‘Please let your servant be given as much earth as a pair of mules can carry.’  (2 Kings 5:17)

Grounded theology: Janet Scott on the healing of Naaman

by Janet Scott 14th August 2020

The book of Bible stories I was given as a child was affected by the post-war rationing of paper. It was close print; there were few illustrations and they were small, simple line drawings. The only colour in the book was on the front cover, which carried a picture of the Israelite servant girl, a captive in war, who told her mistress that the prophet in Israel could cure the master’s leprosy. So I first met this story of Naaman (found in 2 Kings, chapter 5) as a story of a helpful child. Mature reflection suggests that she must have been well treated to have wished her master well, and to have had the confidence to suggest a way to seek a cure.