The Leprosy of the Heart: Grace, Greed, and Gehazi
Introduction: Two Healings, Two Hearts
In the Christian life, proximity to the truth is not the same thing as possession of the truth. You can be in the pastor's study every week and still be on the broad road to destruction. You can be the servant of the greatest prophet in Israel, witness miracles firsthand, and still have a heart that is a cage of every unclean and hateful bird. This is the central, sobering lesson of the passage before us. It is a tale of two men, two conversions, and two destinies.
The first man is Naaman, a Syrian general, a pagan, an enemy of Israel, and a leper. He comes to God with all the wrong assumptions, full of pride and worldly expectations. Yet, through a humbling dip in a muddy river, he is cleansed, not only of his leprosy but of his idolatry. He is a picture of shocking, sovereign grace. God's mercy reaches outside the established boundaries, grabs a pagan commander, and washes him clean. His conversion is genuine, if a little rough around the edges.
The second man is Gehazi, the personal assistant to the prophet Elisha. He is an Israelite, a man on the inside. He has a front-row seat to the power of God. He knows the right words, the right theology. He even says, "As Yahweh lives," like a man who knows his catechism. But his heart is rotten with greed. He sees God's miraculous grace not as something to be treasured, but as an opportunity to be monetized. He is a picture of damnable hypocrisy. While Naaman's skin becomes like a child's, Gehazi's soul is leprous, and soon his skin will match.
This story forces us to confront a terrifying reality: it is possible to handle the holy things of God, to be surrounded by the means of grace, and yet be utterly estranged from the God of grace. It is a story about the collision of two kingdoms: the kingdom of God, which operates by free grace, and the kingdom of Mammon, which operates by grasping greed. Elisha understands that the gospel must be free. To charge for a miracle like this would be to turn the grace of God into a transaction, to make Yahweh no better than the penny-ante gods of the pagans. Gehazi, on the other hand, sees a rich man, a miracle, and a missed opportunity for profit. His sin is not just a simple lie; it is a profound theological treason. He misrepresents the character of God for personal gain. And for this, a terrible, covenantal curse falls upon him.
The Text
Then he returned to the man of God with all his camp, and came and stood before him, and said, “Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so now please take a blessing from your servant.” But he said, “As Yahweh lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing.” And he urged him to take it, but he refused. So Naaman said, “If not, please let your servant at least be given two mules’ load of earth; for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering nor will he sacrifice to other gods, but to Yahweh. In this matter may Yahweh pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and he leans on my hand and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, when I bow myself in the house of Rimmon, Yahweh pardon your servant in this matter.” And he said to him, “Go in peace.” So he went from him some distance.
Then Gehazi, the young man of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, “Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As Yahweh lives, I will run after him and take something from him.” So Gehazi pursued Naaman. And Naaman saw one running after him, so he came down from the chariot to meet him and said, “Is all at peace?” And he said, “All is at peace. My master has sent me, saying, ‘Behold, just now two young men of the sons of the prophets have come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two changes of clothes.’ ” Then Naaman said, “Be pleased to take two talents.” And he urged him and bound two talents of silver in two bags with two changes of clothes and gave them to two of his young men; and they carried them before him. So he came to the hill, and he took them from their hand and deposited them in the house. Then he sent the men away, and they departed. But he came in and stood before his master. And Elisha said to him, “Where have you been, Gehazi?” And he said, “Your servant went nowhere.”
Then he said to him, “Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female slaves? Thus the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your seed forever.” So he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow.
(2 Kings 5:15-27 LSB)
A Genuine, Messy Conversion (vv. 15-19)
We begin with Naaman's return. He is a new man, inside and out.
"Behold now, I know that there is no God in all the earth, but in Israel; so now please take a blessing from your servant." (2 Kings 5:15)
This is the great confession. A pagan general, fresh from a dip in the Jordan, declares the absolute uniqueness and sovereignty of Yahweh. This is the first mark of true conversion: a changed theology that leads to a changed allegiance. He doesn't just say Yahweh is a great god; he says there is no other God in all the earth. This is radical monotheism from a man who, just hours before, was steeped in polytheism. And his immediate response is gratitude. He wants to give a "blessing," a gift, to Elisha. He understands that he has received something of incalculable worth, and his heart overflows with a desire to give back.
But Elisha's refusal is just as important. "As Yahweh lives, before whom I stand, I will take nothing." Elisha is not being rude; he is guarding the gospel. The grace of God is not for sale. Salvation cannot be purchased. If Elisha had accepted the money, the lesson would have been corrupted. Naaman might have walked away thinking he had paid for his healing, that it was a transaction between two powerful men. Elisha insists on the freeness of God's mercy. This is a direct confrontation to every works-based religion, every prosperity gospel charlatan who would dare to put a price tag on the power of God.
Naaman's subsequent requests show a heart that is genuinely converted, but still wrestling with the implications. He asks for two mule-loads of Israelite earth so he can build an altar to Yahweh back in Syria. This is a bit superstitious, certainly, but the motive is pure. He wants to worship the true God on what he considers to be holy ground. His theology isn't perfect, but his heart is aimed in the right direction. He then asks for a pardon in advance for a compromised situation. As a high-ranking official, he will be required to accompany his king into the temple of the pagan god Rimmon and bow down. This troubles his newfound conscience. He is already thinking about how to live out his new faith in a pagan world. Elisha's response, "Go in peace," is not a blanket approval of idolatry. It is a pastoral recognition that this new convert must walk with God, and God will guide him. Elisha trusts God to continue the sanctifying work He has begun in Naaman's heart.
A Corrupt, Calculating Heart (vv. 20-24)
As Naaman departs in peace, Gehazi's heart is in turmoil. He sees not grace, but a wasted financial opportunity.
