Mark 2 - What Kind of Friend am I?

“1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." Later on in the chapter, Jesus healed him as well.

Notice what was said, it was the faith of the friends that helped the paralytic. They knew that Jesus could heal their friend. They knew that their friend could not reach Jesus on his own. They knew they had to get him to Jesus, so they went through extraordinary lengths to get their friend to Jesus. Do we do the same?

How many people do we know out there hurting and suffering with no hope? They’re facing financial, emotional, physical, and most importantly, spiritual problems, with no hope in sight. We are called by our Gracious God to reach out to our friends, go through any means necessary to get them to Jesus so He can forgive them of their sins and heal them. Even if they don’t see or understand, they don’t know the need for Jesus, we can go to the Father on their behalf and pray for them. Pray to open their eyes, pray that the Holy Spirit will work on them to see the truth of Jesus Christ, pray for their overall healing; for God will hear our prayers and make a way for us to help our friends; after all, it was the faith of the friends that prompted Jesus to heal the paralytic. What kind of friends are we?