Mark 14:3 - Nobody here but us lepers

"While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper . . ." (Mark 14:3a, NIV)

Perhaps you catch on more quickly than I, but the many times that I have read this story, it never dawned on me until now that no-one, not even Jesus, would dine in the house of a leper. That is, no-one would dine in the house of one that currently has leprosy.

The conclusion is that Simon had been cured of his leprosy by Jesus.

Leprosy is used in Scripture as a picture of sin in the life of men and women. Like leprosy, it permeates our lives and effects the way we live. But, by faith in Jesus, we can be changed and forgiven of our sin.

Here we see Simon, formerly an outcast from society, throwing a party for Jesus. He is cured of the disease that brought separation and now revels in the ability to be in relationship. One would think that the mood at this event would be very upbeat, at least Simon's mood would have been.

This should be, and sometimes is, a description of what happens in worship on Sundays. All of us who have been cleansed by the blood of Jesus come together to share in worship of the one who did the cleansing. We come together to fellowship with the God who makes possible our fellowship with each other.

Would our worship be different if we took the viewpoint of Simon the (former) Leper?