In Mark chapter 2 we read about a man who was paralyzed. We don't know why or how... but we do know that this same man had 4 friends. These 4 friends cared enough about this man that they carried him on his mat to Jesus. I imagine that they must have really loved their friend. We also know that the house where Jesus was teaching at was full... so full that there wasn't room in the doorway of the house so that the four friends could budge their way in. It was literally a full house.
In my mind's eye, I imagine that there were people shoulder to shoulder each one inching their way closer to Jesus and hanging on every word. I see people at the door and windows leaning in to catch a look at Jesus... to pick up on even one word, one phrase, one tidbit of hope. I also believe that each man there had a need something that they wanted from or of Jesus.
The four men each had a corner of their friend's mat. They had walked an undetermined distance. They were probably tired, hot and thirsty when they got to the house. And arriving late they see that there is no way to get their friend to Jesus. They could have looked apologetically at their friend and turned to go home. They could have made a plan to wait where they were in hopes that Jesus might see them when He was done teaching. They might have thrown up their arms in defeat and cried with their friend and accepted their friend's lot in life.
But, these men were quality men... quality friends. They were determined. And they started cutting a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching. Can you imagine? As debris started falling down and people started getting ansy as to what was happening. Perhaps the owner of the house tried to work his way out of the tight crowd so as to put in end to the vandelism of his home! Perhaps those on the outside stopped what they were doing to look at these men to see what they were up to...
And finally when the hole was cut the men found a way to get their friend on the roof and then lowered him down to be touched by Jesus. They had faith that Jesus could heal him.
"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5
When he saw the faith of the friends.
The end result was that the scribes... men who were teachers of the law... questioned Jesus' authority and so that Jesus could prove that He indeed had the authority to forgive sins, Jesus healed the man and he ended up walking out of the house.
Can you imagine? Here are four friends that were driven by love for their friend, who by faith knew that if only they could get Jesus to see them that He would heal their friend. Yet, those educated men who were Jewish teachers of the law had no desire to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, the Savior of men and the Healer of both sins and physical afflictions.
How blessed would each of us be to have four friends to carry us to Jesus in the time of our affliction and in the times of our trials? Friends who by the world's standard may not be educated or reasonable... but who are driven by love and faith to hold us up to Jesus in prayer?
How blessed am I? More than words can say.
Please read about the four friends here.
In my mind's eye, I imagine that there were people shoulder to shoulder each one inching their way closer to Jesus and hanging on every word. I see people at the door and windows leaning in to catch a look at Jesus... to pick up on even one word, one phrase, one tidbit of hope. I also believe that each man there had a need something that they wanted from or of Jesus.
The four men each had a corner of their friend's mat. They had walked an undetermined distance. They were probably tired, hot and thirsty when they got to the house. And arriving late they see that there is no way to get their friend to Jesus. They could have looked apologetically at their friend and turned to go home. They could have made a plan to wait where they were in hopes that Jesus might see them when He was done teaching. They might have thrown up their arms in defeat and cried with their friend and accepted their friend's lot in life.
But, these men were quality men... quality friends. They were determined. And they started cutting a hole in the roof of the house where Jesus was teaching. Can you imagine? As debris started falling down and people started getting ansy as to what was happening. Perhaps the owner of the house tried to work his way out of the tight crowd so as to put in end to the vandelism of his home! Perhaps those on the outside stopped what they were doing to look at these men to see what they were up to...
And finally when the hole was cut the men found a way to get their friend on the roof and then lowered him down to be touched by Jesus. They had faith that Jesus could heal him.
"When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5
When he saw the faith of the friends.
The end result was that the scribes... men who were teachers of the law... questioned Jesus' authority and so that Jesus could prove that He indeed had the authority to forgive sins, Jesus healed the man and he ended up walking out of the house.
Can you imagine? Here are four friends that were driven by love for their friend, who by faith knew that if only they could get Jesus to see them that He would heal their friend. Yet, those educated men who were Jewish teachers of the law had no desire to believe that Jesus was the Son of God, the Savior of men and the Healer of both sins and physical afflictions.
How blessed would each of us be to have four friends to carry us to Jesus in the time of our affliction and in the times of our trials? Friends who by the world's standard may not be educated or reasonable... but who are driven by love and faith to hold us up to Jesus in prayer?
How blessed am I? More than words can say.
Please read about the four friends here.
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