I am so moved by this story today. In this fast-paced world, when human relationships are less and less valuable, when individualism, the creation and management of the self, is more and more important, physical, friendly relationships are less and less important. When it takes months to see your friends, when it takes weeks to find a date for coffee together, that's when the behaviour of these four people really makes sense.
„And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.” Mark 2:3 ESV
Mark 2:1-12
But let's not rush ahead. Please read today's passage in your Bible and listen to what God has to say to you.
We don't know anything about these four people, whether they were relatives or friends of the sick man, but we do know that they took the fate of this paralysed man to heart. They believed that Jesus could heal him. So they did their best to bring this man to him.
Of course, they immediately ran into obstacles, the crowd was so big that they couldn't get to Jesus. Be prepared, if you want to bring people to Jesus, you're going to run into obstacles. The devil does not want people to meet Jesus and he is trying to prevent that.
But these four people are not afraid of obstacles. Their eyes were on the goal, to bring the sick man to Jesus. If they had to tear the roof off to do it, they did. I imagined the scene, the crowd in the house, Jesus speaking, suddenly the plaster starts falling from the ceiling. They look at Jesus, they look at the ceiling, the particles fall, Jesus ignores it, keeps talking, and suddenly there's a big hole in the ceiling. Then through this huge opening, a bed is lowered down, on which a man is lying. Where is the host? Why didn't he stop the demolition? These are interesting thoughts. The point is that it didn't shock anyone, at least the Bible doesn`t tell us, but more so that Jesus forgave the sick man's sin.
I was very touched by the love of these four people. I wonder how much pain and pressure you feel to do everything you can to bring your relatives and friends to Jesus? The only place where they can find healing. How much do you feel the gravity of the facts that your brother or sister, or your parents, or your colleague who works next to you is heading in a straight line to eternal death?
Jesus healed this paralytic physically, but He also provided much more than that, eternal life.
Reflective questions
- Who is the person God has entrusted you to bring to Jesus? If you don't know who it is, pray for him.
- Are you really doing all you can to help the person entrusted to you come to Jesus? Are you even willing to "tear the roof off"?
- Be brave, be the friend like the four men in the story.
It's a good practical topic for you next week. Take your friend to Jesus who is "paralysed" by sin and cannot go to Jesus alone. Jesus wants to save as many people as possible from death.
Judit
We are still waiting for your messages, if you have a story that relates to today's Word and would like to share it, please write to us.
You can also ask questions if something is not clear from today's story. Have a nice week.