to do something complicated, wouldn’t you have done that? Why not do this one easy thing – just wash in the river like Elisha told you to, and everything will be fine! (5:13) And Naaman listens. He goes down to the Jordan, washes seven times, and gets his miracle.  His leprosy is healed and “his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy…” (5:14)

So who saved the day this time? Who kept Naaman from letting his “wounded pride” get the best of him?  (Lundblad 1) Whose intervention kept him from walking away from his cure? It was his servants. More nobodies! This great and powerful commander needed the intervention of some lowly slaves in order to make his way to the healing God was offering him.  (1)

So at two junctures in Naaman’s story, it was the action of some relative nobodies that kept him on the path to healing. First, it was the Israeli “servant girl who caused him to come to Israel in the first place,” (Seow 194-5) Second, it was the intervention of his own servants that kept Naaman from walking away from Elisha’s front door. (195) The great and powerful general Naaman would not have been cured had it not been for the intervention of a bunch of nobodies! If Naaman had let his pride and arrogance rule the day, he would have missed the boat. Likewise, if Naaman had let his expectations about what healing might look like rule the day, he would still be a leper.  (Powell 42)
         
And the folks who helped put this powerful man on the path to salvation and helped keep him  on track were folks on the bottom of the food chain.  The servants.  The slaves.  The powerless. The nobodies. (They don’t even get names!) When you think of how close Naaman came to storming off without his miracle, it makes you wonder. Are there some people in our lives that maybe we’re overlooking who are nonetheless trying to keep us on the path to healing? Are there some people playing the servants to our Naaman, showing us the path that leads to grace, And urging us to stay on the path all the way to healing and wholeness, even when our pride and our impatience threaten to derail the whole enterprise?

You don’t have to be a rich, powerful, or successful to help someone else to help another person find the way to God! In fact, sometimes it is the rich and powerful who have the hardest time turning to God and saying “yes” to his offer to us of mercy, healing and wholeness and abundant life.  Amen.

Works Cited

Bartlett, David & Barbara Brown Taylor. Eds. Feasting on the Word, Year B, vol. 1. Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2008. 338-43.

Browne, Thea Joy. Sermon for 6th Epiphany. Worship that Works. ECUSA website. January 15, 2003. 1-3.

Brueggemann, Walter. Texts for Preaching: A Lectionary Commentary Based on the NRSV - Year B.  Louisville:  Westminster/John Knox Press, 1996.

Childs, James M. “The Season of Epiphany.” New Proclamation. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2002.

Craddock, Fred B., et al.  Preaching Through the Christian Year: Year B. Valley Forge: Trinity Press,1993.

Crafton, Barbara. “Miracle Market.” “Living by the Word.”  Christian Century February 8, 2003. 18.

Farrington, Debra. “Healed, not cured.” “Living by the Word.”  Christian Century February 7, 2006. 16.

Howell, James. “Living by the Word.” Christian Century  February 10, 2009. 20.

Krause, Deborah. “The Season of Epiphany.” New Proclamation. 2006.

Lundblad, Barbara. “What the Mighty Might Learn.” Day 1.org.

Mitchell, Jerry. “Scruggs expected to enter second guilty plea.” clarion-ledger.com. Feb. 6, 2009.

Powell, Mark Alan. Epiphany. Proclamation 6, Series B.  Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 1996.

“Scruggs pleads guilty to second judicial bribery scheme.  Legal Newsline.com. Feb. 12, 2009.

Seow, Choon-Leong. “First and Second Kings.”  New Interpreter’s Bible III. Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1999.  192-8.