Simon the leper is mentioned inMatthew 26:6andMark 14:3as a man living in Bethany who hosted a meal for Jesus. The Gospel of Luke also mentions a similar event, but the host is called Simon the Pharisee (Luke 7:40,43,44). During the meal at Simon's house, a woman (identified as Mary of Bethany inJohn 12:1-8) brought an alabaster jar of expensive perfume and anointed Jesus' head and feet. The disciples, particularly Judas Iscariot, criticized this act as wasteful, but Jesus defended the woman, saying that she had done a beautiful thing in preparing his body for burial. The title "the leper" suggests that Simon had been afflicted with leprosy at some point, but it is not clear whether he was still suffering from the disease at the time of this event. Leprosy was a highly stigmatized condition in ancient times, and people with leprosy were often isolated from society. Simon's hosting of Jesus and the other guests in his home may indicate that he had been healed of his leprosy, possibly by Jesus himself.
Simon
EnglishA man living at the time of the New Testament, first mentioned at Mat.26.6.