Still with you
Mark 14 tells one of my favourite little stories in the Bible. The writer tells us about a women who pours an expensive bottle of perfume over Jesus as a display of worship to him. I love the lessons that we can learn from this ladies heart. However, the other day, whilst reading this passage, I noticed something very significant in the setting of this story.
Verse three of Mark 14, can at first appear to be merely a trivial piece of information for the reader, however, it is in actual fact loaded with relevance.
“Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had leprosy.”
As we read through the gospels we see account after account where Jesus demonstrates his love and compassion by healing. Whether they are blind, paralysed or even already dead, Jesus seems to heal everyone he meets. However, here’s a scripture telling us that Jesus was at the house of Simon, “a man who had leprosy.” Not a man who used to have leprosy and not even a man who Jesus was about to heal from his leprosy. Jesus was hanging out with someone who was sick.
Now I’m no scholar. I don’t really know why Simon hadn’t been healed by Jesus. Maybe there was a good reason why Jesus chose not to. In Matthew 8 when Jesus healed another leper, he asked him whether he was willing or not. Perhaps for whatever reason, Simon wasn’t willing. Jesus may even have healed him soon after. I don’t know. All I know is that Jesus was hanging with the leper.
If you’re reading this, I feel pretty safe to presume that you are a person. As you are a person, I also feel pretty safe to presume that everything in your life isn’t always exactly perfect. Perhaps your sick, hurting, scared, frustrated, lonely, hungry, lost or depressed, I really don’t know.
Jesus hasn’t given up on you.
Jesus hasn’t forgotten about you
and most definitely………..
Jesus has not left you.
Jesus was spending time with Simon. A leper. A sick man. A social outcast. Probably a poor man and most definitely a needy man.
Simon’s sickness didn’t stop Jesus from wanting to be with him.
Why Simon hadn’t been healed and why so many of us haven’t been healed, I do not know. All I can do is pray and believe with you that someday God will restore and heal. However, what I do know, is that despite life’s circumstances Jesus hasn’t left you.
And he never will
Jesus is with you.