In tonight’s readings we hear about the actions of holy men: in the passage from Kings Elisha performs two miracles. The first is for an Israelite widow who is, we would assume, mourning for the death of her husband. Not only this but she is being pursued by her creditors and faces potentially losing her children as well as her husband. She appeals to Elisha who creates for her an immediate source of wealth which frees her from the grip of the creditors and will provide for her and her children in the foreseeable future.
The second miracle is performed for a non-Israelite woman who nevertheless had faith and a remarkable amount of initiative and determination in securing the aid of Elisha in reviving her son.
In the reading from Acts we hear how Lydia, a wealthy woman and a dealer in purple cloth, is baptised having heard the words of Paul and Timothy.
Initially it might seem that this is a very patriarchal series of stories; holy men perform miracles or evangelise and woman are healed or converted. This is so much the case that in the Old Testament reading the women are not named.
Of course this is a superficial reading and one which requires further thought:
Interestingly the account of the miracles performed by Elisha find their parallel in the miracles performed by Elijah, his prophetic predecessor, in the first book of Kings. This is illuminating for the differences between the accounts illustrate the ways in which the characters subvert our expectations and reveal more of the authors’ intentions:
In Kings 1 chapter 17 Elijah requests the hospitality of an Israelite woman who initially claims that she does not have the means to provide even a morsel to eat; rather she and her son are living in poverty and awaiting death. This of course, is the cue for Elijah to perform a miracle and to provide the food necessary for the three of them. The scene ends with Elijah, the widow and her son sitting down and enjoying food together. The life of the widow and son having seemingly been secured they are then visited by tragedy; the son dies and the widow is left to grieve alone. However, Elijah is able to revive the son, in much the same way as Elisha does in the reading that we heard tonight, and the son’s life and the widow’s happiness, are restored.
In tonight’s parallel account in the second book of Kings the action is divided between two women; one of whom is an Israelite widow, and by association a member of the prophetic circle and the other of whom is a Shunammite.
The aim of the author is to demonstrate something important about Yahweh, the God of Israel; firstly that He is the God of life and death, (a fact which is recognised by the Shunammite woman). Secondly this is a power which is not restricted to the Israelites. He chooses to heal the son of the Shunammite woman, a foreigner. Through this we see something of the universality of the power of the God of Israel.
A further difference between the otherwise very similar accounts in 1 and 2 Kings lies in the fact that in the account we heard tonight it is not the prophet who takes the initiative but the women.
The Shunammite woman initially faces a future without children and then when she is blessed with a son, suffers his illness and death. Yet she appears as a resourceful, determined woman displaying initiative throughout; firstly in offering hospitality to Elisha whom she recognises as a holy man, although he is not of her religion or culture, and then in securing his help when her son has died.
Throughout her husband is a slightly shadowy figure and the main action occurs in the encounters between Elisha and this woman.
So she is the pivotal character in bringing the action forward: She is also a character full of personality- the story is filled with vivid details which ring true to us today. The way in which she fobs off the servant with a perfunctory reply so that she can speak to Elisha when her son has died, seems very real.
Whilst Elisha performs miracles which reveal Yahweh’s life-giving power the Shunammite woman has to urge him to take action. When her son has died and Elisha is confronted by the woman’s urgency he is surprisingly cautious saying ‘the Lord has hidden it from me’ (4:27). The woman appeals to him: “As the Lord lives, and as you yourself live, I will not leave without you.” It seems she recognises that Elisha’s presence is essential to her son’s life even if Elisha does not.
So it is up to her to compel Elisha to act as the prophet that we, as the reader, know he is. In this way our expectations, if we have read the parallel account in the first book of Kings, are subverted. It is no longer the prophet who perceives needs and can act accordingly, but the outsider.
Perhaps this might lead us to think who are the people, the nameless people, in our lives who are able to lead us to act in the way that God wants us to?
The Shunammite woman has a drive and initiative which is driven partly by grief and desperation- very undesirable circumstances. Yet it may be that in our situations of desperation we in fact lead others to give of themselves in a way which enables the power of God to be revealed.
Lydia as a character is not portrayed in such details in Acts but certain elements of the encounters remain the same; Lydia is equally keen to provide hospitality to men whom she recognises as embodying something of the way of God, and she is not an Israelite but nevertheless a faithful ‘worshiper of God’ who is open to what the men have to say.
All these things are important elements for us to recognise when engaged in mission or teaching; if we regard mission not as something we ‘do’ to others but something which is done to us through our engagements with the other, we might have a better understanding of the Church’s mission.
It may in fact be that it is the outsider who can best perceive where our vocation, both as a church community and as individuals, resides. Too often the church provides answers to questions that are not necessarily being asked; perhaps if we engage more with the very real questions that people have, not only about Christianity, but the stuff of life and death, we may reach people in a way which will bring forth a response to the love of God which is freely given.
Amen
Sarah Eynstone