Three Faces

Three Faces
2 Kings 5:20-27
How much money do we need for make-up surgery? Yesterday I collected the estimation that a third-class clinic suggest. $ 2300 for eyes, $ 3500 for nose, $ 2500 for forehead, $ 4500 for jaw, $ 5000 for cheekbone, $ 2000 for earlobe. This is only an estimation for face.
The estimation for body is like this; $ 7000 for breasts, $ 6000 for hip, $ 3000 for legs, $ 4500 for thighs, $ 2300 for waist, $ 3000 for arms, $ 4500 for belly.... If we have the surgery for half of them, it costs roughly $ 80000-100,000. This estimation is suggested by a third-class clinic. And they do not give the after-service.
If the estimation is suggested by first-class clinic in the Kangnam-gu Seoul Korea, and if you want after-service, the cost will be 10 times higher. So the cost is about 1 million. Make-up surgery is popular in Korea because they put the emphasis only on the outward appearance. They think the beautiful face works for all.
But the bible says, "I also want women to dress modestly, with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God."(1 Timothy 2:9)
Today we want to share the grace of God as we know about faces. First of all, when we look at our face in the mirror, we don't need to have superiority feeling or inferiority complex. Because that is not my boundary but the boundary of God. If someone has inferiority complex for his or her face, that is the act of criticizing the work of God.
On the other hand, if someone is arrogant because he or she has beautiful face or handsome face, that is not good attitude before God. The real handsome boy or real beautiful girl is the person who has beautiful inner face or handsome inner face.
Let's look at today's scripture. Naaman was commander of the army of the king of Aram. He was a great man in the sight of his master and highly regarded, because through him the LORD had given victory to Aram. He was a valiant soldier, but he had leprosy.
A young girl from Israel served Naaman's wife. She said to her mistress, "If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy."
So Naaman left, taking with him ten talents of silver, six thousand shekels of gold and ten sets of clothing. Naaman arrived at the door of Elisha's house. But Elisha sent a messenger to say to him, "Go, wash yourself seven times in the Jordan, and your flesh will be restored and you will be cleansed."
Naaman went away angry. But he obeyed Elisha's word and went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy.
Then Naaman and all his attendants went back to the man of God. He stood before him and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the world except in Israel. Please accept now a gift from your servant." The prophet answered, "As surely as the LORD lives, whom I serve, I will not accept a thing." And even though Naaman urged him, he refused.
Gehazi, the servant of Elisha the man of God, said to himself, "My master was too easy on Naaman, this Aramean, by not accepting from him what he brought. As surely as the LORD lives, I will run after him and get something from him."
Gehazi went to Naaman and got two talent of silver and two sets of clothing from Naaman. But Gehazi could not cheat Elisha. Today we can see three faces of Gehazi. We also have these three faces. Let's look at the faces.
1. Front face
We see our front face every morning in the mirror. We wash this face and apply lotion on the face. People think this front face is criterion of beauty. But we can change this face with make-up surgery.
Let's look at Gehazi's front face. Gehazi hurried after Naaman. When Naaman saw him running toward him, he got down from the chariot to meet him. "Is everything all right?" he asked. "Everything is all right," Gehazi answered. But Gehazi's face looks all right. But his real face is not all right.
This is very similar in the case of Iscariot Judas. He betrayed Jesus with kiss, saying, "Greetings, Rabbi!" The front face of Judas Iscariot and Gehazi is in peace and all right, but the real face is not all right. Their real face has covetousness and betrayal.
Christians' life is more related with inner face than front outward face. People look at outward appearance but God looks at our inner appearance. Bible says, " Man is not a Jew if he is only one outwardly, nor is circumcision merely outward and physical. No, a man is a Jew if he is one inwardly; and circumcision is circumcision of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the written code. Such a man's praise is not from men, but from God."(Romans 2:28-29)
2. Inner face
We cannot see this face with our physical eyes. We cannot touch this face with our hands. But this inner face is our real face, by this, we can discern him or her good or bad. This inner face cannot be changed with make-up surgery.
Gehazi said to Naaman, "My master sent me to say, 'Two young men from the company of the prophets have just come to me from the hill country of Ephraim. Please give them a talent of silver and two sets of clothing.'" But this is a lie. This face is then real face of Gehazi. His front face is peace but his inner face is covetousness.
Jesus said to Judas Iscariot, "Friend, do what you came for." Jesus knew Judas' inner face. His front face is peace, but inner face is betrayal. So Korean proverb says, "10 feet deep of water is fathomable, but 1 foot deep of human heart is unfathomable."
My beloved, let's do have make-up for our inner face. Real handsome boy and real beautiful girl is who has inner beauty. Let me ask you a question. What does your inner face look like? Like Pharisees who has hypocrisy? Or like Jesus? I hope all of us to have nice inner face.
3. Rear face
This face is the final face which is finally given by front face and inner face. What is Gehazi's rear face? Verse 27 says, "Naaman's leprosy will cling to you and to your descendants forever." Then Gehazi went from Elisha's presence and he was leprous, as white as snow.
Gehazi's final face is the face of leprous man. Judas' final face is same. Let me ask you a question? What is your final face? Your destiny depend on your final face. As you know, Mother Teresa has the beautiful final face. Her front face is full of wrinkles, but she has beautiful inner face and beautiful rear face. I pray all of us to have nice inner face and nice final face before God. Amen!