In Jesus’s day Israel sent the lepers away; no one would go near them. They were unclean and could not be helped. The lepers knew their time was short and they would soon perish in misery. So when Jesus came preaching repentance and the kingdom of God with great power and healing, the lepers put aside all ordinary decorum and came to Jesus for help. Many lepers were healed by Jesus.

And Naaman went in and told his master, saying, “Thus and thus said the girl who is from the land of Israel.”

II Kings 5:4 NKJV

Some time ago I was discussing the deity of Christ and the Trinity with visitors at our house. Without turning to the passage, I referenced the account of John 14:7-11. In explaining the context, I told the group that “Andrew” asked Jesus to show them the Father. One of my sons immediately jumped into the conversation to tell me it was not “Andrew” but rather “Phillip.” Turning to the text I found my son, of course, was correct. It is a joy for my wife and me to see our children remembering details of Scripture at times better than we do.

Listening to one’s own children is probably not hard to imagine. But what about a great general of a violent and pagan country listening to the counsel of one of his captured slaves, a mere child? That would be a highly unusual event for sure.

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