Illuminations on the Lectionary readings for July 3, 2022 (Pentecost 4C)

First Reading (Track One): 2 Kings 5:1-14

In the time of the Kings, the Arameans and Israel were enemies. So Naaman, an Aramean military leader, must have been wary when his servant suggested that he go to Israel to heal his leprosy.

Jesus Sends Out the Seventy Apostles. Russian Orthodox icon, undated. (Click image to enlarge.)

But leprosy was a terrible disease, disfiguring and contagious; its victims were ritually unclean. So Naaman complied, but then the prophet Elisha wouldn’t even see him, adding insult to injury by sending out a mere servant with advice that sounded too simple to be true. But Naaman’s servants urged him to try Elisha’s proposed sevenfold bath in the Jordan, and just like that, Naaman was cured.

First Reading (Track Two): Isaiah 66:10-14

In the final chapter of Isaiah, the people have returned to Jerusalem from exile, full of joy at their long-awaited homecoming, but facing the hard work of rebuilding the city and a new Temple. It is a time for rejoicing, the prophet declares, and it is a time for healing, too. God will shower prosperity on the city, Isaiah prophesies; and, in beautiful language envisioning God as a loving mother, he assures the people that God will nurse and carry the people as a mother comforts her child.

Psalm (Track One): Psalm 30

Can you imagine Naaman praying this beloved Psalm of thanksgiving for recovery from a grave illness? The Psalmist thanks God: ”I cried out to you, and you restored me to health.” Then he urges everyone, all of us who are God’s servants, to give thanks for all God’s gifts; to be thankful for an end to the sadness that often accompanies illness. We thank God for turning the weeping of those long dark hours of night into the celebration that comes at dawn, when our mourning turns to joy.

Psalm (Track Two): Psalm 66:1-8

The Psalmist’s prayer echoes the trust in God’s protective power that we heard from Isaiah in the Track Two first reading. All Earth’s people are called to be joyful in God and to sing the glory of God’s name. Invoking God’s action to protect the people of Israel by turning the sea into dry land as they fled from Egypt, the Psalmist reminds us to sing in full voice to praise the God who protects us.

Second Reading: Galatians 6:(1-6), 7-16

Sunday brings the final verses of our quick visit in Paul’s letter to the Galatians. We have heard Paul declare that Christ’s message is universal for all humankind: Jew and Gentile, man and woman, slave and free. In this bold assertion he was arguing against opponents who called for a more exclusive way as the early church evolved. Now Paul, approaching the conclusion of this loving letter, restates an essential principle of faith: “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” Or, as Jesus and Torah alike expressed it, love your neighbor as yourself.

Gospel: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

Jesus has “set his face to go to Jerusalem,” beginning his journey that we will hear in our Pentecost season Gospel passages from Luke through the end of November. Even after demanding that his followers leave their families and all their possessions behind, Jesus has no apparent difficulty in enlisting a crowd to help him spread the Good News. He calls 70 followers to hurry through the countryside, “like lambs in the midst of wolves,” to tell villagers that the Kingdom of God is drawing near. Those who reject them, like the Samaritan villagers in last Sunday’s Gospel, are rejecting Jesus. Those who welcome them are welcoming Jesus.