for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God… Romans 3:23 ESV
Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper… Matthew 26:6 ESV
It Happened At Bethany
That’s all we know for sure. Jesus’ biographers simply didn’t give us any more information about Simon, the leper. Since it’s a mystery, Biblical scholars have come up with many different explanations of how Simon got his nickname; all of them are good guesses but remain speculative.
Simon was a common name in Palestine at the time, so Simon’s nickname was useful in differentiating him from the other “Simons” in the Biblical text. But why call him “the leper”? It’s not exactly a term of endearment, and we know that Simon would NOT have been able to have a dinner party if he still suffered from leprosy. So, either Simon had been healed of his leprosy (perhaps by Jesus’ own hand) or his nickname implied some other defect in his character, personality or his body.
Perhaps the Gospel writers intended to remind us that, in reality, we are all “lepers” of some nature. We all suffer from many defects in our character, personality, life choices and/or behavior. As the Bible says, we’ve each “fallen short.”
On this first weekend of the Lenten season, we’re going to be looking at the lessons we can learn from the story of Simon the Leper’s dinner party, and what it teaches us about how we can express our gratitude to Jesus for redeeming us from where we’ve fallen short.
Join with the other sinners at Trinity Downtown as we are reminded of the great cost Jesus paid in showering us with His grace. This weekend, give Him the opportunity to re-position your heart, redeem your circumstances and deepen your recognition that you are totally dependent upon Him. Join us in-person at our contemporary worship service on Saturday at 5:00 pm or our traditional worship service on Sunday at 9:00 am. Reservations are required to attend either in-person worship service; you can see the details at www.trinitydt.org. You may also make a reservation by calling Stefanie at 713.224.0684 from 8:30-2:30 each weekday. If you are not comfortable attending an in-person service, you can watch the “live stream” of our Satellite Service at 5:00 pm on Saturday, or our traditional service on Sunday at 9:00 am by clicking here. And, of course, you may also participate by watching either of these services “on demand” by clicking here.
Set aside time this weekend to learn how to follow Jesus’ footsteps, and in doing so find out how you can live a life of significance, filled with meaning. His calming presence, love and wisdom will make a tremendous difference in your life.