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What do you get the woman who has everything? This is a question that
has puzzled me ever since I was a little boy. I was convinced that my
mother had everything. What more could the mother of eight children
want? What could I possibly get her for Mother’s Day? Now I have to
admit, even though I now see the flaw in that logic, shopping for just
the right present is never easy. Sometimes I even forget. April 23rd
was Administrative Professionals’ Day. We have four administrative
professionals who work in our church office. Usually I take them out
to eat, give them flowers, or at least present them with a card and a
gift certificate. I was reading my e-mail on April 24th and noticed
an e-mail from an Administrative Professional at a different place.
She was writing all about what she had received on Administrative
Professionals’ Day – the day before.
I quickly ran to the store grabbed some flowers, picked up some gift
certificates, and went in search of four cards. I had no idea how
quickly drug stores and gift shops change out their stock. I found no
Happy Administrative Professionals’ Day cards, not even any belated
Happy Administrative Professionals’ Day cards. I did, however, find
several Passover cards. In light of the situation, I thought they
were quite appropriate. Admittedly, I am not the right person to be
answering the question, “What do you get the woman who has
everything?”
I find some comfort in the scriptures when I discover that a holy man
of God had just as difficult of a time when it came to thinking of
just the right present. Today we begin a series of sermons that will
go from Mother’s Day to Father’s Day entitled, “Kids of the
Scriptures.” Each week we will meet a new child who brings to us a
piece of the kingdom. Today’s child is Mama’s Boy, a child who
brings to us something amazing. Of course, the story begins as most
stories of our children do - long before he was thought of. It is a
story that is told in three days. The storyteller in 2 Kings 4 is
careful to point out each of those days. It is told in 2 Kings
4:8-37. Time will not allow me to read the entire story, so let me
read to you the first verse of the story and tell you the rest of the
story in my own words. I do encourage you to read the whole story in
your Bible this week. Let God speak to you as I have sensed God
speaking to me through this story. Hear now the Word of the Lord:
8One
day Elisha was passing through Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived,
who urged him to have a meal. So whenever he passed that way, he would
stop there for a meal. 9She said to her husband, “Look,
I am sure that this man who regularly passes our way is a holy man of
God. 10Let us make a small roof chamber with walls, and put
there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that he can stay
there whenever he comes to us.” 11One day when he came
there, he went up to the chamber and lay down there. 12He
said to his servant Gehazi, “Call the Shunammite woman.” When he had
called her, she stood before him. 13He said to him, “Say to
her, Since you have taken all this trouble for us, what may be done
for you? Would you have a word spoken on your behalf to the king or to
the commander of the army?” She answered, “I live among my own
people.” 14He said, “What then may be done for her?” Gehazi
answered, “Well, she has no son, and her husband is old.” 15He
said, “Call her.” When he had called her, she stood at the door.
16He said, “At this season, in due time, you shall embrace a
son.” She replied, “No, my lord, O man of God; do not deceive your
servant.” 17The woman conceived and bore a son at that
season, in due time, as Elisha had declared to her.
18When
the child was older, he went out one day to his father among the
reapers. 19He complained to his father, “Oh, my head, my
head!” The father said to his servant, “Carry him to his mother.”
20He carried him and brought him to his mother; the child sat on
her lap until noon, and he died. 21She went up and laid him
on the bed of the man of God, closed the door on him, and left.
22Then she called to her husband, and said, “Send me one of the
servants and one of the donkeys, so that I may quickly go to the man
of God and come back again.” 23He said, “Why go to him
today? It is neither new moon nor sabbath.” She said, “It will be all
right.” 24Then she saddled the donkey and said to her
servant, “Urge the animal on; do not hold back for me unless I tell
you.” 25So she set out, and came to the man of God at Mount
Carmel. When the man of God saw her coming, he said to Gehazi his
servant, “Look, there is the Shunammite woman; 26run at
once to meet her, and say to her, Are you all right? Is your husband
all right? Is the child all right?” She answered, “It is all right.”
27When she came to the man of God at the mountain, she
caught hold of his feet. Gehazi approached to push her away. But the
man of God said, “Let her alone, for she is in bitter distress; the
Lord has hidden it from me and has not told
me.” 28Then she said, “Did I ask my lord for a son? Did I
not say, Do not mislead me?” 29He said to Gehazi, “Gird up
your loins, and take my staff in your hand, and go. If you meet
anyone, give no greeting, and if anyone greets you, do not answer; and
lay my staff on the face of the child.” 30Then the mother
of the child said, “As the Lord lives, and as
you yourself live, I will not leave without you.” So he rose up and
followed her. 31Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on
the face of the child, but there was no sound or sign of life. He came
back to meet him and told him, “The child has not awakened.” 32When
Elisha came into the house, he saw the child lying dead on his bed.
33So he went in and closed the door on the two of them, and
prayed to the Lord. 34Then he got
up on the bed and lay upon the child, putting his mouth upon his
mouth, his eyes upon his eyes, and his hands upon his hands; and while
he lay bent over him, the flesh of the child became warm. 35He
got down, walked once to and fro in the room, then got up again and
bent over him; the child sneezed seven times, and the child opened his
eyes. 36Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the
Shunammite woman.” So he called her. When she came to him, he said,
“Take your son.” 37She came and fell at his feet,
bowing to the ground; then she took her son and left.
The Word of God for the people of God. Thanks be to
God. In this passage the author of 2 Kings announced to his
audience the amazing things that happened in three days.
