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recommend for purification ceremony. It is believed that Simon
was cleansed and cured by Jesus.
There is a social stigma with Simon the leper, but he
invites Jesus into his house. Jesus also accepts and enters into
Simon’s house. Purity pollution-concept very much existed in
the Jewish community. No Jew will enter into the leper house.
But Jesus being a radical Rabbi breaks the law and overcomes
the social stigma. Jesus’ anointment at Bethany also is a possible
Christological significance for Mark. In the Old Testament kings
were anointed and installed into office. (Saul’s anointing and
David’s anointing). So mark insists that Jesus can be recognized
as the Messiah only in the context of his passion and death. In
this anointing Mark sees a symbolic proclamation of Jesus as the
Messiah, Lord’s anointment. Jesus however relates the anointing
(messiaship) to his death.

Bridging the Breach

There was a dichotomy between rich and poor, Jews
and Greeks, Greeks and Outcasts. In the Mark gospel we could
witness that, Jesus’ ministry starts with healing of lepers and
ends with entering into the healed leper’s house. So the markan
understanding of ministry is sandwiched between healing
lepers and entering into leper’s house. This Simon the leper
was considered as an outcast person. Jesus being the Messiah
wanted to include everyone into the closer community. Jesus
stepping into a leper’s house is a radical shift for the Jewish
community. Though the stigma is not removed by the society,
still Jesus wanted to identify himself with the rejected person.
He chose this outcast person’s house to proclaim his death and
burial. For example: even in todays context, we brand people
living with HIV, or person released from prison, abandoned
by their spouses, adopted children and abandoned by parents.
Most of the time church is so silent about people labeled with
social stigma. So as a prophetic community we have to identify
ourselves with the stigmatized people to give them an image

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Lenten Meditations Re - Imaging People