2 Kings
5:1-3 and 7-15
(the episode of the healing of Naaman)
Introduction: In 2014
I went to Jerusalem for two months, not as a pilgrim but as a student of the
Swedish Theological Institute in Jerusalem to learn to understand the long time
struggle/conflict between Israel and Palestine. When my relatives and friends heard
about my planned travel to the “holy land” they started calling me up to
request for a gift on my return. I thought I should be taking a huge bag for
carrying the gifts. But then, after listening to their requests, I realized that
a small cabin-bag would be sufficient enough to carry the requested gifts. All
that my friends and relatives wanted from me was a handful of soil from
Jerusalem and a small bottle of water from the river of Jordan! This request
really compelled me to ponder upon the questions related to our faith. I
started wondering why do we, at least in India, believe that the soil of
Jerusalem is holier than the soil of our own lands? Is the water of Jordan
superior than the water-bodies of Tunga river of my village back in India or river
Rewa that flows here in Suva?
Of course, for my Indian Christian friends, this
request was associated with their belief in Jesus who walked in Jerusalem, especially
Via Dolorosa - the way of the cross - and his baptism in river Jordan. This
belief can be contested. However, let us not get into that discussion now. But
today’s passage, at its face value, looks like upholding the notion that the
water-bodies of Jordan are more powerful and miraculous than the water-bodies
of Abana and Pharpar of Syria. Does this text really propose a hierarchy of
water-bodies and subscribe to the territorial supremacy of one nation over the
other? Should we hold this text responsible for the contemporary water politics
in the Jordan river basin? Or does it send an entirely different message
altogether? To answer these questions, we need to re-locate the episode of the
healing of Naaman in the larger context of political struggle between Aram and
Israel, most probably during the reigns of Ben Haddad II or III of Aram and
Joram of Israel. When read within such a political context, the text can offer
us several meanings and lessons. Let us concentrate on the three lessons that I
would like to draw from this reading:
1. Healing is a Subversive Act of God
The setting of 2 Kings 5 is at the
time when Aram, Israel’s northern neighbor, enjoyed a certain level of military
supremacy over Israel. The history tells us that Aram was victorious over
Israel during many raids and they would loot wealth and capture people to make
slaves for them. And they wouldn’t spare even young ones. As the verse 2 says,
“the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the
land of Israel and she served Naaman’s wife.” Hence it is clear that the
relationship between Israel and Aram was of an unequal relationship. To certain
extent, it was a master-slave relationship.
Naaman, in this text, stands as a representational
figure of the military supremacy of the Aram as counter to the young slave girl
of Israel who was captive by Aram. The text calls Naaman as a “great man”,
“commander of the army” and “mighty warrior” indicating his superior position.
However, the text also indicates that this “great man” was in need of healing
because he had leprosy. Interestingly, this great man now is made to look at
Israel (Aram’s hierarchically inferior state) for healing. That’s the beauty
and uniqueness of this text. It indicates that God’s healing is a subversive
act. It subverts the power structures. The healing is found when one’s so
called greatness is critically shaken. Healing is met when one’s superiority
over the other is vehemently subverted. In this process of subversive healing
the water-bodies of the river play a major role.
2. Water-bodies: the Subversive Agents of the Healing Act of God
If we once again go back to the questions that we
raised in the beginning: Why Jordan, and why not Abana and Pharpar? I believe,
the Biblical text here does not uphold in any way the superiority of the
water-bodies of river Jordan to the rivers of Damascus, rather it just invites
an epistemological shift in our understanding of the agency of the
water-bodies. Just like any other water-bodies, river Jordan stands here as an
agency of God’s healing. But an exceptional focus here is that Jordan is not
just an agency, rather it is a subversive
agency of the healing act of God. When the prophet Elisha through his
messenger commands Naaman to go and wash in the river Jordan, Naaman reacts to
the prophet quite arrogantly, because his ego was severely hurt. After all
Elisha is just a prophet of Israel. How can he ignore the commander of Aram’s
army? And how can he possibly command the commander to wash in a river,
particularly the river that flows in the territory of Israel?
