A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:1-5 (NIV)
Dear Friends,
Imagine yourself sitting in a Bible study. The teacher is offering a spell-binding explanation of a section of Scripture. Suddenly, you notice material falling from the ceiling. A small hole opens, then gets larger until you see several men peering down at you through the hole. The hole gets even larger and you see a man being lowered on a mat. What do you think would be going through your mind?
Perhaps you would just wonder what those guys are up to. Maybe you’d be upset that your study was being interrupted. If you were the home owner, you might rightly ask, “Who’s gonna repair my roof?
The four men in the above story from Mark didn’t really give any thought to the consequences of their action. They had a “roof-ripping” relationship that motivated them to do whatever was required to help their friend.
I was discussing this Scripture with my friend Rand. He suggested that there is a question we might want to think about: “Who would be the four friends who would take such an extreme measure to help you?”
A corollary question would be, “Whom would you be willing to rip through a roof
to help?
Which leads to another question: Just how far, as Christians, must we go to live Jesus’ command to “Do to others as you would have them do unto you.” Luke 6:31? In this Scripture, Jesus set a high bar when it comes to loving the unloved. The bar must be even higher when it comes to how we relate to friends.
We find a formula for Christian relationships in Colossians, which reads in part: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.
Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful… And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Colossians 3:12-15,17
There will be times when friends may want you to tear through a metaphorical roof for them, when all you are capable of is praying the Lord will send someone who is better able to help. There will be other times when their demands are unreasonable or cross boundaries where you’re only response can be an unequivocal “no.”
Then there are the times when you will want to “tear the house down” for someone when all they really need is for you to understand the chaos in which they live. Whatever the situation, the best first-step is to be still and pray that God, acting through the Holy Spirit, will lead you to know and to do His will.
In Proverbs 18:24 we read, “There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” This kind of friendship is a special gift from God, and if you have such a friend, you should cherish them. Our prayer would be that God would help each of us to have and to be that kind of friend.
Verse for the Week: Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Galatians 6:9
Blessings,
Your Friends in Christ
Because He Loves Us Press 