TEXT:
‘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. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you”’ (Mark 2:4-5).
Three of the gospel writers record the healing of the paralytic. In each account there is no mention of him having faith, rather it was the faith of those who brought him to Jesus. Sometimes sick people find it difficult to believe, especially when they have been in ill-health for a long time, and they focus on obstacles to healing rather than on God who can do the impossible. That fact alone doesn’t prevent them from ever being healed, as when believers are around who can bring them to Jesus, anything can happen!
When word got around that Jesus was back in Capernaum, faith sprang up in the hearts of some men who knew this sick man and they immediately set in motion a plan to get him to Jesus. Reading Mark’s account of this miracle, I noticed “When” occurs three times and these are the basis for Today’s Teaching.
1. When they could not come near Him v4
The crowds had beaten them to the door where Jesus was staying. After all it is much easier for one person to move forward through a crowd than for four carrying an invalid on a stretcher. The scribes and Pharisees had no such trouble. They just marched in, the crowd making way for their position and authority, but one needy person was the same as another, so no one was willing to give up their place for a man on a stretcher.
What do you do when you come up against a seemingly insurmountable obstacle? Those stretcher-bearers immediately thought, “There’s got to be another way!” Up to the roof they went carrying the stretcher. The audacity to break open a roof was proof that their faith would be rewarded and of their commitment to pay for the damage they caused.
Learn to think outside of the box. God’s ways are not our ways, neither are His thoughts our thoughts. When Zacchaeus couldn’t see Jesus, he climbed up into a tree, something he had probably not done since childhood, and it became the catalyst for a God-encounter. Faith can find a way when naturally it looks hopeless.
Many times, God uses the unusual to perform a miracle, doing it in a way nobody would ever think of. Don’t allow an obstacle to become a barrier, rather let it become the bridge to your miracle! Problems, people, and the devil can stop you from getting to Jesus, but if you are determined, you will succeed.
2. When they had broken through, they let down the bed v4
I would love to have seen the astonished faces looking up at the hole in the ceiling, seeing it getting large enough to lower a stretcher. Panic, thinking the building was about to collapse, replaced by amazement that anyone would do such a thing.
When faith breaks through, you can let down the burden you have been carrying at the feet of Jesus. That’s why Jesus said, ‘Come unto Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28)
In ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’, Christian was carrying a great weight on his back until faith broke through and he saw Jesus on the cross, then he could put it down. How do you know you have broken through? Peace replaces fear, anxiety and effort. You know you have got it, before it has even happened. When that happens, it ceases to be a burden. Then you can speak words of thanksgiving rather than fear.
3. When Jesus saw their faith v5
Whether they said anything is not known, but their actions proved to Jesus the genuineness of their faith. Jesus loves to see God’s gift of faith at work in our lives. Faith is always active, never passive. When Jesus saw their faith, He immediately responded. When God hears the prayer of faith, we’ve got it. Nothing can stop the divine response.
When the woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of Jesus’ garment, she did it as an act of faith and the moment she touched that robe, she received her healing. It was faith that enabled her to push through the crowds. Jesus commended her faith and said that was the reason for her healing, rather than His power. (See Mark 5:25-34).
When Jesus sees faith, His face lights up with joy. Yes, He saw the multitudes harassed and distressed; the widow grieving the loss of her only son; the woman bent double in the synagogue. He did and He still does today, but how pleased He is when He sees faith.
His frustration over lack of faith is clear. ‘O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you?’ (Mark 9:19). ‘When the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?’ (Luke 18:8). How sad when the world appears to have more faith in Jesus than His church!
The Bible records only two people being commended by Jesus for having great faith, the Centurion (Matthew 8:10) and the Syro-Phoenician woman (Matthew 15:28). Both were Gentiles. That should encourage us, being Gentiles also, that the faith God has given to everyone can turn into great faith that obtains what we are longing for and desperate to receive.
In Part 2 we shall study another Overcoming Faith miracle.
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