I love the story of Naaman, partly because it is just such a great story but mostly because of what it reminds me about when it comes to the assumptions we make. Naaman is a man of rank and wealth, he is a close confident of the King of Aram, close enough that when he tells the King there is a chance he can be healed of his leprosy the King not only gives him leave to go but offers to write a letter of introduction on his behalf and give him the money and goods necessary to pay for the healing. But here is where the story gets interesting.
One of the final assumptive aspects of this story is that the wealthy and powerful are the wise people of the world yet in this story it is a foreign slave girl and the servants of Naaman who are the voices of wisdom…
This story is about the assumptions we make about people and the assumptions we make about God. Naaman assumes the prophet who can heal him that the slave girl spoke of must be the King of Israel as the King of a country is the one who has been chosen by God to lead and so is blessed by God and in close communication with God. Naturally then if there is healing to be done it must be the King that is able to provide it. There’s Naaman’s first assumption, that leads to much rending of clothing on the part of the King of Israel who has no idea why this powerful leader of a neighbouring kingdom would come to him to have his leprosy cured. At this point in steps Elisha who calms the King’s fears and assures him that the God of Israel is able and will cure this foreigner.
Elisha is not wealthy, he has no rank, but he has been chosen and blessed by God. He watched his mentor Elijah be taken up in a whirlwind and fiery chariot. He asked God for a double dose of Elijah’s spirit by which I believe he meant faith and it is obvious he received it. While the King never even imagines God would cure this man, Naaman has no hesitation, no fear. His trust in God is absolute (as one would assume the King’s should have been). He knows that if God sent this man to be healed then God would provide the healing.
How many times do we make assumptions about people without really knowing them? Naaman assumes the King by his position would be able to cure him and the King feared Naaman’s request was just a ploy to bring them into war. Neither of them looked further than their own biases. How often do we do that; make assumptions based on biases or our own limited experiences instead of being willing to ask questions, get to know someone, assume the best not the worst.
Now comes the second assumption, Naaman assumes that the cure must be dramatic and immediate, some fancy words, a noxious potion, perhaps some feat to be accomplished because something as miraculous as curing leprosy must be flashy to work, right? After all, if Naaman is to call on his God to provide this miracle it’s going to be dramatic, otherwise what is Naaman paying for? Yet what God tells Naaman to do through Elisha is just dunk in the river Jordan seven times. Nothing flashy, nothing dramatic but the results are indeed miraculous, and Naaman almost misses it because of the assumptions he holds!
This is the problem with assumptions, they are limiting. They narrow our focus; we have a hard time seeing past them to what truly is there because we are looking for what we assume should be there. This limits us in how we view and understand the people around us, not just friends and family but more important the stranger who Jesus says we are to treat as a neighbour. If we make assumptions about people with addictions or who are homeless or who are another culture or faith, we limit ourselves to seeing them for who they truly are, a child of God, just like us, with families and hopes and dreams. If we limit experiences of God to just within a church building or in a moment of prayer or even just standing quietly surrounded by the beauty of this world, we miss the experience of God experienced in the little instances and interactions of every day. A smile, a helping hand, a thoughtful gesture. God id all around us and is active in the world around us but if we assume God must be a certain way or act in a certain manner then we have limited God, we have boxed God in and we will miss out in so much.
One of the final assumptive aspects of this story is that the wealthy and powerful are the wise people of the world yet in this story it is a foreign slave girl and the servants of Naaman who are the voices of wisdom, although Naaman also must get some wisdom credits for he listens to them and acts on their words.
Be aware of your assumptions, challenge them, look past them, keep your eyes and your mind and your heart open to who people really are and who God is and how God is at work in your life.