2 And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. 3And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. 4 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. 5And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
This story is found in Mark 2:1−5, in a crowded home in Capernaum. Jesus gained popularity after teaching and healing people throughout Galilee (and in Capernaum), as found in Mark 1. Crowds started following Him wherever He went, and in the story, Jesus is teaching in a crowded home, and four men were dedicated to getting their paralysed friend to Jesus. Pushing through a crowd is difficult enough on its own, but imagine having to carry a paralysed person, on a mat, through a crowd. And it is not carrying him to the front door; they had to get on the roof, dig through it, and lower him through the hole to get him to Jesus. All of this is a wonderful display of both dedication and the support of the people in your life, those who are willing to carry your ‘mat’ so you can reach Jesus.
Another thing I want to highlight from the story is their faith. Along with their dedication to get their paralysed friend to Jesus, they had the belief that he would walk out of the room on his own two feet. And that is exactly what he did by the end of this story! What makes this so significant? Well, it was one thing to overcome the obstacles of the large crowd, the roof, and lowering him, but bringing him back up again and pushing through that same crowd? That would have been another challenge. But in the story, Jesus saw their faith; the faith of the friends and the paralysed man as well. It was not passive, but determined and persistent despite obstacles.
Mark 2:1−5 serves as a great reminder of persistent faith in the midst of obstacles. Life is full of varying seasons, and not all of them are going to always feel like smooth sailing. Some might feel like you are caught in a storm, delayed by obstacles that seem impossible to overcome. So what should we do when it feels like there are mountains, or in this case, a crowd and a roof, before us?
We have all heard the popular saying, “Where there is a will, there is a way.” It was one of those things I would always throw around whenever I was faced with difficulty, but there is a fatal flaw with it; it is based on our own determination and willpower to overcome an obstacle or achieve a goal. Now, there is nothing wrong with being determined, nor having willpower, but the issue comes in when we think it is by our own strength that we are able to overcome obstacles. It is by the strength of Christ that we can overcome whatever life throws at us, because through Him, we can do anything (Philippians 4:13). So, whenever you face obstacles that seem impossible to overcome, let this be a faith-filled reminder: “where there is faith, He provides the Way.”
There is no need to rely on our own strength, nor pretend or ‘fake it until you make it.’ There is only ‘faithing’ forward, even if it means stumbling, falling, and getting back up again. He is always there to give us the strength we need to get back up again and overcome.
I have read this story so many times before and always focused on the faith of the paralysed man. I never really considered the faith of the friends who carried him. What a beautiful reminder that when God gives a faith-based direction or plan, that is enough — we do not always need a plan B. Thank you for sharing this perspective.
It is always beneficial to our own faith to get a different perspective on a well known story. I am so grateful for every chance I have of understanding the Scriptures better. Thank you very much. Very precious.