If You See Something, Say Something

If You See Something, Say Something

The title of my sermon today is, “If You See Something, Say Something,” “If You See Something, Say Something,” let us pray.

Introduction

There exists an organization in Barbados that prides itself for its anonymity. If you were to peruse their website, you would find out that through their hotline they re-route each call to Canada ensuring that the caller is truly anonymous. Not only does this organization exist in Barbados, but there is one in Jamaica, Grenada, St Vincent. In fact, I believe that most countries have one.

One of the slogans these organizations are famous for is, “If you see something, say something.”

As I was preparing for this sermon, I stumbled across Barbados’ Crime Stoppers Instagram page, they posted an advertisement with that very same message but in a negative syntax and as I saw it, I immediately felt chills down my spine. It read, “staying silent can cost a life.” I can’t help but wonder, how many lives could have been saved if granny said something when the task force asked her when last she saw her grand son or that woman who knew her man was plotting to murder someone but went to sleep that night with her lips sealed; it is amazing how much power our tongues carry.

"A well-known example of speaking up saving lives is found in Henry Longfellow’s poem, 'Paul Revere’s Ride,' which recounts how Revere’s warning, spread throughout the night across many villages, saved thousands of American lives. While speaking up is valuable for crime prevention and warfare, I am here to tell you about a form of speaking up that not only saves mortal lives but also leads to salvation.

Main Points

2 Kings, chapter 5, provides a case study for this type of speaking up.

For historical context, we must understand that Syria and Israel were at war and often Syria would conduct these raids that resulted in the death and removal of Israelites to serve the Syrians, therefore, the little girl found in this story was a prisoner of war.

At the pinnacle of the Syrian army was a man called Naaman, his name means “pleasantness” in Hebrew, a man who was highly respected. While the bible is not clear what specific battle or event caused him to be held in such high regard, it is very notable was well liked.

However, Naaman had an issue; he had leprosy. Leprosy according to Leviticus where it is first mentioned was a skin disease. One that required inspection by the high priest and if he determined you had leprosy, you had to be separated from everyone.

Therefore, it did not matter how rich Naaman was, it did not matter how respected he was, how noble he was, the reality is that as long as he had leprosy, he had to be separated, there was nothing he could do to be able to stay with his family, there was no communication, no relationship, no fellowship.

And allow me to pause here parenthetically, we must understand that there is no amount of position, no amount of power, no amount of influence nor respect that can cure spiritual leprosy. When people become infected and it spreads through the church, there is isolation, there is distance, lack of relationship, and where there is lack of relationship, there is no fellowship.

I could imagine that this young servant girl had a front row seat to what was going on with Naaman. She probably was there to witness the first boil, the first episode of scaring the beginning of his demise. I could imagine she witnessed the doctors brought in, the sorcerers; she probably assisted with the implementation of treatment. I could imagine that at night while she prayed that she could overhear Naaman calling upon the gods of Syria.

In my carnal imagination I would assume that had I been that servant girl, after having witnessed my family killed in front of me, my house destroyed. After watching friends slaughtered and my village robbed of its gold, silver and rubies; that I would be happy that the man responsible for this, the chief in command, was dying right before my eyes.

Wouldn’t it be nice that the man who plucked me from fellowship with my family would soon be plucked from fellowship with his. What a joy it would have been that even though I was not powerful nor rich, nor noble or well liked all I had to do was to sit there and silence would have costed him his life.

How many times, do we see people suffering, how many times do we see people in pain, how many times do we see people trying yet we are silent. Then we wonder why people leave the church. We wonder why we can’t get people inside of the church and we wonder why there is separation, why there are cliques, why there is no fellowship and part of the reason is because when we see things, we remain silent.

In 1972, Stockholm, Sweden, there was a bank robbery that resulted in the employees held in the bank’s vault for 6 days. During that time the hostages developed a physiological bond with their captives to the point that even after their release, they defended and justified the bank robbers’ actions. Today, this phenomenon is called Stockholm Syndrome.

