A LITTLE BIT OF KNOWLEDGE

A sermon by George Pasley

2 Kings 5:1-5; Luke 10:1-9, 17

A little bit of knowledge sometimes changes entire worlds.

Consider a man named Lester- a black man I recently read of.. In his era he was called “colored”, and he was expected to keep his eyes cast low when he spoke to a white man.

But then World War Two came, and Lester went into the army. That’s where Lester learned a little bit- he learned that it was possible to talk to a white man while looking him straight in the eye.

When the war ended, Lester came home- but he clung onto that little bit of knowledge, just like a lot of other black soldiers. Race relations in America began to change, and that little bit of knowledge had a lot to do with it.

Consider the general, Naaman.

Naaman knew the ways of war. He knew how to command men, and he knew how to win battles. In his world- and in ours, that was a lot of knowledge.

But Naaman knew one thing more.

Naaman knew he had leprosy.

At the time, it probably wasn’t much- just a few skin lesions that he cold conceal beneath his uniform. But that little bit of knowledge changed everything that Naaman knew.

The fearless man of war was afraid- terrified, really- and that little bit of knowledge was at fault.

He could lose his command, lose his family, be cast out of his house and beyond the city limits, and live the rest of his life without a hug, without a pat on the back, without so much as a touch.

A little bit of knowledge can change everything.

Consider the young slave girl, though we only know a little bit about her.

She was young, she was female, she was captured in war, and she was a servant to Naaman’s wife.

In other words, she was a slave. She was a permanent prisoner of war assigned to mostly menial labor.

Actually, that is a lot for us to know because that knowledge portrays a world seemingly without joy or hope.

But maybe not, because that girl- let’s call her Daisy- had two big eyes and two big ears and one big heart.

Naaman probably tried to hide his disease, but Daisy figured it out.

That was a lot of knowledge for one young slave girl to grasp, but she didn’t use it against him. Instead, she added to it one other little bit of knowledge.

That other bit of knowledge was a name, Elisha.

“Go and see Elisha, in Israel. He can cure your leprosy.”

So Naaman went, with permission and blessing of his king, because that one, new, little bit of knowledge, offered by a slave girl, changed everything for Naaman.

Even before taking one step in Israel’s direction, that little bit of good news changed Naaman’s outlook on life. He might have suffered from irritating skin lesions, but he did not suffer from a lack of hope, thanks to his maid’s advice.

So off he went, his confidence emboldened, his eyes lifted high, his character no longer filled with shame.

Eventually, he found what he was looking for- a cure, though it came at the price of a few lessons in humility and obedience. But in the end he was cured, all because one young slave girl shared what she knew.

That’s an awful lot of change from one little bit of knowledge, but let’s look and see if we can’t find some more.

We needn’t look very far- we need only look to the young slave girl, the one we named Daisy.

I said that Daisy’s world seemingly was a world without joy or hope.

I know it would be if it were my world.

I know a woman who recently lost her husband through divorce, lost her pet dog of 17 years through death, is in the midst of losing her closest uncle through cancer, AND has lost her job.

Hers is a world without joy or hope and I told her quite frankly I didn’t blame her for looking at it that way. “But,” I said, “there is another way of looking at your circumstances.”

Because we have the option of looking at life the way Daisy seemed to look at hers.

I am convinced she looked at life differently, because she knew a little bit of something.

She knew there was a prophet in Samaria, and she knew the Lord was with that prophet.

She knew the Lord could cleanse infected skin, and change lives.

So I think that just like she did with what she about Naaman, she added to what she knew about the Lord and the prophet in Samaria.

Daisy added to what she knew, until she knew that the Lord was with her while she was scrubbing floors, washing dishes and hanging laundry to dry in Naaman’s house.

I’m not saying that she whistled while she worked.

But I know she prayed for her enemy- her captor Naaman, and shared what little bit she had with him. So I think Daisy wasn’t wasting a whole lot of time worrying about her situation.

I think she was blooming where she was planted, and from where I sometimes look, she bloomed pretty well.

A little bit of knowledge sometimes goes an awfully long way.

Jesus chose 70, and sent them out with nothing.

No purse, no bag, no sandals (My sisters would have a hard time with that!)

He sent them out with nothing they could carry in their hands or on their backs.

But they came back with joy, because they went out with a little bit of knowledge stashed safely in their hearts.

They came back reporting that everywhere they went, things changed.

“The Kingdom of God has come near to you”

A few years ago a rather well-known Christian writer found a small lump on her breast.

It wasn’t much, but she knew what it might mean, so she went to the doctor.

There were actually several rounds of tests that the doctor wanted her to take, and each one meant a trip to the hospital, and each trip added to her anxiety.

But on the last trip, the receptionist who checked her into the system that day sensed her anxiety, touched her hand, and quoted from the bible- “Be of good cheer.”

Those few words of comfort and hope made a difference

There is a man I know only by prayer. He’s been on our prayer list, and we’ve been on his. His name is Ira, he lives in Montana. He’s survived cancer, so far.

But now his kidneys are failing, and he’s asking for prayer.

But listen: the prayers he asks are not for healing, though he would gladly take it.

Instead, the payers he asks for are wisdom:

What treatments to take,

Which ones to set aside,

Blessings for his doctors,

And one more,

For strength of faith.

Because whatever happens, Ira wants his life- and his death, when it comes, to give praise to God.

You know what I think?

I think Ira knows that little bit of knowledge that Jesus gave the 70 to go and share:

“The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

So here’s what I share with you, if you are afraid, as Naaman was.

Here’s a little bit of knowledge,

To change everything,

If your world is short on joy and

Shorter still on hope:

“The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

It’s not much, I know.

But if you have a decision to make-

If you need a little extra to get you through a bad day,

Or hard times,

Or through life,

It may be enough; it may be more than enough,

It was enough for that young slave girl,

It was enough for Naaman,

It’s enough for me,

So take it to heart and hold on tight:

“The kingdom of God has come near to you.”

There’s just one thing more:

If it turns out the good news is enough and more for you,

Then you’re invited to share.

Because you see, those 70- the ones sent out

With only a bit of knowledge as their parcel-

They returned from sharing, not empty, not satisfied,

Not merely pleased,

But rejoicing, overflowing with joy.

The Kingdom of God has come near.

Let the party begin.

In the name of the father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen.