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Rethinking Ecclesia Being and Becoming Christ Communities: Towards a Borderless Church EDITOR’S DESK To tell or not to tell… One is often in a dilemma whether to tell remain in their oppression. Many a time, bring goodness and blessing even to the or not to tell something. We are worried our comments or our silence bury the enemy. “If only my master would see the as to what the other would think, as to truth, and along with-it justice, and in prophet who is in Samaria! He would whether our relationship or friendship turn allow injustice and falsehood to cure him of his leprosy” (v.3). In her, we would get affected. We are also afraid to triumph. It is not something which we have an example of the sincerity and tell the truth or to share our experiences. consciously want to do, it is an internal innocence of a child who overcame We are worried that telling the truth dilemma or a struggle, as Paul caricatures limitations, crossed borders, moved might lead to problems for us or might his inner struggle or dilemma and beyond borders venturing into new result in misunderstandings. We dread to turmoil, when he says “For I have the horizon of freedom. She exemplified an tell the unpalatable truths. We are desire to do what is good, but I cannot expression of goodness, depicting the hesitant sometimes to tell things that we carry it out. For I do not do the good I borderlessness of goodness. know for sure are true, when we are want to do, but the evil I do not want to The good news of the possibility of called to tell the truth and to expose do. This I keep on doing. Now, if I do what healing was understood differently by falsehood, corruption, unrighteousness I do not want to do, it is no longer I who the protagonists. To Naaman it gave a and injustice. When we are called to be do it, but it is sin living in me that does it” new hope; it gave an assurance of getting t o r c h b e a r e r s o f t r u t h , s e e k (Romans 7:18-20). cured from the uncurable; he looked righteousness, to be a movement for “To tell or not to tell” - the Bible gives us forward to becoming whole again. For justice, we tend to keep quiet, become some guidelines: In the story of Naaman the King of Aram, it gave an opportunity silent. Instead of telling the truth and (2 Kings 5), commander of the King of to exhibit his power authority and wealth: making the corrupt, unjust and Aram, we meet a little girl who decided to ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels unrighteous fearful and tremble, we tell the good news to Naaman - that she of gold, and ten sets of clothing were to bring pain to those who experience knew about a prophet Elisha, who was a be given for the healing. His arrogance injustice and corruption. man of God and who could heal his came to the fore, as he wrote a letter to At the same time, we tend to very ailment. The young girl knew that her the King of Israel, which read “With this casually tell or speak about things that master Naaman was suffering from letter I am sending my servant Naaman we do not know clearly, have not leprosy, an incurable disease. She was a to you, so that you may cure him of his u n d e r s t o o d f u l l y , o r h a v e n o t slave girl ministering to Naaman's wife, a leprosy” (v. 6). comprehended in its entirety. Thereby, captive from Israel, but to tell the truth The good news that the little slave girl we trigger gossips and hearsays which, at and share the good news, this little girl announced in Aram became a threat to times, result in ruining reputations and rises above the racial, hierarchical and the King of Israel. When he saw the letter, landing others in trouble. We tend to tell gender divides. She sends the good news he panicked, tore his robe and lost his the half truths as though they were to Naaman probably through her mind. “Am I God? Can I kill and bring back completely true. Things without any mistress. Though she was small and a to life? Why does this fellow send basis or foundation are alleged to be slave, she was willing to share what she someone to me to be cured of his true, as though written in stone. In doing knew: an opportunity of healing for her leprosy? See how he is trying to pick a so, we add insult to injury and render master. She believed or wished that the quarrel with me.” (v.7) The King of Israel those who are unjustly oppressed to goodness that came out of Israel would November 2018 03 was unaware of the fact that was known Elisha exhorts him to hold on to the truth dead” (v.9). They kept the matter to to an Israelite captive girl taken to Aram. that was revealed to him and go in peace themselves discussing what rising from Being the king of Israel, either he did not (v.17). If one follows the narrative further, the dead meant. realise that the source of healing is Gehazi the servant of Elisha makes use of “You should not tell anyone” was always the Lord and that Elisha, the the chance to collect two talents of silver conditional; they were urged to keep it to prophet of the Lord, was God's in two bags and two sets of clothing. At themselves, reflect on it in its entirety. instrument of healing, or he also times people who do nothing to bring The transfiguration of Jesus, his underwent a dilemma, an internal about transformation, tend to cash in conversation with Moses and Elijah, the struggle or turmoil regarding whether he and reap the benefit for selfish gains. meaning of the voice from heaven could should tell this to the commander of Gehazi exemplifies those who try to use only have been understood in the light of A r a m . H e m i g h t e v e n h a v e the circumstances to their own t h e p a s s i o n , c r o s s , d e a t h a n d contemplated, that in helping the advantage and try to corrupt the good resurrection of the Son of Man. When commander of Aram to become whole, news. things are understood only partially or the army of Aram would be benefitted, Thus, the good news of healing incompletely, we tend to misconstrue and in turn become a greater threat to announced by the girl was used by and misinterpret them. Only when one Israel. different people to fulfil their own enters into deeper reflection, in depth Elisha reminds the King of Israel of the agendas. It was interpreted according to analysis, do we begin to understand their presence of a prophet in Israel. “Why their position, place and authority. The significance from different angles and have you torn your robes. Have the man truth of liberation and healing gave hope perspectives. When we speak out of our come to me and he will know that there is to one, while another used it to show his transformational, transfigurational a prophet in Israel” (v.8). When Elisha own power and authority, to yet another experience, we should wait until asked Naaman to go and wash seven it brought perplexity, panic and troubled complete examination, analysis and times in the Jordan so that he may mind, and another strove to make reflection are available to us. Only the experience restoration, cleansing and business out of the good news. Truth and truth in its entirety will help us to wholeness, Naaman was affronted. He liberation bring about a clear division in understand the transformational was reminded of the rivers in Damascus, the community. We are called to speak significance of the truth. but then the servants of Naaman out or tell the truth in love, to announce When we wait patiently until we are given brought sanity to him: “If the prophet and experience the vision of truth and the grace to understand the meaning had told you to do some great things, liberation in all its fulness. and discern its different nuances in order would you not have done it? How much In the New Testament, on the mount of to arrive at different interpretations and more then, when he tells you wash and transfiguration, the disciples witnessed a their intrinsic relationships, then we be cleansed?” (v.13) The truth is always spiritual spectacle - they were witness to understand the truth in its entirety. 'To simple yet profound. In its simplicity, Jesus's conversation with Moses and Elijah tell or not to tell' – when we encounter truth encounters us in all its complexity (Mark 9). They heard a voice from heaven, incomplete knowledge, half-truths and and profoundness. When Naaman but they could not comprehend the depth, hearsays that need to become clearer, it dipped himself seven times, he was meaning and significance of the event. is important to wait until we observe the restored and was made whole. They murmured on building three tents to unravelling of its significance and On becoming whole and experiencing hold on to the dynamic transfiguration meaning.

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