Walmart and Lepers

Okay, I have a confession to make:

I can be a little bit of a snob.

I know, I know, it’s terrible, and it’s not something I’m proud of, but it is the truth. It’s also something the Holy Spirit has really been working on in my life lately. So much so that I saw myself-and Walmart-within the pages of Scripture recently.

Okay, so a little back story: I live in a small town where Walmart is pretty much your only option for cheap groceries. We do have other grocery stores but, let’s be honest, inflation has hit hard, and every dollar and cent counts. But, the thing is, I have always prided myself on NOT shopping at Walmart. I don’t agree with a lot of the things Walmart as a whole stands for and, to be honest, the Walmart in our town is a little…yikes. I know, I know, it sounds super snobbish, but you see the absolute worst in human habits and behavior at our Walmart (or, is it every Walmart?) I rarely leave without witnessing something unsettling or disgusting. Or both. So, believe me when I say that it has taken me a LOT to shop at our local Walmart store.

A lot.

And it’s the truth of that leads me to Mark 14.

Hang with me; I’m going somewhere with this.

We pick up in verse one with a very familiar story:

“Now the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. ‘But not during the festival,’ they said, ‘or the people may riot.’ While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of 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. Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, ‘Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.’ And they rebuked her harshly. ‘Leave her alone,” said Jesus. ‘Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.'” (verses 1-9)

Beautiful, right? A wonderful teaching moment between Jesus and His disciples, one that I’ve (and you’ve) probably heard more than a dozen times.

But, this time when I read it, something else struck me: Jesus was in Bethany, “reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper.”

Simon the Leper.

The detail is thrown into the narrative so casually, and yet the implications of it are huge. Though there is debate about the true identity of Simon the Leper and whether or not he still had leprosy at this point (or if Jesus had healed him), the fact remained that he was still known as Simon the Leper. As such, it’s highly likely that there was still some degree of stigma (if not sickness) associated with this man.

And yet there Jesus is, reclining at his table.

With his disciples all around Him.

Despite the beauty of this account, what struck me the most about this particular reading was the disciples: what must they have thought, following Jesus into a leper (or former leper’s) home? Did they dread it? Were they uncomfortable? Anxious? Worried that others might see them? Did they find it unsettling or disgusting or both?

Now, I know it might seem silly (or not) to compare Walmart to a leper’s house. And by no means am I trying to convey that Jesus is calling me (or anyone else) to shop there. But what this story does call me to do is exam the condition of my heart.

What is it that makes me so reluctant to shop at Walmart? Yes, I have lots of reasons I can list off to you, but none of them truly explain the dis-ease I feel when I walk through the door. They are just excuses. Because, what it really comes down to is…

I don’t want to shop at Walmart because I feel as if I’m too good to shop there. That I’m above some of the “riffraff” walking the aisles. I deserve better than sticky floors and screaming, half-dressed toddlers.

I am better than that.

Better than Walmart.

Better than others.

Know what Jesus calls that?

Pride.

And He hates it.

What if the disciples had held that same mindset the day Jesus invited them to follow Him into the house of Simon the Leper? What if they’d felt “too good” to enter? What if they’d believed themselves better than the leper and his companions? What if they’d felt they deserved more?

They’d have missed out on a beautiful moment with their Savior. A humble act of worship. A lesson meant to help shape their hearts and their minds.

Thank goodness they didn’t let their pride get the best of them.

And we shouldn’t either.

Pride is a sneaky sin that turns up in the most unexpected places, manifesting in the most unexpected of ways. Every time we find ourselves turning up our noses at something, we must be diligent in quickly examining our motives. Because only by grabbing this beast by the roots, before it digs in, can we purge it from our lives and thus grow closer to Jesus. Let nothing stand between us and our Lord.

Not even Walmart.