Jump Start # 1013

Mark 2:3-4 “And they came bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Being unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and when they had dug an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralytic was lying.”

  I am teaching a class on Sundays about Jesus. It’s entitled “Ten Portraits of Jesus from Mark.” It’s not so much a study of Mark as it is a look at how Mark shows us Jesus. Our verse today is what we’ll be looking at this Sunday. Love that passage. Love the detail and energy that Mark fills his Gospel with. This is a great story, one of my favorites. It is so vivid and well described that we all can see it.

The Setting: the house is packed. People are everywhere, nearly out the door. Jesus is inside teaching. Word about this young miracle worker spread. People want to see. The reports aren’t far fetched and unbelievable. Neither are they few. Many had been healed. Blind, lame, lepers, demon possessed—it seems there was nothing Jesus could not do. Village after village had the same stories. Now Jesus was in Capernaum. A huge crowd swells to see. Jesus wasn’t doing magic tricks. He wasn’t showing off. He was changing lives. He was doing things with visible results. It is interesting that the majority of miracles involved outward results. You can tell if the blind can see. You can tell if the deaf can hear. You can see if leprosy has been removed. You can see if the crippled can walk. Other than Peter’s mother-in-law, who had a fever, we don’t read of many internal diseases, such as cancer, heart disease being healed. Those would be hard to verify. The miracles were more than making a person well, they pointed to Jesus. The people had to see the results to see Jesus.

A crippled man has four friends. They hear about Jesus. They bring him to be healed. They can’t get in. The crowd is too large. No one makes room for them. Defeated, most of us would go home. Most would say, ’We tried, but we couldn’t get in. Maybe next week, we’ll try again.” Not these four. They were not going home the way they came. Up to the roof. Back then, most roofs were flat and even had a stairway leading up to the top. When it was hot, people would sit on the roof for a breeze. The roofs were covered with tile and easily to make an opening. You can see the dust and debris that fell on the crowd as they lifted the tiles. Soon an opening. Soon a hole. Four faces looking downward as a crowd looks upward. Soon a huge hole. They spot Jesus. They lower the crippled man down. No words are said. They work hard. They want Jesus to see their friend and heal him.

There is much more to this story. I must save some for my class. A great scene follows.

I want to consider the four friends. Their names are not given, it’s not important to the story. What they did was impressive. What they did is leave us with two powerful lessons.

  First, do you have a friend that wants you to see Jesus? These men were after a cure, they left with forgiveness and salvation. Maybe you are reading these Jump Starts because a family member or a friend shared these with you. They love you and realize that Jesus has something for you. Jesus can make your life better. I don’t know who pushed in this story. Was it the crippled man who begged his friends to take him or was it the four friends who convinced the crippled man that he was going? There was a desire to see Jesus. Sometimes we resist. Sometimes we see this as an intrusion. Sometimes we don’t see why we need Jesus. I’m thankful for parents who talk to their kids about the Lord. I’m thankful for parents who never give up. They are persistent. It can seem annoying if you are on the receiving end of these things, but they have faith and hope. I wonder what went through the crippled man’s mind as he was carted through town, lifted up to the roof and then lowered before Jesus. There was probably an embarrassment factor. There was probably a fear factor. There was probably a moment of discouragement when he thought the crowd was too large and Jesus was too busy. The four friends persisted.

You may have a friend like that. They are always inviting you to read this or listen to that. They invite you to church services and they are eager to talk with you about the Bible. It may bother you some, but see the love that they have for you. Like these four friends, they want you to experience what they found in Jesus.

Second, are you a friend to someone like these four were? You know someone who is very dear and special to you but they don’t know Jesus. How hard have you tried to show them Jesus? Have you carried them through town on a mat? Have you taken them up to the roof top? Have you lowered them through an opening you made? These four friends did a lot for their friend. Sometimes we may invite someone to church services and they say, “No,” and we are through. We tried and they said “No.” These four friends wouldn’t let a crowd, a roof or an inconvenience stop them. They found other ways. If the door doesn’t work, we’ll try the roof. If an invitation doesn’t work, try something else. The persistence of these four made the story. Without these four, the crippled man would have remained at home in his bed. He needed them. They couldn’t fix him. They couldn’t help him, but they knew who could.

Imagine having that determination with your friend who doesn’t know Jesus. Stick with it. Try the roof. Do other things.

The story ends with the crippled man walking out the door, not the going back up the roof. I wonder how many in the crowd saw this and thought, “I should have brought my friend.” These four did. That made the difference.

Sin cripples us. It keeps us from being the person that we are capable of being. Sin wounds and hurts. Sin destroys. The solution is more than just stopping sin, it is finding Jesus. It is getting cured through Jesus. It is grace and forgiveness. It is hope and acceptance.

I often wish the Gospels would show us what happened later on. I wish they could follow these powerful stories. I would love to see the four friends with their now healed crippled friend at a table having a meal. I can see the crippled man rubbing and rubbing his legs, his eyes as big as saucers with amazement. Hugs, tears, laughter and growing faith bouncing around that room. What happened cemented these five together for the rest of their lives. What a great story. What a great Savior.

Maybe you have someone that is crippled with grief. Maybe it is an addiction. Maybe it is fear. Maybe it is loneliness. Show them that you are a friend. Let them know that they can count upon you. Take them to Jesus in a prayer. Invite them to services, again. Share Jump Starts with them. Have lunch with them. Spend an afternoon with them. Don’t let their crippling nature be permanent. The crippled man in our story needed his four friends. Your friend needs you. Do what you can. Do the unbelievable.

Four friends—Wow!

Roger