Everywhere Jesus went he attracted a crowd. Most of the people who came to see Him wanted something from him for themselves. In Mark 2 verses 3&4 we see four men that were more concerned about their friend’s need than they were of their own.
And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. Mark 2:3-4
It is amazing for me to think of these men and what they did for their friend! But, the more I thought about it, I wonder how the man who was paralyzed felt? Can you imagine a friend going to all this trouble for you? I wonder if he was afraid he was going to fall off the mat? And when they dropped him through the roof, I am sure he felt totally helpless.
I wonder what the men felt when they walked up to the house where Jesus was and saw that it was jam-packed with people? I hate to admit that if that were me, I would have turned around and felt like there was no more room. Not these men, they were creative and saw an opportunity and they were not going to pass it up.
Houses in these days were made with a flat roof and there were usually outside steps leading up to the top. The men carried the man on his mat up the stairs and then began to dig through the clay and grass till they got an opening just big enough to drop their friend down, right in from of Jesus where he was speaking to the crowd.
And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5
This verse says that “when Jesus saw THEIR faith” he forgave the man of his sins. Jesus not only took notice of the faith of the paralyzed man, but also the faith of his four friends. God honors those who assist others. Especially when it comes to assisting someone to the feet of Jesus. We all know that our faith can’t save someone else. But, we can assist in the salvation process by helping our friends come to Christ.
We can do this by praying for them, by listening to them and answering their questions, and most of all by showing Christ’s love to them by loving them! Look at how much these four men had to do for their friend! It took much work and creativity for them to come up with the plan to dig a hole through the roof for their friend.
How creative are we in getting our friends and neighbors to Christ? When we come to a closed door or a place where we feel like there is no room for us, do we walk away? We have to be willing to take the time and effort to reach out and find a way to bring them to Christ. Challenge yourself this week to be bold and go out of your way to show someone the Love of Christ.