Former, Not Forgotten: Holy Week Wednesday

While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head (Mark 14:3).

He was known as Simon the Leper.

Mark tells us nothing more about the host of this dinner gathering during the final days of Jesus’ life. Anything beyond “Simon the Leper” is pure speculation and guesswork. But the guessing stirs the imagination. Chances are good that Simon is not actually a leper – inviting guests to his home, dipping his chips in the salsa bowl, touching food, pouring the wine. A leper couldn’t do that, and if he tried it would be a very small and quiet party. No, we’re simply told that he was known as Simon the Leper.

The disease had been healed. The name had stuck.

The name spoke to who he used to be, to the life he used to have and the condition of life to which he had likely resigned himself. Sick, ugly and peeling, smelling of death, avoided by people, grieving the loss of the comforts of home. That was Simon’s life until Jesus came along and changed it.

Now Simon is back home, throwing parties, reclining at table with his friend Jesus and reaching for the salsa bowl with a hand that looks smooth and greets with a firm grip. Why was this man known as Simon the Leper? We can’t say for sure, but everyone at the dinner party probably knew exactly why.

There are plenty of people working hard to escape their former self. The “known as” part of their identity is their shame, or so they think. A few days ago I received a message on Facebook from someone who went to college with me more than 20 years ago. “You may not remember me,” the message said. They used the term “wild child” to describe who they used to be back in the day. This person apparently suspected that those unruly days were lingering in my memory. They wanted to shed that “known as” self.

It wasn’t that way for Simon. “Leper” was hardly a designation to boast in, but every time someone spoke of Simon the Leper they spoke of what Jesus and his grace had done. Simon never wanted to forget that part of his story, never wanted to get over how Jesus had changed him. Leper was a former self; former, but not forgotten.

The death of Jesus on the cross means that life can change. You are not saddled with labels that forever define who you are: addicted, divorced, depressed. The “known as” self speaks to the former you. And the former you speaks to the depth of God’s grace and goodness. Don’t ever forget that.

For Today:
What is your “known as” self? Is there a part of your life story that no longer speaks to your shame but to God’s goodness?

Prayer:
In you, Lord Jesus, we can be made new. Old things pass away and the new comes. We give you thanks for the cross and the price you paid to redeem and renew us. In this Holy Week make us mindful of who we once were, and remind us again of who we are in you. Amen.