A Strange Path to a New Life

Welcome/Picture of family

Read Passage: 2 Kings 5:1-14

5 Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.

2 Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. 3 She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.”

4 Naaman went to his master and told him what the girl from Israel had said. 5 “By all means, go,” the king of Aram replied. “I will send a letter to the king of Israel.” So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. 6 The letter that he took to the king of Israel read: “With this letter I am sending my servant Naaman to you so that you may cure him of his leprosy.”

7 As soon as the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his robes and said, “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back to life? Why does this fellow send someone to me to be cured of his leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me!”

8 When Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his robes, he sent him this message: “Why have you torn your robes? Have the man come to me and he will know that there is a prophet in Israel.” 9 So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. 10 Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

11 But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. 12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

13 Naaman’s servants went to him and said, “My father, if the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much more, then, when he tells you, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” 14 So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.

Start: Naaman was the kind of guy people envied.

Military hero. Respected leader. Likely dressed sharp. Drove the chariot version of a Tesla. From the outside? He looked like he had it all together.

But then comes the last part of verse 1—and it hits like a brick: “…but he had leprosy.”

Explain leprosy…

Isn’t that how life works sometimes? You can be crushing it in one area and falling apart in another. You’re the boss at work… but your marriage is barely hanging on. You’re everyone’s favorite on social media… but your relationship with your kids is on edge.

That one phrase—“but he had leprosy”—it's a reminder that we all carry something. Something broken. Something hidden. Something we can't fix on our own.

Now here’s where the story takes a wild turn. The person who sets this whole healing journey in motion?

A young slave girl. A nameless, powerless, kidnapped teenage girl from Israel.

She's been ripped from her home, taken from her family, and yet—she opens her mouth and speaks life.

“If only my master would go see the prophet in Samaria, he’d be healed…”

Wait, what?

She had every reason to stay silent. Every reason to be bitter. Every reason to say, “Serves him right.” But instead, she uses her pain as a platform for hope.

Story of dad:

Let me just say it: some of you are in a hard place right now, not because God forgot you—but because He wants to use you.
Like this girl, your faith in a dark place might be the very thing that sets someone else free.

Naaman finally shows up at Elisha’s front door—gold in hand, horses behind him, dressed for the occasion.

And Elisha? He doesn’t even come to the door. Sends a servant out instead with a strange message.

"Go dip in the Jordan River. Seven times. You’ll be clean."

Imagine showing up expecting some epic, prophet-level healing moment—and instead, you’re told to go take seven baths in a muddy creek.

Naaman is furious. This wasn’t the plan. He had a picture in his mind of how God should work. We do that too, don’t we?

“God, fix my marriage… but don’t ask me to say sorry.”
“God, heal my anxiety… but don’t mess with my schedule.”
“God, bless me… but you have to do it on my terms.”

Screen:
Here’s the truth: obedience is often uncomfortable, inconvenient, and humbling. But it’s also the place where healing begins.

Thankfully, Naaman’s servants talk him off the ledge. They basically say, “Bro… if he asked you to do something wild, you’d do it, right? This is simple. Just go. Wash. Be clean.”

And that moment right there—that’s the turning point. Not when Elisha speaks. Not when Naaman dips in the water. The miracle starts when pride bows down and humility steps in.

Micah 6:8 (whole verse) says God wants us to walk humbly. And let’s be honest, that’s hard. Because we all want to be the hero in our own story. But sometimes the bravest thing you can do is admit, “I can’t fix this. I need help.”

So Naaman does it.

Once… nothing.
Twice… still the same.
Three, four, five times… nothing changes.

But on the seventh dip—his skin is restored. Soft like a baby’s.

Born again.

That’s not just a skin story. It’s a heart story…

You and I? We’ve all got spiritual leprosy. It’s called sin.
It spreads. It isolates. It kills.
And there’s not enough religion, money, therapy, or good behavior that can wash it off.

But Jesus.

Jesus came and didn’t avoid lepers—He touched them. He didn’t run from our sin.

He ran toward it. And just like Naaman, when we come in humility, when we say, “I can’t fix this on my own,” He meets us with mercy.

The healing of Naaman is a mirror of the salvation offered to us through Jesus.

It’s simple… but it’ll cost you your pride.
It’s free… but it’ll require surrender.

Gospel
Maybe you’re here today, and you’ve been trying to “fix” your life. You’ve been running strong, but you know you’re sick on the inside. The leprosy of sin is there. And you can’t shake it.

But today… like Naaman, you can be made new.

Not by striving. Not by earning. But by humbling yourself and trusting Jesus.

If that’s you, I want to invite you to pray something like this—not magic words, just a heart-level cry:

Jesus, I know I’ve sinned. I’ve tried to do it my way, and I’ve fallen short. I believe You died for me and rose again. I’m asking You to wash me clean—not just on the outside, but all the way through. I want to follow You. Fill me with your Spirit. I surrender. Amen.