In the first reading we see the undying faith of a Hebrew slave. Naaman as a general was quite victorious. Then at the peak of his success he learnt he was affected by leprosy. When his young maidservant learns from Naaman's wife about it, she replies with great confidence, "If only my lord were with the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy." Though she has been captured and forced to become a servant, she has not given up on God or her faith.

In today's Gospel reading Jesus points to this story to justify the inclusivity of his own ministry. The Jews were so sure that they were God's people that they some how tended to interpret this in an exclusive way. Now, here was this young Jesus, whom they all knew, preaching as if the Gentiles were specially favoured by God. God's saving grace is for all humanity, every human being is God's plan of salvation.