Today's Scripture Reading (March 7, 2026): 2 Kings 4
An episode of the dramedy M*A*S*H, entitled "Captains Outrageous,"
chronicles the trials of the company priest, Father Mulcahy, to secure a
promotion to Captain. The episode first aired on December 10, 1979. Mulcahy
tries to contain his disappointment every time the promotions list comes out, only
to find his name isn't on it. However, all of his friends know how much the
spiritual leader wants a promotion. The promotion won't change the priest's job
at the M*A*S*H, but it will be recognition that he is doing a good job, and
sometimes, we all need that kind of encouragement.
Colonel Potter, the company commander, decides to take the bull by the
horns and sends a letter to the promotion board that repeatedly uses the word "outstanding"
to describe the priest's work. Company clerk Max Klinger takes it upon himself
to read the letter of recommendation to Father Mulcahy, but Mulcahy is trying
hard not to raise his expectations. After all, he has gone through this dance before;
he has repeatedly thought this would be the time for his promotion, and when
his name is not on the list, he has felt the crushing disappointment.
Potter assures his priest that this time the promotion is in the bag, only
for the army to lose Mulcahy's file. And, once again, it looks like Mulcahy
will be left off the promotions list. Colonel Potter is in a panic and pulls
out all the stops to get the promotion through, commenting that his priest
starts his prayers with "while I'm in the neighborhood."
The Shunammite woman has sought out Elisha, not because she needed anything,
but because she wanted to do something to help Elisha's ministry. She is a
woman of affluence, so she needs little. She opens her home to him, prepares
meals for him, and even builds a room for the priest on her roof. But there is
something in her life she has longed for that has never happened. She has no
son, and her husband is old.
So, Elisha calls the woman to him and promises her a son by this time
next year. The Shunammite woman responds by asking Elisha not to say that. She
has hoped for years, but she still doesn't have a child to hold in her hands.
And she doesn't want to get her hopes up. The reaction is very similar to
Father Mulcahy's before the promotion. And it is close to how we feel when we
have struggled with disappointment over the things of life.
Yet, we, along with the Shunammite woman to whom Elisha is speaking, need
to remember that our God can still do anything if we will have a mustard seed's
worth of faith and a smattering of hope. And if we are disappointed, God can
give us the strength to handle it and go on with the life that is in front of
us. But sometimes when we least expect it, God moves to remind us of how
important we are to Him.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: 2 Kings 5
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