The Faith of Friends

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. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” ESV Mark 2:3-5

A friend stopped by my office the other afternoon and shared this verse with me. As we visited, we began to marvel at the ‘faith in action’ that these guys exemplified. Don’t you think it paints a beautiful picture of Christianity at work?

Everywhere Jesus visited, people we living in sin; yet he didn’t say to everyone “your sins are forgiven.” Everywhere Jesus visited, people were sick; yet he didn’t heal everyone. Everywhere Jesus visited, people were enduring hardships; yet he didn’t remove all suffering. But if you’ll read this entire passage, you’ll see that this encounter resulted in both forgiveness and healing by the grace of Jesus Christ. Why?

Well, while being careful not to drift from the text and not pretending to know the mind or purposes of God, let me suggest two things. First, the text tells us plainly that Jesus was moved by “their faith;” which certainly could mean that Jesus was moved by the faith of the paralytic and the faith of his friends. Secondly, and less obvious, I note the persistency in which they sought Jesus. Great crowd’s had gathered around Jesus making it difficult to approach him hauling a paralytic around on a cot. But did they turn around and go home? Nope. Instead, they removed a section of the roof and lowered their friend down. Picture that in your mind for a moment—hauling their paralytic friend onto the roof, physically removing roof tiles, wedging their friend through the hole and lowering him down to Jesus—and you’ll see a picture of what persistency looks like.

But practically, what does that mean to us today? How might we live out that same kind of faith with persistency? As my friend and I talked, three answers gelled in my mind. First, as Christians, we should most certainly care about the physical and spiritual well being of those around us. Secondly, we have been given the privilege and liberty of approaching Christ directly in prayer and making our needs known. So, prayer on behalf of friends is one of the physical acts of faith we can perform. And finally, in addition to caring and praying, we can become involved in the lives of those around us. We can build relationships.

Yes, I know that relationships are sometimes difficult and messy, but personal relationships are also a way or means of bringing folks to the saving and healing found only in the grace of Christ Jesus. So, my prayer for you is that your faith may prove to be a means of grace to your friends this week. God bless.

Ken Askew