The word spread so quickly that He had arrived home. The house filled with friends and family who wanted to visit with him. It was a good thing there was plenty of room even outside for the crowd of visitors grew.
It was then the four men showed up with their friend. Paralysis prevented the friend from walking so they carried him to the house on a mat.
Upon arriving, they faced the challenge of navigating the crowd in order to get their friend to Jesus. By this point, the crowd had so thickened, no one would let them through.
So they did the only thing they could – they dug a hole through the thatched roof and lowered their friend down right in front of Jesus.
I wonder, did the man ask for their help? We are not told. Did they take it upon themselves to bring him to Jesus? We’re not told this either.
As I read the familiar story, one verse stood out to me:
“And Jesus seeing their faith *said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
(Mark 2:5, NASB)
Jesus upon seeing the faith of the friends, forgave the sins of the paralyzed man, and then healed him. The man was able to walk home that day, not because of his own faith, but because of the faith of his friends.
I want to be this kind of a friend to the people in my life. We – all of us – are called to carry others to Jesus in prayer.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2, NASB)
All of us have burdens and at times,we are unable to carry our burdens alone. God has so created community, and the Church at large, to be there for one another. When one struggles, we all feel the struggle. And when one rejoices we all get to join in.
May we each be the friend
who is willing to carry others,
and point them to Jesus.
Opinions. We all have them. “But there is a difference between an opinion and absolute truth.” In her post, Opinions HERE, Barbara Lee Harper gives much food for thought. “Our purpose isn’t to battle with our opinions, but to be gracious instruments …”
Come, sit a spell. Bring your coffee, your posts, and your thoughts. If you link up, kindly visit those who have drawn up a seat around you.
*** This is an edited post which first appeared at W2W Ministries.
Photo by Klara Kulikova on Unsplash
