“Since they could not get him to Jesus through 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.” (Mark 2:4 NIV)
The friends of the paralyzed man went to great lengths to get their man in front of Jesus. They were unhindered by the usual culprits: crowds, manual labor, public opinion, Roman and religious surveillance.
These friends got creative and they got physical. Someone had a harebrained idea and together they took on the task, despite tremendous potential cost to each of them. The roof would have to be repaired or even replaced altogether. But in their minds, their friend’s condition was critical. He needed a miracle.
I read scripture and I get to wondering. How did these people become friends and how did this man come to be paralyzed? Is there a backstory there? Were they childhood friends who found trouble together, and one paid the ultimate price? Did his injury happen on their watch? And if it had, how much trust did this paralytic exert in allowing his friends to lower him through a hole in the roof into Jesus presence?
Whatever the history; Jesus altered the outcome. He rewarded persistence with forgiveness and healing.
Again, we are left wondering. Forgiveness for what? Did the paralytic have hard feelings against his friends? Against God? Was blame a part of his story? Honestly, it doesn’t matter because whatever it was, Jesus addressed it. He set the man free from all incapacitation. Jesus healed this man and I suspect the whole throng of friends were never the same after that moment. They probably paid their damages or repaired the roof and went home happy; healed of all shame and bonded in a brotherhood that could never be broken again. These men had sought God and found Him together. They surely never forgot their shared experience.
We see another truth here; God rewards those that earnestly seek Him. This principle is repeated throughout scripture. God is looking for those who are looking for Him! He’s hunting for the men and women who push though crowds, search scriptures, study the heavens and dig through rooftops. Such ardent desire is met with forgiveness, healing and purpose. We see it in the story of the paralytic and his friends, but I can also clearly identify it in my own ink-smeared journal. The more I seek after God, the more readily I find Him. If I stop looking, I miss Him altogether.
So that brings me to today’s questions: Are you a God-seeker? Are you searching Him out in the pages of your own story? Are you going out of your way to bring others before Him? Are you willing to get them there by any means possible?
We bring others physically; we invite them to church or Bible study, we share scriptures and experiences openly. But we also bring them spiritually. I think of Mister Rogers and his list. He would sit in the presence of the Lord each day and present his friends in prayer, remembering them before the Father with great persistence.
We bring our friends to Jesus physically like the paralytic on the roof but we bring them spiritually, speaking their names in personal prayer.
“The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.” (Psalm 14:2 NIV)
Lord, let us be seekers; men and women who live in pursuit of Your presence. Let us also be bringers; may we continually be putting people in front of You through prayer and attendance alike. We want to know You, experience Your transformation and walk in Your purposes. May we always follow hard after You. Amen.