EXTREME FRIENDSHIP

Text: Mark 2:1-12

The Story

What do you think of when you hear the name Christopher Reeve? Some of us think of the actor who played the part of Superman in the movies by that name—the hero who was “faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound.” Others may remember Reeve as the man who suffered a spinal injury in 1995 when he was pitched off his horse. Despite being paralyzed and confined to a motorized wheelchair, Reeve was more a hero in the wheelchair than when playing the part of Superman. He championed spinal injury research until his death in 2004.

The paralyzed man in today’s story from the gospel of Mark was like Christopher Reeve in that he too dreamed of walking. Max Lucado, in his book He Still Moves Stones, gives us a possible scenario.
Jesus met an invalid. The man couldn’t walk. He couldn’t stand. His limbs were bent and his body twisted. A waist-high world walked past as he sat and watched. Perhaps he was palsied, his body ridden with disease since birth. While other children had jumped and run, he had labored to bring a spoon to his mouth. As his brothers and sisters spoke and sang, his words slurred and slipped. Maybe he had never known what it was to be whole. Or maybe he had known. Maybe he had once been healthy. Was there a time when he was known for his ability, not his disability? Was there an era where he could outrun anyone? Was there a time when he was the strongest in the shop? . . .  Then came the fall—a tumble down a canyon, perhaps a stumble down some stairs. The pain in his skull was unbearable, but the numbness in his arms and legs was far worse. His feet hung like ornaments on the ends of his legs. His hands dangled like empty sleeves from his sides. He could see his limbs, but he couldn’t feel them (p.117).
Imagine the rest of the scene: Jesus had been in the paralyzed man’s town of Capernaum a few days ago, and there was still a buzz in the neighborhood. Some of the man’s friends had even been healed. Lame people were walking and the blind could see! He heard that the lineup in front of Peter’s house stretched for blocks as people waited to get in on the miracle worker’s power. And now Jesus was back in town and staying at Simon Peter’s place. News of the second visit prompted four of his very best friends to knock at his door and say, “We’re taking you to Jesus!” Before he knew it, they were slipping poles through the hem of his mat, and, with a friend on each corner, away they went! They bumped their way through the crowded Capernaum streets, turned a corner toward Peter’s house and stopped in shock. The crowd was even bigger than during Jesus’ last visit. People were everywhere. The courtyard was filled and dozens of people stared into the windows of the house.

The four men carefully laid their friend down and considered the options. Going back was out of the question. Then almost simultaneously they thought of a way. One of the four said, “Let’s get him up on the roof,” while another pushed his way through the crowd and peered through the window to locate Jesus. Gingerly they maneuvered the stretcher through the throng and up the narrow steps to the top of the flat roof. If the crowd was an obstacle, the 24-inch thick roof was another. But when you have friends who love you like these four, nothing is impossible.

Luke tells us that the roof was topped with tiles (Luke 5:19). Scholars describe a first-century Palestinian roof as having timbers, branches, and at least a foot of packed earth. What could they do? They each broke off a tile and made it their digging tool, and they feverishly dug away. Down below was the crowd of critics and the curious and the recently healed. Suddenly, debris rained down around them. Jesus stopped speaking and joined the rest of the room in looking up. A 3’ x 6’ opening was now letting in a stream of sunlight. Some in the crowd were annoyed, the Pharisees were grumbling, and Peter’s wife was wondering how much it would cost to fix the roof! But Jesus was smiling. These men had come to Him at great risk! The friends had tied their robe sashes to the poles and were carefully lowering the paralytic to the very feet of Jesus.

Mark 2:5 records Jesus’ first words at the sight: “Son, your sins are forgiven.” His words were surprising, because the man obviously needed to walk; he needed new legs! Why would He talk about sin when confronted with a paraplegic on a mat? Why? Because forgiveness of sin is our greatest need and the best gift Jesus can give. The scribes were incensed at Jesus’ statement, because only God is entrusted with the authority to forgive sin. Jesus knew what they were thinking and so asked the big question of the day: “Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?” (v.9).

I love the way Max Lucado responds to the question of Jesus. “You answer the question. Which is easier for Jesus? To forgive a soul or heal a body? Which caused Jesus less pain—providing this man with health or providing this man with heaven? To heal the man’s body took a simple command; to forgive the man’s sins took Jesus’ blood. The first was done in the house of friends; the second on a hill with thieves. One took a word; the other his body. One took a moment; the other took his life. Which was easier? So strong was his love for this crew of faith that he went beyond their appeal and went straight to the cross” (He Still Moves Stones, p.120). Jesus responded by doing both—He forgave the man’s sin and healed his legs. Picture the man then struggling to his feet and trying out his legs while his friends stared down with amazement through the hole in the roof. They quickly scrambled down those stairs in record time as their friend met them outside the door. The men shouted for joy as all five danced home. Meanwhile, the crowd in amazement said, “We never saw anything like this!” (Mark 2:12).

Insights from the Story

1.      Remember to thank the friends who brought you to Jesus. There were four who brought this man—his stretcher-bearers. And Jesus reminds us that it is a good thing to give thanks. In the story of the 10 lepers (Luke 17:11-19), only one returned to say thanks to Jesus for His healing. And he was a Samaritan—a foreigner. I wonder if Simon Peter ever personally thanked his brother, Andrew, for bringing him to Jesus? (John 1:41). And what about the relatives of Cornelius (Acts 10) and household of Lydia (16:13-15)—did they say thanks?

I’m thankful for my four friends on the “corners of my stretcher”: my grandmother who prayed for my conversion, my dad who urged me to make a public confession of Christ as Savior, a pastor who preached the gospel in my home church for 25 years, and a teacher who planted the seeds of the gospel. My regret is that they are all in heaven and I did not personally thank them. I hope to seek them out when I arrive in my heavenly home!

2.      Recognize that there will always be critics. “And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ‘Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?” (Mark 2:7).

Wherever the message of the forgiveness of sin is shared and miracles are experienced, the critics will be busy. Skeptics will continue to express their doubts about the reality of the cross and some will be critical of the methods used today to bring people to Jesus. Our answer is Paul’s answer to his critics: “But none of these things move me” (Acts 20:24).

3.      Risk takers for God please Him. “And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying” (Mark 2:4). These friends took a big risk to get their friend into the presence of Jesus. Would they be punished for tearing up the roof? Would they anger the crowd? Would Jesus mind the interruption? Risk takers face troubling issues in decisive moments. Hebrews 11 is our encouragement to take a risk!

• Noah built an ark in spite of the ridicule of mockers.
• Abraham left the comfort of home and obeyed God by traveling to a land he had never seen.
• The mother of Moses defied Pharaoh and hid her baby in the bulrushes of the Nile.

The list of risk takers goes on and on. But here is our challenge: Who is on our heart to bring to Jesus? What kind of intentional action steps will we take to make it happen? Will we resolve today to be a risk taker?

One Response to “EXTREME FRIENDSHIP”

1. debishort says:

   January 29, 2010 at 10:38 am

   This is a well done re-telling of this story that can be confusing… I appreciated the perspective on how “hard’ it was for Jesus to forgive the man’s sins… I’ve never gotten that before. You fleshed it out beautifully. Thank you!