Sunday Service 9:00 am

 

X Close Menu

"Faith through the roof"

In the second chapter of Mark’s Gospel, there is a story of four men who tried to get to Jesus to heal their paralytic friend. As Jesus was speaking in a home, they tried to get in but the crowd was too large and they could not even squeeze their way through. But they would not be denied. They went up on the roof, made a hole big enough to let down their friend who was on a stretcher, and lowered him down before Jesus. Jesus saw their faith and not only healed the paralytic, but forgave him of his sins as well.

I don’t know about you, but I want friends like that! These men were determined and persistent enough to see that their friend came to Jesus… even through a hole in the roof. I believe their motivation was two-fold… 1. They knew Jesus was their only hope, He was their only answer. Only Jesus could make the difference. And 2. They loved their friend. They cared so much about their friend that they could not let him stay in that paralytic state as long as Jesus was around. They let down a stretcher through a roof!

Who is on your stretcher? A loved one or friend who has been paralyzed by fear, pain or sorrow? Immobilized by failure, despair, hopelessness and sin? Who do we need to carry to Jesus? Like these four friends, we must be determined to bring them to Jesus through the crowds of doubt, unbelief, compromise, lukewarmness, and self-focus.

The compassion and power of Christ to heal and save was touched by the love and faith of four men who carried someone that they love to Jesus. We may not have a stretcher to carry them on, but we can surely carry them to Jesus in prayer… determined and in faith… not being denied by any barriers. They carried their friend in, but they all walked out together! They had a faith that came through the roof!