Simple can be scary! This weekend Pastor Steve Andres continued our NAAMAN series with a message about trust and gratitude.
2 Kings 5:15-16
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, “Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. So please accept a gift from your servant.” The prophet answered, “As surely as the Lord lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing.” And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
When Naaman arrives at the house of Elisha, he expects a reception befitting his status and wealth. Instead, he is given simple instructions to bathe in the Jordan River, and he is enraged. Why?
1) Anger is an indicator of something deeper.
Anger is a secondary emotion. When something we value is threatened, we experience anger. For Naaman, this was his sense of control, his ability to manipulate the situation.
2) Fear fights for control.
It is not that it is TOO SIMPLE to receive the grace of God, it is TOO SCARY. When we are afraid, we can’t operate in love, generosity or compassion. How would you live if you were certain that you were perfectly safe?
3) Trust and gratitude go hand in hand.
Naaman is healed when he dips in the Jordan, so he offers a gift to the prophet Elisha. In Naaman’s worldview, religion was about maintaining a healthy reciprocal relationship with the gods. But Elisha sees through this. If Elisha had received the gift from Naaman, it would have signaled to Naaman that the God of Israel was like all the other gods: petty, temperamental and able to be bribed. How would you be different if you truly believed that God didn’t need you, but that he simply loved you?
“If you want to be a Christian, all you need is nothing, and very few people have that.”
Timothy Keller
Religion requires that I do “some great thing,” but Christianity is about some great thing that has been done for me!
