Early in the second chapter of the book of Mark, there is a great story of a man who was paralyzed and was brought to Jesus to be healed. Four of the man's friends have carried him to where Jesus is, only to find that there is no way to get to Jesus. The four men climb to the roof, carrying their friend, and proceed to dismantle the roof and lower the paralytic through so he is in front of Jesus. Jesus forgives the man's sins and then, to prove that He has that authority, he heals the man physically.
I have read this story throughout my life and it is one of the ones that is often learned in Sunday School as a small child. This last week I saw something in the story that had never come to my attention before.
In order for these men to come to the point of carrying their friend to the Lord, something had to spark the idea. They didn't just wake up and find themselves hauling a lame man on a bed to a random location to see a man they didn't know for an unspecified reason. There was some communication that took place that brought these men to the place they were.
Two thoughts...
One, if the lame man suggested to his friends that they take him to Jesus, it took great humility on his part to ask for help. He had to admit that he didn't have what it took to get where he needed to be in order to be made whole. We don't like to be in that place of discovering that we don't have the strength, control, ability, whatever, to do what we need to do. It is difficult to humble ourselves and ask for friends to carry us to Jesus.
Two, if the lame man's friends approached him about taking him to Jesus, there was great love in their suggestion. They saw their friend in a place of need and offered to take him to a place where he could be made whole. They didn't just talk about taking him, there was action. They loved him enough to give their time and their efforts to carry him to Jesus, overcoming obstacles in the process.
At some point in our life, we will find ourselves in one of these two roles. Sometimes, we will be weak and need to ask others to carry us. The hard part is to let others do for us what we cannot do for ourselves. Other times will find us full of strength and faith and we need to love people enough to truly pray and give of what we have to serve them.
Where are you now? If you're paralyzed, let others know that you need them. Let them know that you cannot move yourself and they need to carry you a bit. Be humble and allow them to do the work for you that you cannot do.
If you are strong, ask your friends what they need. Love them enough to offer your strength and pray alongside them. If there are practical, tangible things you can do, go there as well.
Peace.
