The distance God calls us to bridge

For a while as a young adult, I went to an international church in Hungary. It was in the early days after Communism fell and missionaries were streaming in to spread the gospel. While many of them were humble and faithful servants of the Lord, some were insensitive to the local culture. With the financial support they received from home, some lived better in Hungary than they would have done in their own country and could afford the kind of lifestyle that Hungarians would only dream of. There was a certain entitlement about them, a subtle superiority because they were Westerners, which created distance from those of us who were locals. My gap year in Israel, on the other hand, presented me with a very different model. The missionary couple from the US who ran the hostel where I worked lived very simply and no differently from those around them. They did not have the latest gadgets or any of the extras and were not afraid to chip in our menial work when needed. They made themselves one of us.

The Shunammite crosses the distance

In the episode around the Shunammite woman, we shall see a comparable issue. Elisha had been a little standoffish in talking to her through Gehazi earlier (2 Kings 4:13), though she always replied directly to him. On her son’s death (2 Kings 4:20), she again seeks out Elisha without intermediaries. The rapid sequence of actions (went, laid, shut, went – 2 Kings 4:21) masks the enormity of her tragedy. She does not delay in answering her husband’s queries but cuts him short with shalom (‘peace’, often used as a greeting; NASB ‘It will be well.’; 2 Kings 4:23). Her hurry to cover the distance of some 24-32km (15-20 miles) to Carmel (2 Kings 4:24-25) hints at her agitation, but she holds it together for the polite exchange with Gehazi (2 Kings 4:26). Despite her deep respect for Elisha’s holiness, which led her to provide him with separate accommodation and distance from the household, she now throws herself at his feet and pours out her anguish (2 Kings 4:27-28). Neither will she be fobbed off with a servant carrying Elisha’s staff (2 Kings 4:29). In language echoing Elisha’s own earlier (2 Kings 2:2, 4, 6), she now clings to him (2 Kings 4:30).

Elisha bridges the gap

There is a subtle shift in Elisha as this sequence of events unfolds. His recognition that the Lord had hidden the woman’s distress from him (2 Kings 4:27) and his acceptance of being touched suggests some acknowledgement that his own distance may have been problematic. We are also reminded that Elisha’s separation from the household led to his ignorance about what the woman needed most (2 Kings 4:14). Given this context of subtly holding himself aloof before, his action in raising the lad is striking. Not only does he pray and lie on the boy like Elijah did in a similar incident (1 Kings 17:20-21), but he connects to the corpse with mouth on mouth, eyes on eyes, hands on hands (2 Kings 4:34). Corpse contamination was the most virulent of all ritual impurities (not only contact but even being in the same room as the corpse defiled, Num 19:14-16) and required purification (Num 19:17-19).[1] The prophet’s readiness to reduce the distance between his holy self and an impure corpse speaks of a willingness to identify fully with the dead lad despite the cost to himself. The result is life from death (2 Kings 4:34-35).

From death to life

For Christians, this image is evocative of the Lord Jesus, who came to share our limited lives and took on Himself our defilement and our death. He fully identified with us, so that we might gain healing, cleansing from sin, and life. He was not too holy to become and live like us. It teaches us to be thankful for God’s humility in associating with us and bringing us life. Jesus’ ministry was unique and neither Elisha’s nor ours can compare to it. Nevertheless, the prophet’s attitude of not standing on his dignity or privileges, so that God’s life may come to someone dead is one to emulate. May we live and serve the Lord in such a way that the dead may come alive by His power.

[1] While ritual impurity was easily contracted with procedures available for purification, there was still a revulsion about defilement because it created an obstacle in approaching the holy God and was dangerous if one made the attempt. Certain holy classes of people like priests, who served in God’s presence much of the time, were only allowed to mourn (and thereby contract corpse contamination) for their own blood relatives (Lev 21:1-4). Likewise, Nazirites, who made a special commitment to God (usually for a limited time), had to keep away from corpse contamination, because it would cancel their Nazirite vow (Num 6:6-12). The point in these regulations is to emphasise God’s holy presence that could not be approached without cleansing first.

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