The Joy of Being Clean

February 11, 2000

East Wareham United Methodist Church, Wareham, Massachusetts

Mark 1:41 I will: be thou clean.

We Americans are obsessed with physical cleanness. Not all of us, maybe. But it is hard to imagine how a great part of the world lives– and in fact, how we used to live before we had the kind of plumbing we have today. I know I'm really old, but can you remember when we took baths once a week? When we might wear the same shirt and pants to school over and over again?

Some cultures even today seem to enjoy various kinds of odors we would just as soon not talk about. Some even think some odors are attractive. In our own country perfume used to do more than just be an accessory: it was a cover-up. But we all know there isn't really any substitute for being clean!

I used to wash my face to come to the supper table. Sometimes I just got the front sort of wiped off. My mother had a way of looking behind my ears. (And she also had a disgusting way of looking me over before we went into church and if she saw a spot she'd take her handkerchief and touch it to her tongue- spit on it- and then wipe my face– hard! Ouch! Yuck)! As I said, there is no substitute for being really clean.

TO BE IN GOD'S PRESENCE IS TO SEE HOW MUCH WE REALLY NEED TO BE MADE CLEAN

(Whenever in the Bible people meet God there is usually a sense of shame or fear.) The prophet Isaiah was a very good man. A priest. But as he started to really draw near to God he said, "Woe is me! I am in big trouble! I have a dirty mouth! I live with people who have dirty mouths! I have seen God– now what am I ever going to do?"

THERE ARE TIMES WHEN ONLY BEING REALLY CLEAN WILL CUT IT

The Old testament lesson today is a fascinating story about a truly important, even great man– but one day he looked at his arm while he was bathing and saw a strange sore. He asked his doctor about it. The doctor called another doctor. Then they just shook their heads. "You're unclean!" they said. "You have leprosy!" Naaman was going to die!

Naaman's boss was upset. Everyone in Damascus where he lived was upset– at least the one's who knew it. They kept it a secret as long as they could because leprosy was like AIDS today– incurable, and bad, bad news.

Then though a strange coincidence– the Lord seems to use a lot of these– a slave girl from Israel gave her mistress, who was Naaman's wife– a tiny ray of hope. "There's a man of God in Samaria, Israel, who could help the General," she said.

That began a chain of events that finally led to a really impressive caravan pulling up in front of the man of God's house in Samaria. How they finally got there is a fun part of the story. (Maybe I'll tell you.)

Naaman was willing to pay any price. He came prepared. "Would you like to be a millionaire?" he was waiting to say to Elisha. But Elisha didn't even show. He sent Gehazi his servant to the door with instructions. "You're unclean. OK– go was seven times in the River Jordan on your way home. That will do the trick. Goodbye." Very strange treatment for a VIP by the prophet. And believe me, Naaman did NOT like it!

"Let's get out of here!" he said.

No price could pay for it! It couldn't be bought. But at the same time nothing but submission and obedience could receive it. Naaman's servants talked some sense into him. They pulled up by the river and off came the jacket with the five stars. Off came the sandals and all the rest. Down into the shallow Jordan walked the general. He dipped, and dipped, and dipped again and again. Seven times. Six times– nothing. Seventh time– miracle! No more unclean! Grateful, Naaman headed back to the prophet's house to give him his zillion dollars reward.

NOW the prophet came down, smiling. "Nope, I don't want any money. This is God's miracle. Just be grateful."

"I am! I am!" It is wonderful when you have been unclean to realize– I am clean! I am clean! What a luxury to have a clean heart! Jesus said, "Blessed are the pure in heart!"

The Old Testament seems to discriminate against anything unclean. There were unclean foods. There were unclean animals. There were a thousand ways to get unclean. One reason, and in my mind, the reason for this is the fact that God is HOLY. We need to see that fact as well as the true fact that God is love.

Only God is holy in a pure, underived, absolute sense. So everything that belongs to God, or approaches God, or wants to have to do with God has to be clean.

And there is our Catch 22. We have to be clean to come to God, and we can't come to God unless we are clean and yet we can't make ourselves clean. When Isaiah saw God he immediately felt he was unclean.

That is where the message of grace comes in. Our unclean-ness does NOT keep us from asking God for help. For forgiveness. For inner cleansing. Isaiah was made clean as soon as he cried "Woe is me!" God cares when we want to come to Him. And God makes a way where we could never make the way ourselves.

Naaman was willing to pay, but he could never have enough to buy clean-ness. The leper that came to Jesus cried for help, and said, "If you wanted to you could-" In both cases their cry for cleanness was heard.

What a luxury it is to have God not only save us and grant us his forgiveness for sin, but to fill us with his Spirit, and make us clean on the inside! The Holy Spirit will do that for us. And we can be filled with God's Spirit just for the asking.

But maybe first we need to see how much we need the cleansing. Maybe Naaman can teach us a lesson. He did not look for the cheap way. And when he found out it took humbling, and obedience, and washing he repented and relented and the miracle took place.

Our hearts can be made pure. Not just a cover-up. But a cleansing- an on-going cleansing. Not some sort of absolute perfection, but a freedom from the power and filth of sin.

"Lord, if you will, you can make me clean!"

"I will! Be clean!"

Prayer