This story is an amazing story, though it does start out without a lot
of punch. On the first day we discover Elisha went through Shunem and
a woman of means fed him. It must have been good, because every time
he went through Shunem, he stopped by to see her and her husband and
eat their food. Many of you know that I have a hard time telling a
great story without those great words that introduce a story so let me
start at the beginning with those wonderful words:
Once upon a time there was a mighty man of God named Elisha. He would
often make his way from Mt. Carmel in Northwest Israel to Gilgal in
East Israel. About 15 miles from his home on Mt. Carmel was a little
village named Shunem. He would pass through it regularly. One day,
the first day in this story, a woman invited him to join her and her
husband for lunch. She was a wealthy woman and seemed to have
everything anyone could ever want. In fact, she was quite
self-sufficient in every way. Eventually the woman and her
husband added on to their house with quarters specifically for Elisha
and his sidekick, Gehazi.
Then one day, the second day of this story, Elisha and Gehazi
were visiting about the nice accommodations and generous hospitality
they had received from the Shunammite couple. Elisha wanted to give
her something, but what do you get the woman who has everything?
Certainly not stuff, but perhaps protection. Elisha had a lot of
connections with people of political power. He could speak to the
king or the commander of the army on her behalf. That’s when we
discover that not only is this woman, self sufficient, but she is also
quite safe. “I’m surrounded by my own people,” she said, “I
couldn’t be any safer with the king or commander of an army looking
after me.”
Elisha continued to ponder on the perfect gift when Gehazi said, “I’ve
noticed she doesn’t have any children and given the age of her husband
is not likely to ever have any.”
“That’s it!” Elisha exclaimed, “Call her in here at once and I will
announce the good news.” As she came to the door he told her that by
this time next year she would embrace her own son.”
She did not say thank you, but instead said, “Please. Please don’t
lie to me.”
Her safe and self-sufficient life had just become quite vulnerable.
Richard Nelson wrote in his commentary on this passage, “She was
afraid that in this blessing and prosperity of having a child she
might be deceived and find instead pain and sorrow; she had become
comfortable and secure in her present life and she was afraid of
vulnerability.” Rightly so – nothing causes one to feel more
vulnerable than the role of being a parent. It starts at the very
announcement, “You’re going to have a baby!” and it never stops.
Nevertheless, she had a baby boy and he was a fine boy.
Then one day, the third day in our story, the boy went out to
the fields with his daddy to work at his side at harvest. That’s when
the boy spoke his only line in this story, “Oh, my head, my head!”
Scholars aren’t sure whether he was suffering from a heat stroke, an
aneurysm, or something else, but by noon the boy had died in his
mama’s arms. Her self-sufficient, safe world was crumbling right
there in her arms.
She went to Elisha’s room and laid her son on his bed and went in
search of the prophet. When she requested of her husband the
assistance of one of their servants and a donkey to take her to Mt.
Carmel, he asked what was wrong. The English translations say her
reply was, “It will be all right.” However, the Hebrew uses only one
word, “Shalom” which usually means, “peace”. I’m sure she felt
anything but peace as she raced the 15 miles to Mt. Carmel. When
Elisha saw her coming his way, he told his sidekick Gehazi to go down
the mountain and see if everything is all right. Gehazi asked about
her, her husband and her son. She only offered one word, “Shalom.”
When she finally reached Elisha she fell apart. She grabbed him by
the feet and began to weep. Elisha’s sidekick Gehazi tried to stop
her, but Elisha told him “Let her alone, for she is in bitter
distress; the Lord has hidden it from me and
has not told me.” The woman told him that she had told him so.
She was self-sufficient and safe in her village of
Shunem before he came and started calling upon the power of God in her
life. She reminded him that she had never even asked for a son and
now her heart was breaking.
Elisha sent his sidekick Gehazi to hurry back to the house and place
his staff on the child’s body. The Shunammite mother was not at all
satisfied, “I need for you to be there, not your servant and not your
staff.”
So Elisha went all the way down to Shunem and up to his room. When he
saw the child he closed the door. I’m not sure if he wept or not.
The storyteller doesn’t tell us, but I have been in similar situations
and I am guessing he wept quite a bit. We do know that he prayed.
Then he got up in the boy’s face – nose to nose, eyes to eyes. Elisha
got up and walked around the room a little bit. Then he got up again
in the boy’s face. All of a sudden the boy sneezed seven times and
opened his eyes. Elisha told his sidekick Gehazi to call the boy’s
mother upstairs. Verse 36 offers beautiful words to the woman of
Shunem, “Take your son.”
And don’t you know they lived happily ever after.
It is a wonderful story where a mama’s boy brings to us a somewhat
unsettling truth: One seldom sees something amazing in sterile
situations. The picture of the Shunammite couple is a quaint
picture, but it is sterile. They are self-sufficient, wealthy,
they seem to have everything anyone could ever want. They are safe,
secure, they live in a village with their own people. They don’t have
to worry about getting robbed or injured by another. It is an ideal
situation. No worries. They are secluded from the power and
presence of God. They don’t desire a God of power, they have
everything they need. It’s not a bad place to be, but it is not an
amazing place to be either.
What do you get the woman who has everything? How about something
amazing! How about the power and presence of God in her life? When
was the last time you were amazed by the power and presence of God?
This mama’s boy comes to us as one of the kids of the scriptures and
brings to us something amazing. He brings the unpredictability of
God’s Spirit, the vulnerability of life, the divine ability of God.
This week hear the words of the prophet, “Take your son.” For this is
our boy now as he comes to us from this passage of scripture. As you
take him in your arms, remember that one seldom sees something
amazing in sterile situations. Amen. |
