So many times in my journey with Jesus I have had a friend that needed to get to Jesus but would not get there on there own. There have been times that I wanted to get frustrated that they are stuck and seem to just be a victim. Other times I want freedom for them more than they do and end up frustrated. Then I have friends who are pursuing freedom and take 6 months of strides forward and the one week backwards is more than the 6 months forward. Have you ever felt stuck in your friendships seeing the freedom available for them and they are not walking in it? That is how these four friends felt and here is what they did…
Mark 2:1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.
The refused to be denied. Could you imagine the response of the homeowner when he found a new skylight in his roof? The audacity for these four friends to damage someone’s property. What would you do for your friend? Would you stop at the crowd, or the fact Jesus was preaching, or how hard it would be to get a paralyzed friend on the roof? These friends found a way to get their friend to Jesus.
5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”
Notice it says seeing “their faith.” This is the faith of the four not the paralyzed friend that led Jesus to forgive the sin of the one who’s faith is not represented.
6 But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves,7 “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”
8 Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? 9 Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? 10 So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, 11 “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”
12 And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!”
This miracle happens because 4 friends had audacious, crazy, reckless faith to do the unthinkable, because the consequences of their friend not meeting Jesus was greater than the price of the roof, offending the crowd, or annoying Jesus. What is the miracle God wants to do in your friends life? What if while you are waiting on God, God is actually waiting for your faith to be activated and risk greatly for your friends freedom? Go today in faith and risk greatly for your friends freedom!
Recklessly, Obsessively Following Jesus
Brandon Sereg