"Then Gehazi... said to himself, 'Behold, my master has spared this Naaman the Aramean, by not receiving from his hands what he brought. As Yahweh lives, I will run after him and take something from him.'" (2 Kings 5:20)
Notice the internal monologue. He thinks Elisha was soft, too easy on this foreigner. He sees Naaman not as a new brother in the faith, but as an "Aramean," a mark to be fleeced. And the blasphemy of his oath is breathtaking. "As Yahweh lives." He invokes the name of the living God to sanctify his greed. He is about to lie, cheat, and steal, all under the banner of a pious oath. This is the very definition of taking the Lord's name in vain. He is using God's name to cover his service to Mammon.
His plan is executed with cunning. He runs after Naaman, who graciously stops his chariot and gets down to meet him, a sign of respect. Gehazi then concocts a believable lie, a lie that even has a pious flavor to it. He says two poor students from the school of the prophets have arrived unexpectedly. He is not asking for himself, you see, but for the ministry. This is the classic embezzler's trick: using a good cause to cover a greedy heart. He asks for one talent of silver, a massive amount of money, and Naaman, in his joyful generosity, urges him to take two. The devil often seems to bless our sinful schemes at first, making us think that Providence is smiling on our rebellion.
Gehazi then has Naaman's servants carry the loot, but only to the hill, the "Ophel." He takes the bags from them there and hides them in his house before going into Elisha. He is covering his tracks. He knows what he is doing is wrong. This is not a sin of weakness or a momentary lapse. It is a premeditated, calculated, deceptive act of theft against God. He has sold the free grace of God for two bags of silver.
The All-Seeing Eye and the Covenant Curse (vv. 25-27)
Gehazi walks in and stands before his master, attempting to look innocent. But he is standing before God's prophet, whose heart was with him the whole time.
"And Elisha said to him, 'Where have you been, Gehazi?' And he said, 'Your servant went nowhere.'" (2 Kings 5:25)
One lie always begets another. The sin of greed has now birthed the sin of deception, which now births a bald-faced lie to the man of God. "Your servant went nowhere." This is the sinner's desperate attempt to hide from the light, just as Adam and Eve hid in the garden. But you cannot hide from the God who sees the heart.
Elisha's response is terrifying. "Did not my heart go with you, when the man turned from his chariot to meet you?" God had granted Elisha a supernatural knowledge of the event. The prophet's heart, his spirit, was present for the whole sordid transaction. Elisha then exposes the root of the sin with a series of searing rhetorical questions.
"Is it a time to receive money and to receive clothes and olive groves and vineyards and sheep and oxen and male and female slaves?" (2 Kings 5:26)
Gehazi only took money and clothes, but Elisha sees where the love of money leads. He sees the entire catalog of worldly wealth that Gehazi's heart was craving. Greed is never satisfied. The money was just a down payment on a lifestyle of worldly security and luxury. Elisha is asking, "Gehazi, at this moment in Israel's history, with idolatry rampant and judgment looming, when God is performing a mighty miracle to show that His grace is free, is this the time for God's servants to be feathering their own nests? Is this the time to be accumulating wealth?" The answer is a thunderous no. It was a time to demonstrate the radical difference between Yahweh and the false gods, and Gehazi had just blurred that line for a bag of cash.
The judgment that follows is swift, severe, and perfectly just. It is a covenantal judgment. The punishment fits the crime with a terrible, poetic irony.
"Thus the leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your seed forever." (2 Kings 5:27)
Gehazi lusted after Naaman's wealth, so he will get Naaman's disease. He wanted what Naaman had, and God in His righteous anger gives it to him. The physical leprosy is an outward manifestation of the spiritual leprosy that was already rotting his soul. And the curse is generational: "to your seed forever." This is the principle of covenant headship. Achan's sin brought judgment on his family. Adam's sin brought judgment on all his posterity. Gehazi, through his greed and hypocrisy, has brought a lasting curse upon his household.
He went out from Elisha's presence a leper, as white as snow. The transformation was instantaneous. The man who walked in a hypocrite walked out a marked man, an outcast. He sought worldly treasure and in the process lost everything: his health, his ministry, his reputation, and his future.
Conclusion: The Gospel Diagnosis
This story is a stark and necessary warning for the church in every age, but especially in our affluent age. We are all tempted by the spirit of Gehazi. We are tempted to see the ministry as a career path, the gospel as a product, and God's blessings as a means to personal enrichment. We want to serve God and Mammon.
But Jesus was clear: you cannot. To try is to become a hypocrite. Gehazi's sin was that he loved the gift more than the Giver. He saw the miracle of grace and thought only of what he could get out of it. This is the heart of every false convert. They are in it for the benefits package: fire insurance, a better family life, a sense of community. But they have no love for God Himself. They have never been undone by the freeness of His grace.
Naaman the Syrian is the picture of the true convert. He comes with nothing to offer but his disease. He is humbled, washed, and made new. He leaves overflowing with gratitude, wanting to give, not to get. He is a picture of what God does for us in Christ. We are all lepers, unclean from birth with the disease of sin. There is no cure we can perform, no payment we can make. Our only hope is to be washed in the blood of Jesus Christ, the free gift of God.
The gospel diagnoses us all. Are you a Naaman or a Gehazi? Has the free grace of God humbled you and filled you with gratitude? Or is your religion a subtle form of spiritual capitalism, a way to get ahead in the world? Do you love God for who He is, or for what you can get from Him? Gehazi went out from the presence of the prophet a leper. On the last day, many who said "Lord, Lord" will go out from the presence of the Lord Himself, exposed as hypocrites. Let us therefore examine our hearts. Let us flee from the leprosy of greed and run to the only fountain that can make us clean, which is the free, unmerited, and glorious grace of God in Jesus Christ.