Following Jesus means including people who have been neglected by mainstream society. Read Matthew 26:6-13. The Apostle Paul wrote, “We reap what we sow.” (Galatians 6:7-10) When we sow grace, mercy, and generosity, we receive grace, mercy, and generosity. When we sow indignation and harshness, we receive indignation and harshness. Jesus sowed grace, mercy, and generosity. The week we now call Holy Week, the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday, Jesus was having dinner when a woman came to him with a jar of expensive perfume and poured it on his feet. This act of devotion was no doubt a response to the love and mercy that Jesus had shown the woman at some point in time. We have very little backstory about the woman herself. Although the story is powerful, I have always found another part of the story to be equally as interesting. The woman’s act of devotion occurred in the town of Bethany. Bethany is just 2-3 miles from Jerusalem. Bethany is where Jesus raised Lazareth from the dead. (John 11) We suspect that Jesus would often stay with Lazareth, Mary, and Martha, with the evidence from Luke 10. But Jesus is not in their home on this occasion. The host is identified as Simon the Leper. Lepers were discarded by mainstream society and forced to live in leper colonies. They were forced to quit their jobs, leave their homes, and live outside the city. They were not allowed to go to the market to buy food or assemble with the elders in the synagogue. When a leper asked Jesus to have mercy on him, Jesus touched the man and healed him. (Mark 1) Simon the Leper was not just healed of leprosy. His life was restored. Jesus sowed grace and mercy in the lives of lepers and women, and we see in one story how he reaped the harvest of hospitality, love, and adoration. There will always be people who reject our acts of love and criticize us for extending grace to all people. They will receive what they have sowed. We must not let those who criticize us alter our course of action by following Jesus.

Holy Lord, you have offered grace and mercy to us and to all people. Let us follow your example and offer grace and mercy to all people. Give us courage to overcome the criticism of the world to continue our journey of faith, hope, and love. Fill us with your likeness. Amen.