Scripture

Our verse for today comes from Matthew 26:6, ” And when Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper. “

Background

When I was a kid, my dad had a couple nicknames for me. One was ” S & B, ” which stood for ” skin and bones ” because I was so skinny. The other one was ” Rook the Fluke. ” I have no idea where that one came from. For years he called my younger brother ” Boss. ” That came from the two of them watching the 1980’s tv show ” Fantasy Island ” together in which the diminutive Tatoo (played by Hervé Villechaize) always referred to Mr. Roarke, the island’s owner, as ” Boss. ” In the Bible, we read of the distant lands of Persia and Mesopotamia. But those names are long gone. Today, those countries are known as Iran and Iraq. There once was a Yugoslavia, but now there’s Croatia, Serbia, Slovenia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. George Washington University’s nickname is the Colonials. There was a time when they went by Hatchetites, which probably made perfect sense to those who knew the legend of the President. The Oregon Ducks made the wise decision back in the 70’s to change from being called the Webfoots. Louisiana-Lafayette dropped the ordinary Bulldogs in favor of the perfectly chosen Ragin’ Cajuns. Ole Miss used to be known as the Flood, but a few years after most of Mississippi was devastated by a flood, they decided to switch to the Rebels. For some reason, the Elon Fighting Christians dropped their nickname and replaced it with the Phoenix. Hofstra was once wonderfully referred to as the Flying Dutchmen, but they now go by Pride.

Application

You likely have been called a thing or two. Some of them may still stick with you, whether fair or not. Simon was undoubtedly cured of his leprosy, for he was in his own home and living the normal life. But even scripture calls him Simon the leper. Presumably it was because he had been miraculously healed, and that was worth pointing out at every opportunity. But make no mistake, he had been cleansed. Your worst name may be something you alone call yourself. If that’s true, then you need to hear Jesus again. He’s got a name for you that will carry you into heaven.

Charge

As we seek Him today, consider having Christian, follower of Jesus, or child of God be a name that you are known by.