Embracing Obscurity

This past week in our series in Acts we stumbled across an obscure character named Ananias.  God gives Ananias a difficult task and he fulfills it courageously (see Acts 9:10-19 and if you missed the sermon you can watch here).   And yet we never know anymore about Ananias and we never hear about him again.  It seems that Scripture is full of these types of people who make a big impact with little to no credit or mention.

One of my favorite stories in the Bible is found in 2 Kings 5.  It’s a story about a very rich and powerful man named Naaman.  Naaman had everything that anyone could possibly want.  And yet Naaman had one thing that no one wanted: Naaman was a leper.  This was a social and physical death sentence for someone in Naaman’s day.  And so Naaman seeks out healing from the great prophet in Israel named Elisha.  

Here’s how it played out (2 Kings 5:9-12)

So Naaman went with his horses and chariots and stopped at the door of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, “Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed.”

But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy.  Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.

Thankfully Naaman’s servant convinces him to turn back and Naaman does as Elisha instructed…resulting in his healing.  I remember learning about this story as a child and being captivated by the strangeness of it but also the profundity of what God was teaching.

As I've gotten older there is an additional aspect to this story that I have found to be equally as intriguing.  One of the most important persons in the entire story isn’t even named.  

Verses 1-3 read, “Now Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the Lord had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy. Now bands of raiders from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” (emphasis added)

Naaman’s healing was a result of God’s power but it was all sparked by a little servant girl.  Without this girl in Naaman’s life and court - Naaman would not have known where to go to find true healing.  She plays a massive role in the outcome of this story with little to no information (really only one verse) about her and she’s never mentioned again.

What is playing out here is a very important biblical concept - a Kingdom concept in Jesus upside down Kingdom.  Those who tend to have the biggest Kingdom impact are some of the most obscure people in church history.  Sure we know of David, Samson, and Paul but for every one of them there are thousands more who God used in massive ways but we never know their names.  

In fact the book of Hebrews 11:35-38 states:

Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment.  They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.

“Some.” “Others.”  These nameless individuals the Bible says were those of whom the world was not worthy.  That’s a pretty incredible accolade for people who we don’t even know their names.  What’s the point?

The point is that to join in Jesus’ kingdom work means to embrace obscurity.  It’s a willingness to lay aside accolades, credit, and fanfare.  It’s a willingness to operate in the shadows and to remain nameless.  There have been points in my ministry life where I sense God saying: do you want the credit or the results? You can’t have both.

I wish I could say that I always unreservedly chose the latter without caring who got credit.  But shamefully I often want the credit.  I want my name on it.  I want the praise for it (whatever it may be).  Thankfully God is a gracious God who has been slowly and steadily helping me to see that embracing obscurity is always better than vying for the credit and applause.  

May we as a church strive to simply be “some” and “others” who see a magnificent work of the kingdom in our lifetime - knowing that in generations to come our names will no longer be known but the impact we leave will be eternal. 

Pastor Jeremy