A Friend’s Need (Mark 2:1-12)

Mark 2:1-11

^2:1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. ² They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. ³ Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. ⁴ Since they could not get him to Jesus because of 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. ⁵ When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this fellow talk like that? He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?”

⁸ Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, “Why are you thinking these things? ⁹ Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? ¹⁰ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, ¹¹ “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” ¹² He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, “We have never seen anything like this!”

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What is striking in the account of the paralyzed man is the dedication of his friends.  They were intent on getting their friend to Jesus and let nothing get in their way, even if it meant putting a hole in someone’s roof.  They were prompted no doubt by their love for their friend.  But they were also moved by their faith in Jesus.  Mark tells us that Jesus saw their faith and responded by forgiving their friend and curing him of his paralysis.

How far would I go to introduce a friend to Jesus?  Is my love for my friend like the love of the friends in this account?  Is my faith in Jesus such that it would lead me to take such efforts to bring my friend to Jesus?  I may not need to dig a hole in someone’s roof, but am I taking advantage of opportunities to witness and to share Christ?

Lord Jesus, empower me to be a friend like the men in this account, seeking to do what it takes to bring people to You.

What is the Word leading you to pray about today?

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