Dave spoke this morning from Mk 2:1-12, which tells us more about Jesus’ amazing ministry to people. He had already driven out evil spirits from a man in the synagogue at Capernaum, He had healed Peter’s mother-in-law of a fever, and He had made a man with leprosy whole again. When Jesus met these needs, He was doing more than healing physical hurts; He was restoring wholeness to the lives of people and giving back to them an opportunity to live a normal life. Word spread all around about His great power to perform miracles and about His preaching. So when He returned to Capernaum, everyone knew it. They rushed to the home He was staying in to hear and see this man. The people crowded to Him. They filled the small house, and they gathered around the doors and windows until there was no more room.
The friends of a man desperately in need of healing were not put off by this, however, using the roof as a means of getting the paralysed man to Jesus. Jesus, seeing their faith, surprised everyone by initially talking about sins forgiven, which He then went on to demonstrate through physical healing. All must have been amazed and stunned by this miracle, and we can take great comfort from the fact that Jesus is still in the business of forgiving sins and healing our infirmities. So often, we judge or condemn people for their conditions (like the scribes and the Pharisees), but what we really need are good friends who will bring us to Jesus, who will see beyond our conditions to love us as God does.
The man himself was helpless to help himself, but he placed his faith in Jesus. He braved the humiliation of the crowd. He gave up any pride that was left and allowed his friends to carry him to Jesus.
His friends were faithful, determined, ingenious and flexible enough not to be put off by adverse circumstances. We need to be friends like that, for the world is full of people who are desperate and in need of the unconditional love and help of Jesus.