It is quite possible that this young servant girl could have suffered from a case of Stockholm Syndrome, however, I’m inclined to believe that she suffered from the Holy Spirit Syndrome, the I was raised to love my enemies Syndrome or even, perhaps, the I just hate seeing people suffer Syndrome.

But here, this girl teaches us a lesson. This girl teaches us that it is important to put personal opinions aside, it is important to understand duty and that it is best to rely on character than emotions. It is obvious that this young lady grew up in a Christian home and she understood intimately what her role was as a Christian which was to be a witness regardless of circumstance! Therefore, instead of being quiet and watching her “enemy” die, she spoke up. So, today I have come to tell you that, “Speaking up is not a matter of choice, but a matter of duty.”

Do not believe me? In Isiah 43:10, God reminds us, He says, “You are my witnesses,” declares the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he and Acts 1:8 commands us to be witnesses not just in Jerusalem (our home town) but in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth which in the servant girl’s case was Syria.

No where in those two texts nor any other texts in the bible that I could find does it say that we are to choose when we want to be witnesses or that we get to determine what people we should witness to or allow of personal feelings to dictate whether we remain silent or not.

Not only she speak up, but this servant girl demonstrated faith in a God who could heal, and she knew of a prophet who could facilitate that.

So Naaman, clearly desperate decides to adhere to the wisdom of a little girl and he goes to the King of Syria who happened to be Ben-Hadad 2 for his permission to pursue this prophet that could cure him. Verse 5 tells us that Naaman took 10 talents of silver which is according to the Preacher’s Commentary by R Dilday, that amount of money would be the equivalent of 1.2 million dollars today which only demonstrates how dire situation that Naaman found himself in.

In fact, what’s most interesting is that the King of Ben Hadad is trusting the king of Israel to take care of Naaman, the enemy. It also explains why the King of Israel’s response was to tear his clothes and assume that the Syrian’s were trying to pick a fight. And what I’ve learn in my short life on earth is that God sometimes places you in a position to help your enemy.

But behind the King’s fear of not being able to help Naaman and assuming the worse out of a situation which is something we often do was the fact that the King of Israel didn’t really know God and because he didn’t know God, he didn’t know that God heals lepers And its a shame because clearly Ben-Hadad figured that the King of Israel was closer to God than he was, so it was only fear that the King of Israel went before God on Namaan’s behalf rather than himself.

It reminds me of a story of a church who was praying for rain but only a young boy walked with an umbrella. I can’t help but wonder, if we knew God the way we say we know God, how many community lepers would be cured today. I don`t know if it is a confidence thing but I thank God, that amidst everything, there is always man. There is always a man with enough faith that when he sees something, he says something and for the context of this story that man is Elisha.

What happens when we go beyond remaining silent and inactive? it places others in the position to continue the cycle of seeing something and saying something. Had not that servant girl opened her mouth, Elisha would not have gotten the opportunity to demonstrate to a heathen that his God was real and very much active and ready to work a miracle. How many of you know that when we respond to what we see, God see and responds to what we do?

So, in grand style Naaman shows up at Elisha home. The expectation is that Elisha would greet him and perform a miracle of healing himself but how many of us know that sometimes we have to discard of expectation of what healing looks like?

How many of us know that we do not get to decide how, when, where healing takes place and like Naaman, sometimes we get angry. We begin to question God but can I tell you that if we called to bath in the wrafth, as green as it may be, as smell as it may be, it is not our place to tell God about brown’s beach or Accra or Brandon’s and Miami beach. God wants our obedience not our suggestions.

Like Naaman instead of being obedient, we walk away unhealed, still hurt, still in pain.

