HEARD AT CHURCH

In the beginning, the elohim created skies and earth.

Welcome back. Let's think about Simon the Leper.

He’s only mentioned once in the Bible, in Mark 14: 3 and, since Matthew often uses Mark to make his gospel, Matthew 26:6.

The only thing in the Bible said of Simon the leper is about his home which is the place where Jesus visited the Wednesday before Passover.

That’s it. He’s nearly as unknown as the woman in the same passage who suddenly appears and anoints Jesus’ head with very expensive perfume.

Simon opened his home up to Jesus as a friend. The passage does not tell us if he was present. Nor does it tell us if he were healed. The Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible tells us that presumably he was healed, maybe by Jesus.

What if he wasn’t?  What if Jesus’ acceptance of those who by nature had violated purity laws caused Simon to accept himself?  He decided to stay in his home rather than exile himself into a leper colony.

Truly, however, we know nothing about his circumstances. What we do know is that Jesus did not scorn or reject this man whose disease would have caused society to scorn and reject him.

Simon offered his home as a friend. The woman with no name offered an incredible gift of love to Jesus.

Again, we have no details about this woman. Was she, like Simon, an outcast because her condition caused her to ever be in violation of purity laws? 

I don’t know. Jesus must have been or done something truly loving for her to respond to him in kind the way she did.

This leper and this unknown woman are examples of people whom Jesus loved. We must do likewise.

Blessings…