Mark 2:1-5
1 Jesus returned to Capernaum, and a few days later the news went out that He was at home. 2 So many people gathered together that there was no longer room [for them], not even near the door; and Jesus was discussing with them the word [of God]. 3 Then they came, bringing to Him a paralyzed man, who was being carried by four men. 4 When they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they [a]removed the roof above Jesus; and when they had dug out an opening, they let down the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying. 5 When Jesus saw their [active] faith [springing from confidence in Him], He said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
One thing is for sure, they were determined to see their friend healed, and they were not taking no for an answer!
We do not know what happened because the bible says nothing about it. All we know is that the man was paralysed and he needed healing. Apart from that, we also know that he had friends who deeply cared about him, and they were determined to see their friend set free. They must have heard that Jesus the healer was in town, and they determined not to let this opportunity pass them by.
The bible does not tell us much about the man and his friends, and we do not know what happened for him to be paralysed. Maybe they used to hang out together a lot and probably do business together, then some injury happened to him. Or perhaps they were strangers one to another but united with the desire to see another human being get a better life just like the Good Samaritan, we just don’t know.
Their actions are what amaze me. Here is what they did.
Considering the surging crowd, can you imagine the amount of work it took to get the man on a stretcher on the roof? Aside from all the work, the place was jam parked with people, can you imagine the comments and sneers they got from the crowd? There must have been a lot of commotion, but they would not let anything stop them.
They went through all that trouble not for themselves, but for another. The man was not only healed, his sins were also forgiven.
Great lesson to learn there, who are your companions? Are they people of faith? If this man had had friends who were faithless, he would not have received his healing. His friends were adamant, they would not let go of the opportunity to bring their friend to Jesus no matter the obstacle because they understood if they could do that, their friend would be made well.
Reflections
What kind of people do you call your friends? What are their character traits?
Have you ever gone out of your way to help a friend? What happened?
These guys tore off a roof because they had the conviction that their friend would be healed if they could only get him to Jesus. What are some of the obstacles that are dampening your faith?