But here’s the benefit of seeing something and saying something. Naaman’s servant, watch this, another witness for Jesus, who was able to say something because the servant girl saw and said something that allowed Elisha to say something, puts forth an argument to Naaman. If this man had said to you do something great, you would have done it, if it involved you sacrificing a thousand lambs, you would have done it, if it required the 1.2 million dollars you would have done it. Why? because to do those things did not interfere with Naaman’s dignity.

Bathing in the Jordon was too easy for a man like Naaman. I want to let you know today, that as easy as it was for Naaman to dip himself in a river, it is take 5 years to become a doctor, it takes 5 years to become a lawyer, it’s lots of hard work if you want to be a solider, if you want to be a millionaire, it takes years and grit but I am glad today that it is as easy as 123 to accept God’s love, it is as easy as ABC to accept God’s forgiveness, it is as easy as DO RE ME to receive His gift of salvation.

Here’s the thing, if we never say something when we see something, how would people know that it is that easy to enter into fellowship with Christ.

So, Naaman agrees to do the easy thing. Most of us know the story, even the kids. There was a man I know, who was a leaper white as snow/he went to the river to wash his sins away/ and his name was Naaman/ and dip one time, and he dip two time and he dippy dippy dippy dippy, one, two, three, four, five, six, seven and he came out clean.

Naaman was healed.

After all the anger, the resistance, the various persons who saw something and said something, Naaman does as he is told.

I like to think that God was teaching Naaman two lessons.

First—It is God and God alone who heals—not kings, not prophets (notice that Elisha was absence at the river), and certainly not the gods of Syria."

R Dilday noted that, “The simple method of this miracle, performed without the prophet there, did give God the credit. It was obvious that the healing came from Yahweh rather than from the sort of magical incantation that Naaman had anticipated.”

The second – total faith and obedience. The Hebrew word for dipped (tabal) is more accurately translated to mean, to plunge or to dive which means that after having obeyed, Naaman put his all into it.

Pre Conclusion

Isiah 52 reminds us of another man who saw something and said something. It talks about the watchmen who lift their voices at returning of a messenger. How beautiful are the feet of him who brings good news, who publishes peace, who brings news of happiness, who publishes Zion!

As I was writing this sermon, thinking about Global Youth Day and Youth Week of Prayer, I thought about our feet. Some of us might have ugly toes but in Jesus’ name we can have beautiful feet. Not because of how many crusades we have nor the number of tracks we hand out. It wouldn’t be because of times we go out into the field or the programmes we put on.

Our feet are going to be beautiful because of who we bring with us, its going to be beautiful because of the power that goes with us, our feet are beautiful because with them, we bring the gospel, and the gospel is Jesus Christ. Who by the way, saw something and said I go to prepare a place for you, and not only did he say thing, he did something when he died on that cross for our sins.

And if we want to continue the work of Jesus, we must say something when we see something.

Conclusion

I taught at a particular secondary school in Barbados, and one day a young man walked into my class. He was late and I asked him for his late slip and as he proceeded to retrieve that late slip from his pocket, a bag of weed dropped out. I look at that bag of weed, he looked at that bag of weed, the whole class look at that bag of weed. He looked at me and I at him.

He pleaded with me to turn a blind eye, Sir, if you could just pretend that you did not say. Sir, I can`t lose this weed, Sir, I don`t want to get in trouble, Sir Please!

I got the guidance counsellor involved, she got the police involved and they took over from there. I can’t tell you where that young man is today or if he turned away from a life of crime but what I can tell you that over the next few weeks, he received counselling and participated in a programme aimed at getting young people back on the right track. None of that would have happened, if I saw something and said nothing.

In fact, a class of thirty students would have witnessed a young man (me) and interpreted my silence as acceptance which would have affirmed the idea in their heads that drugs were okay.

When we see something, we must say something otherwise, our silence could cost a life and that’s not profitable for the Kingdom of God.

Appeal

[1]Biblical Studies Press, The NET Bible, Second Edition (Denmark: Thomas Nelson, 2019), 2 Ki 5:1–14.