Tough Choices 7-6-25

Tough Choices

2 Kings 5:1-14; Gal 6:1-17

 

2 Kings 5:1-14

 

Naaman, commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a great man and in high favor with his master, because by him the Lord had given victory to Aram. The man, though a mighty warrior, suffered from leprosy. Now the Arameans on one of their raids had taken a young girl captive from the land of Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. She said to her mistress, “If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy.” So Naaman went in and told his lord just what the girl from the land of Israel had said. And the king of Aram said, “Go then, and I will send along a letter to the king of Israel.” He went, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold, and ten sets of garments. He brought the letter to the king of Israel, which read, “When this letter reaches you, know that I have sent to you my servant Naaman, that you may cure him of his leprosy.” When the king of Israel read the letter, he tore his clothes and said, “Am I God, to give death or life, that this man sends word to me to cure a man of his leprosy? Just look and see how he is trying to pick a quarrel with me.” But when Elisha the man of God heard that the king of Israel had torn his clothes, he sent a message to the king, “Why have you torn your clothes? Let him come to me, that he may learn that there is a prophet in Israel.” So Naaman came with his horses and chariots, and halted at the entrance of Elisha’s house. Elisha sent a messenger to him, saying, “Go, wash in the Jordan seven times, and your flesh shall be restored and you shall be clean.” But Naaman became angry and went away, saying, “I thought that for me he would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy! Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Could I not wash in them, and be clean?” He turned and went away in a rage. But his servants approached and said to him, “Father, if the prophet had commanded you to do something difficult, would you not have done it? How much more, when all he said to you was, ‘Wash, and be clean’?” So he went down and immersed himself seven times in the Jordan, according to the word of the man of God; his flesh was restored like the flesh of a young boy, and he was clean.

 

Gal 6:1-16

 

My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. For if those who are nothing think they are something, they deceive themselves. All must test their own work; then that work, rather than their neighbor’s work, will become a cause for pride. For all must carry their own loads. Those who are taught the word must share in all good things with their teacher.Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for you reap whatever you sow.If you sow to your own flesh, you will reap corruption from the flesh; but if you sow to the Spirit, you will reap eternal life from the Spirit. So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest-time, if we do not give up. So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all, and especially for those of the family of faith. See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand! It is those who want to make a good showing in the flesh that try to compel you to be circumcised—only that they may not be persecuted for the cross of Christ. Even the circumcised do not themselves obey the law, but they want you to be circumcised so that they may boast about your flesh. May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. For neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is anything; but a new creation is everything! As for those who will follow this rule—peace be upon them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

 

Prayer – God of grace – again we are reminded that we have tough choices to make every day. Choices about what path to follow, choices about whether we are about flesh or spirit, choices about perception or reality, choices about believing or following. There are deep truths to every choice we make, and we pray this day, that you help us to make the often difficult, tough choice to be a follower – amen.

 

Years ago, a story was told of a circuit-riding preacher who came into town on a worn saddle, his clothes threadbare, and his body thin and frail. But his horse—now that was a different story. The horse was sleek, well-fed, and looked like it belonged to a man of means. One parishioner, surprised by the contrast, asked the preacher, “Why do you look so poorly while your horse looks so well cared for?” The preacher smiled and replied, “I look after my horse. You look after me.”

 

This little anecdote captures one of the deep truths found in Galatians 6: the tension between bearing one another's burdens and bearing our own load. And it introduces us to a chapter rich in contrasts: burden and responsibility, the flesh and the Spirit, persecution and perseverance, circumcision and the cross. These contrasts ultimately center around one question: What are you, me, we sowing our life into? And the tough choices we have in answering that question.

 

Paul begins this chapter with two seemingly opposite commands:

  • "Bear one another’s burdens", and

  • "Each one must bear his own load".

Are these contradictory? Not at all. The word for "burden" in verse 2 refers to a crushing weight—something no person should carry alone. In contrast, "load" in verse 5 refers to a backpack—something you're expected to carry yourself. Paul is affirming both mutual care and personal responsibility.

 

Sometimes we step in to help others. Other times, we must not expect others to carry what is ours to bear. It's a life of discernment, and often, of tough choices.

 

Paul knew about burdens. As an apostle, he bore the burden of preaching the gospel. In 1 Corinthians, he said, "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" Yet, Paul often refused financial support. Why? Because in a world filled with religious frauds, what Mark Twain mockingly called "missionarying," Paul wanted to remove every suspicion that he was preaching for profit.

 

The Judaizers, on the other hand, softened the gospel to avoid persecution. They preached circumcision instead of the cross because it made them popular with their Jewish peers. But to Paul, circumcision was nothing; the cross was everything.

"But far be it from me to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ".

 

To boast in the cross was to embrace shame, suffering, and death. But it was also to proclaim the power of God to save. Paul wore the scars of persecution—his own "marks of Christ"—as his badge of honor. The Judaizers had rituals; Paul had scars.

 

Now Paul brings it all into agricultural terms. "Whatever one sows, that will he also reap." It’s a timeless truth:

  • You reap what you sow,

  • You reap later than you sow,

  • You reap more than you sow.

And for Paul – in that time and place - there are only two fields to sow into:

  • To the flesh: self-centeredness, temporary pleasure, and spiritual decay.

  • To the Spirit: love, joy, peace, and eternal reward.

 

Imagine putting truckloads of potatoes into a bank vault, hoping to retire wealthy. That’s what it’s like to sow to the flesh—investing in what will rot and fade. But sowing to the Spirit yields fruit that never perishes.

 

Paul knows that sowing to the Spirit is tiring. That’s why he says in verse 9, "Let us not grow weary of doing good.” Ministry, being a follower and not just a believer is long, often thankless work. But just as a farmer doesn't reap the next day, we must patiently wait for God's harvest.

 

Why did the Judaizers promote circumcision? Because they feared suffering and wanted praise. Why did Paul preach the cross? Because he was captivated by grace and willing to suffer with Christ. The Judaizers cared about appearances, perceptions, what looked good to those around them. Paul cared not about looks, but about eternity. So Paul closes with grace: "The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen." Grace is the first word of Galatians (1:3), and it's the last. It's not just the way in—it's the whole journey.

 

You, me, we are always sowing.

  • Every word,

  • Every dollar,

  • Every hour is a seed.

 

The question is: What field are we sowing into? The flesh or the Spirit? Self or Christ? Comfort or cross? The Judaizers chose ease and lost the gospel. Paul chose the cross and gained eternity. Tough choices – and with God’s grace and help, so can we. Thanks be to God – amen.

Mike Johnston