Verses 11 and 12
say, But Naaman became angry and went
away, saying, “are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than
all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned
and went away in a rage. So it’s a clear indication that the victorious
military superiority made Naaman to grow arrogant to such an extent that he
even tends to believe and claim that the water-bodies of his territory are
better and superior than the water-bodies of Israel. Now Elisha gives a
terrific blow to this arrogant claim of Naaman on the natural resources like
water-bodies. In such a context as this the water-bodies of Jordan play the
role of a subversive agents that challenge the occupying tendency of Naaman. Naaman’s
arrogance had to be challenged. It was not that the water-bodies of Abana and
Pharpar couldn’t be the agents of healing. But in order to clean Naaman both
within and outside, a territorial shift from Abana to Jordan was necessary.
Thus de-territorializing Naaman leads to a holistic healing of his Self. His
immersion into Jordan has to be seen as his rebirth as a redeemed human being.
3. Water-bodies: the agents of Healing a Hostile Relationship
Jordan or Israel, for Naaman, was his external other
with which he hierarchically disassociated. And moreover, Israel and Aram were
in a hostile relationship for many years. As it is obvious with any Empire,
Naaman saw Israel as an object of enslavement. That made him blind to the pains
and pathos of the enslaved people of Israel. His immersion into river Jordan
was an invitation for him to immerse in the life of his Other. Now being
immersed into the Jordan, Naaman’s flesh was restored like the flesh of a young
boy.
The image of young boy is quite profound here. It is an image that stands
as an opposite of Empire, the empire that often strives to conquer and occupy other.
The image of young boy is an epitome of purity and love and of a just
relationship. The young boy knows no conquer, no territorial superiority, no
political supremacy over others, no war, but only the pure love that embraces
everyone. Verse 15 is quite noteworthy in this whole process of healing. The healed Naaman with all his company
returns to the prophet and gives him the present. Giving presents is a gesture
of profound friendship. The commander who was hostile to his other now embraces
the other as his friends. What a radical healing it was! Indeed the
water-bodies of the river Jordan act as the enigmatic agents of healing a
hostile relationship.
Conclusion: Today we
must feel blessed for God has located us in an Island surrounded by the
water-bodies. These water-bodies constantly remind us our sickness of being
arrogant of our supremacy over others. The water-bodies around us challenge us
by subverting the human power structure where one strives to occupy and enslave
the other. Let us be reminded that the water-bodies invite us to immerse into
the life of the others so that we may understand the pain and pathos of others.
At this point I am reminded of a small story told by my high school teacher: There was a boy who constantly used to
scratch his head. His father found it disgusting. And one day while the boy was
scratching his head in public, his father scolded him saying, “Son, it is so
disgusting. Why do you always scratch your head?” Then the son politely
replied, “well, you see dad, I am the only one who knows it itches.” The
world we are living in is full of itches. To understand other’s itches and
their pain, we need to immerse into the life of our other. The water-bodies
around us remind us that very truth
of life just as they reminded Naaman several years ago.
It has now become a routine for me and Sherly, ever since we entered into this campus, to take an evening walk along
the beaches and sit quietly in front of the huge water-bodies. They tell us every
day that we are all connected to each other. Our roots in the Arabean sea are
connected to the Pacific Ocean. We are no more in the conquering or occupying
relationship, rather we are healed for a friendly relationship, an egalitarian
bond. At the same time the water-bodies invite us dare to immerse in the life
of the Pacific so that we may learn and respond to the joy and pains of the
people in the Pacific. Just as Naaman was challenged to move from Aban and
Pharpar to Jordan, we are also challenged to move out of our comfort zones and
get healed by our known and unknown other. Let the water-bodies around us
continue to challenge and invite us to embrace our other just as a young boy
embraces his other without any prejudice and misconceptions.
