Hello Everyone --
Again, I would like to thank Irish1975. The "Lepers" in the Gospels represent, I believe, a Type. This Type however, does not point beyond itself and therefore resists identification. The Story of the Anointing, however is found across all four Gospels. A comparison, then, may allow an identification.
As I have unpacked the Gospel Stories through the years, I have found Clues and small Code Words and phrases that point towards something beyond the "Mere" Stories. I must add "YMMV" here as the explanations I have offered have not gained much Traction on this Site. Be that as it may, it appears consistent across the Gospels and I find myself in agreement with those here who consider the Stories closely tied together in Authorship, both in Time and Place.
For example, "The Woman with the Twelve Year Issue of Blood", coupled with "Jairus' Daughter" point beyond the Bare Stories. They have "12 years" in common and both point towards a Healing from the Blood of some violent event, some Movement that is nearly dead but may yet be resurrected. "I will be healed if only I can touch his garments", says the Woman. "Garments" = > "Priestly Garments". Only the Priesthood may Save the Nation.
"The Man with the Withered Hand" points beyond itself. What would a man with a Withered Hand have trouble doing? Writing, for one. It might seem reasonable to assign the title "Scribe" to one such as this. "Jesus" is freeing the Scribe from his Affliction, as he frees the Woman Bent over for 18 years from hers. On this interpretation, the Scribe is now free to write about what he knows about Events 12 years earlier. Previously, he was forbidden from writing about this event.
Matthew 5: 20 (Moffatt):
[20] For I tell you, unless your goodness excels that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never get into the Realm of heaven.
Speaking of the Pharisees, we are here given an interesting Clue - The "Realm of Heaven" may be a real Place for the Priests:
Matthew 23: 13 (Moffatt):
[13] Woe to you, you impious scribes and Pharisees ! you shut the Realm of heaven in men's faces; you neither enter yourselves, nor will you let those enter who are on the point of entering.
Here is where the "Lepers" come in. On this view, many, many of the Short Stories and Passages have small Clues - Pointers - to the Events they Symbolically represent. Lepers?:
Matthew 8: 2 - 4 (RSV):
[2] and behold, a leper came to him and knelt before him, saying, "Lord, if you will, you can make me clean."
[3] And he stretched out his hand and touched him, saying, "I will; be clean." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.
[4] And Jesus said to him, "See that you say nothing to any one; but go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to the people."
This appears to be merely Descriptive. No pointers beyond itself. Except for the command to "...show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a proof to the people." This has been a bit awkward for some through the ages, but It's really OK, correct? Isn't it?
Mark and Matthew are virtual duplicates of each other, the Markan "Jesus" explicitly taking pity on the Leper ("[41] Moved with pity, he stretched out his hand and touched him"). Then:
Matthew 10: 5 - 8 (RSV):
[5] These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, "Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans,
[6] but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
[7] And preach as you go, saying, `The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
[8] Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay.
"Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons..." Merely descriptive, what every other garden variety savior-god would do...Correct? That is, do these tasks point beyond themselves to reasonable Symbolic Assignments?
Matthew 11: 4 - 5(RSV):
[4] And Jesus answered them, "Go and tell John what you hear and see:
[5] the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them.
Mark 14: 3 (RSV):
[3] And while he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of ointment of pure nard, very costly, and she broke the flask and poured it over his head.
Matthew 26: 6 (RSV):
[6] Now when Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper
Merely descriptive...Well, perhaps we should add, "...within the Book of Matthew..." for reasons that will become apparent. It's a match for Mark 14: 3 at this point, so, What's the Problem?
John 12: 1 (RSV):
[1] Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Laz'arus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
It's Bethany, at the house of Simon the Leper. Only...John doesn't mention the house or Simon. It's where he "...raised Lazarus from the dead".
It's here where Luke provides a Key Clue:
Luke 7: 36 - 40 (RSV):
[36] One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him, and he went into the Pharisee's house, and took his place at table.
[37] And behold, a woman of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned that he was at table in the Pharisee's house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,
[38] and standing behind him at his feet, weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with the hair of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.
[39] Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner."
[40] And Jesus answering said to him, "Simon, I have something to say to you." And he answered, "What is it, Teacher?"
The owner of the house is a "Simon" but he is not a Leper here but a Pharisee. Now, you can get into all kinds of trouble with this type of reasoning but for the "X had Y in front of him when he wrote Z" Crowd, this may point beyond itself in identifying the Type "Leper".
"Jesus" is in a fight for his life and the life of his fellow Priests. As he convinces a number of Pharisees to "Come over to our side", the Political Conversion must be made in front of other Priests in advance of the coming Coup.
The Lepers are Pharisees. When they defect to the Priests, they become "Cleansed".
Therefore, "Simon" was both Leper and Pharisee. "Untouchable" until Politically "Cleansed".
CW