2Ki 5:10 And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean.
11 But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the LORD his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper.
12 Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.
Naaman was a leper. He came all the way from another country just to see Elisha so that he might be healed. He expected an elaborate welcome and ceremony but he was instead told through a messenger to go and simply dip himself 7 times in the Jordan river.
It was too simple! Here he was afflicted with a serious and incurable disease and now all he has to do is dip himself in a mean and ordinary river!
In the same way, the Jews were very offended when they were told that to be saved all one has to do is trust in a Man who was CRUCIFIED on a Roman cross! It was too simple (by faith only) and it was unacceptable (a Savior and Messiah crucified!?).
And it is still happening today. People could not believe the simplicity of salvation on the sinner's part. It is too good to be true.
"Trust in the Savior and you will be saved!" they would protest.
"What! I was expecting something more complicated than that! I thought that a sinner should do tons of good works, perform a lot of religious activities, accomplish numerous humanitarian endeavors, dance the hoogie-boogie, turn around and that's what it's all about!?"
They are right in one thing that yes, salvation is very difficult and hard to accomplish, even impossbible for sinners like us. It is very costly. But what they never realized is that all the difficulties and hardships were already borne totally by the Savior on the cross.
So what remains for the sinner now is simply to trust in the Savior for salvation---a salvation He paid dearly with His life.
