Through the Roof, Part 1 - Faithful Friends
Mark 2v1-12
1st March 2024
I'll continue to write about 2 Peter in a few weeks but first I'd like us to think about this well-known Gospel story:
Mark 2v1-12
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had
come home.
They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside
the door, and he preached the word to them.
Some men came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them.
Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in
the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying
on.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, "Child, your sins are
forgiven."
Now some Scribes were sitting there, thinking to themselves,
"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God
alone?"
Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their
hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things?
Which is easier: to say to this paralysed man, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say,
'Get up, take your mat and walk'?
But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins."
So he said to the man,
"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home."
He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone
and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
Having travelled throughout Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and driving out demons, Jesus returned to Capernaum. He'd healed many people in that town before, and the people there had probably heard reports of what he'd done in other towns and villages, so it's no surprise that a crowd gathered at his house. They must have been excited and thrilled by the stories of what Jesus was doing and saying. Also, as Luke's account tells us, Pharisees and scribes… had come from every village of Galilee and from Judah and Jerusalem, and they were there too. No wonder the house was full to overflowing.
Jesus was preaching, and Luke's account says that the power of the Lord was present for Him to heal the sick, so it was an amazing gathering even before four men turned up, carrying a fifth man on a stretcher. We all know the story. The house was so crowded that they couldn't get in. But houses in that region in those days usually had an outside staircase leading to the roof. They were determined to bring their friend to Jesus so, undeterred, they climbed up to the roof, made a hole in it, and lowered the man down, still on the stretcher. And the paralysed man landed at Jesus's feet.
Jesus saw their faith. He saw that these men were so confident of His power and His love that they wouldn't let anything discourage them or prevent them from bringing their friend to Jesus. I don't suppose carrying him up the outside staircase was a particularly easy thing to do. And although roofs in those days were not like modern ones, and it was fairly easy to smash open a roof in those days, there was going to be a conversation with the house owner later on, and it might not be quite so easy. They understood that no price is too high to pay for bringing someone to Jesus.
They knew Jesus was a great healer and a great preacher. They knew He had authority over demons. They didn't know what we know – that Jesus died for our sins and rose from the dead. Those things were still in the future for them. They didn't know that we can inherit eternal life through faith in Jesus's redeeming blood. They didn't know yet that Jesus could forgive sins, but they were about to find out.
They had faith that Jesus could heal their friend. They were so sure of this that they were willing to vandalise another person's property. How does that make you feel?
It raises a question for me. Could it be that you and I are so very careful not to cause anybody any offence ever, that we miss opportunities to bring people to Jesus? Would we smash somebody's roof up? Probably not. Would we even say something unfashionable that might help another person to accept that his life is a sinful one and he needs help? Do we tiptoe around what is now called Woke ideology for fear of giving offence, or fear of reprisals. It is a loving thing to tell a sinner that he is a sinner, and that Jesus forgives those who come to Him. It's a loving thing to proclaim that Jesus is the only way to God. We will cause some outrage, but it's a price worth paying to bring someone to Jesus, isn't it?
And another thought occurs to me, based on the fact that they couldn't get in through the front door and had to go up on the roof, and through the roof. Do we as church form the sort of crowd that they encountered when they arrived? Are we so tightly bound in our holy cluster around Jesus that nobody else can get in? I don't mean that our churches are so full that there's standing room only. I wish that were true, and it will be the next time God brings revival. But are we too busy dealing with our own issues; too occupied talking to our Christian friends; heaven forfend, too caught up in church politics; too lazy or too selfish to welcome strangers properly? Before and after a church meeting, do we seek out new people and make sure they feel welcome? Or do we talk to each other? During the week, when we're going about our normal lives, do we look out for opportunities to tell somebody about Jesus? Or do we keep it all to ourselves?
We should also consider that the Greek word translated as "faith" here, pistis, also means "faithfulness". The paralysed man's four friends had faith in Jesus, and they were also faithful friends. They didn't abandon him. They didn't give up. They did what he needed them to do. They overcame the difficulties that presented themselves.
Because of their faith and their faithfulness, these men brought their friend to Jesus, and he received forgiveness and healing. Will we do the same for our friends?