One of my favorite things about the Bible is every time you read it you can learn something new. That happened to me today. I read the story about the paralyzed man who was lowered through a roof to be healed by Jesus. Just that short description of this story is fascinating. However, there is so much more to this already powerful story.
Jesus was often surrounded by large crows who wanted to hear His teachings and be healed by Him. This particular day was no different; Jesus was preaching the word in front of hundreds of people. A paralyzed man was being carried by four men. Because the room Jesus taught in was too crowded, the men decided to climb on a roof, cut a hole, and lower their friend in front of Jesus.
The paralyzed man had to trust his friends. I’m sure he was shocked when he was on top of a roof being lowered into a room to see Jesus face to face. Once he was there, Jesus performed two miracles. First, Jesus forgave the paralyzed man’s sins. Second, Jesus said “‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’ He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all” (Mark 2:11-12). Wow!
This view of the story is pretty incredible. A paralyzed man, who trusted his friends to bring him to Jesus, was healed because he was lowered through a roof. This is how I only used to view the story. Like I said before, there is more to learn from the story.
Let’s look at the four friends who carried their paralyzed friend. These men believed in the power of Jesus and they knew their friend had to see Him. These friends cared so much for the physical and spiritual health of the paralyzed man, they sacrificed time, energy, the price of the roof, strength, etc. The mat carriers couldn’t get to Jesus from the ground so they found an uncommon approach because they knew the impact Jesus could have on their friend’s life. They carried a full grown man for miles, cut through a roof with their hands, and believed in Jesus. We see that no effort or cost was too great for these men; they wanted their friend to meet Jesus.
None of the miracles would have happened if the mat carriers didn’t believe in Jesus’ power or sacrifice their own personal time. These simple mat carriers teach us that Jesus is worth any trail, inconvenience, cost, etc. if it means people coming to Jesus. Their actions that brought their friend to Jesus were based on their belief and picture of Jesus. If Jesus was insignificant or unworthy in their minds, the paralyzed man would have never been healed and we would have never seen a clear picture of sacrifice. They saw Jesus as a healer, redeemer, and restorer. Because they firmly believed these names of Jesus, their friend was able to personally experience these names. Four men who carried a mat saw two of the most amazing miracles because their view of Jesus was true.
How we view Jesus impacts how we live our lives.
Confession: Throughout high school and even some of college, I would cringe when my friends would want to sit down and have conversations about how we can ‘carry each other’s mats’ or what we have been learning in our own personal quiet times. This was partially because I valued my own life above what God had for me. I looked to my own ability or desires over what God wanted. Sacrifice was probably not even in my vocabulary. As I grew deeper in my relationship with Jesus and learned more about His character, I began to value these deeper conversations and found myself desiring ways to ‘carry people’s mats.’ Now, I find myself pushing for the discussions I used to reject.
How we view Jesus impacts how we live our lives.
Be a friend to the ‘paralyzed’ people in your life. Be willing to carry their mats and bring them to Jesus. If you’re totally against the idea, look in your heart and see what distractions, beliefs, or your own views of Jesus may be blocking your hands from grabbing the mat.
Some days we pick ourselves over others, but when our view of God aligns with the Word, we begin to find ourselves more willing and looking for opportunities to help people carry their mats to Jesus. When we learn more about Jesus and His character, we begin to pick up mats and crave Him even more. Then, people will be amazed, turn to God, and praise Him (Mark 2:12).
The Joyful Journey 