The Four Friends.

“And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home.  And may where gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door.  And he was preaching the Word to them.  And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.  And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay…”  Mark 2:1-4

“On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem.  And the power of the Lord was with him to heal.  And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus…”  Luke 5:17-20

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I’m finding this story with fresh eyes.  With eyes that place people in the places, names on the faces.  And burning in my heart.  The kind of crushing, mama-bear ferociousness that drives me to think of the four men, the friends, and walk parallel with them.  As one of them.  Bringing my paralyzed friends to Jesus.

Their pushing, their prodding, their angry and ignited souls breaking open molded earth, baked bricks, layered clay to bring their friend to Jesus.  Their passionate pursuit of him, insane faith, crazy conviction literally leading them to look as fools, to chink away, to be embarrassed for the sake of this lame man, for the sake of Jesus.

Four gritty men.  And one feeble man.  But five fervent men.

The story, the unfolding, does require noting and knowing the Pharisees and ‘teachers of the law’.  Those who are trained and religious and stout and possibly pious, and yet learning.  Those who came to gather, to be near him, but did not understand nor apply the fullness of him in in their spaces, their places, their homes, or their hearts.  Who learnt and studied, yet questioned and thus miss the whole passion.  The whole Creator of the Creation before them.  Who could articulate, teach, and recite all of Scriptures, yet push aside the idea of flaming faith, passionate pursuit, and glorifying God in awe and worship.  Good people, intellectual people, well-read people.  

But not the people who astounded the God-Man.  Not the people who received the absolute absurdity of incredible healing.  

No, the people who caught Jesus’ eye and attention and therefore received his freedom and grace were the four friends, and their broken friend, the paralytic.

These are the ones of whom Scripture writes:

“And when Jesus saw their faith…”  Mark 2:5

He didn’t hear it.  He didn’t read it.  He didn’t learn it.  He didn’t program it.  He didn’t schedule it.  He SAW it.

He saw these four dusty men, lugging away with shoulders swinging, hammers banging,and sweat rolling down their faces.  All to chunk away at the tiles and red clay.  All to bring their friend to Jesus.

Four, likely vagabonds, doing all in their earnest, to carry their hearts and their friend, to plead for the presence of Jesus.

This is the way our hearts should bleed for Jesus.  Should claw for him.  Should carry our friends to him.

The paralytic lays there, broken and disheveled, cast off by all institutions, but embedded in the life of these friends.  For the time of his paralysis is unknown, yet may be assumed somewhat recent as these friendships were tied so significantly in a time when needy were outcast from the rest.  

So five men pushed and shoved, popped up and crawled down, rubbed raw hands against rope and wood, to get into the house, past the learned and the pious, to get to Jesus.

But the performers of the church, the knowledgable of the original way, the elite of the society, stood in the way.  Side-glancing and huddling closer.  Stifling the spaces and shushing the onlookers.  Leaning  in to learn.

Yet the friends faith would not be kindled down.  Their burning and longing not pushed aside.  Their perseverance not delayed.  

Tenacious in their actions, strengthened and not swayed. Chiseling and whacking and persisting. To climb the roof, to wear the red clay, to drag and heave their faith-filled friend.  

Shocked and angry, the Leaders of the Law gasped.  Judged.  Remarked.  Questioned. Frowned.

But these four, five, friends of fierce faith, knew the one they chased. With acute determination and severe will, they set a mission: to get to Jesus.  To see their Savior heal.

These are the friends I long to be.  The ones who let nothing stand in their way.  To bring their friend to Jesus.

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Note, the end of the story, after the questioning, the unbelief, the anger…  That the healing brought this reaction:

“And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God.  And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, “We have seen extraordinary things today.” Luke 5:25-26

The ending Truth is something all can rejoice in.  That after the condemnation, the crazy, the chaos, when the salvation and the healing, and the awesome of miracle took place, NOT ONE could hold back from glorifying God.  NOT ONE could keep silent from exclaiming the awesomeness of God. God is in still in the work of redeeming, God is still in the work of bringing awe, God is still in the work of offering faith and believe to ALL who will believe and receive - poor, dirty, Pharisee, teacher, and lame alike.  Now that is the power of the gospel!

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As a post-blog note, something here needs to be said on behalf of a few of my “paralytic friends”.  Because I want to find a way to keep beating down the doors, the rooftop for them.  Two friends in particular.  Both of great faith, both of such belief.  But how to get them to Jesus, to have them open to his healing, or get the “religiosity” out of their way…  One, to bring healing of body as well as mind, then to weave it into soul.  The other to bring life back to worship, to block out the mind, but give strength to the freedom and joy of the soul.  Holy Spirit, God my Father, Almighty Savior, let me be the friend who keeps pushing against pious, or intellect twisted into belief, or lies burdened on faith, and bring my friends into the presence of Jesus.