Mark 2:3-5
“And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.”
Faith is a very powerful tool. The Bible says that “all things are possible to him that believeth,” (Mark 9:23). So many times when our faith is tried we simply feel defeated and give up. There is victory to be won when we place our faith in Jesus (I John 4:4). Let’s take a look at what a little faith produced for the lame man sick with the palsy in Mark chapter 2.
The first thing we see is that where there is faith there is noise. The bible says that it was noised that Jesus was in the house. Wow, that really caught my attention as I looked at that verse. When something great is going on or someone great is around, the whole town is abuzz with the news. People knew that Jesus could perform miracles and because they believed it, they were talking about it. What do you believe Jesus can do? Do you really believe it? If so, then surely you must be talking about it.
The second thing we see in this passage is that there is value in friendship, true Godly friendship. This man, on his own, could not make it to the place where Jesus was teaching. He had to have help. Not only did this man have faith enough to believe that if he could get to Jesus he would receive a miracle, his friends had faith, too. Wow, look at the truth contained in that revelation. Godly friends can produce Godly blessings in your life. In fact, what we see here is the faith of the friends literally carried the man through to seeing Jesus. What kind of friends do you have around you? What kind of friend are you?
Let’s talk further about the faith of the friends. Their faith was so strong that it created persistence within them. If you notice, the scripture says that there were so many people gathered that there wasn’t any room for the man with the palsy to get into the house, not even into the doorway. But that did not stop his Godly friends who were full of faith. No, they didn’t say “sorry, pal, maybe next time.” What did they do? They determined in their heart they were going to get their friend to Jesus. Why? They knew, not just thought, but knew, that if they could get their friend to Jesus that his needs would be met and he would be made whole. Nothing was going to stand in their way of getting their friend to Jesus because their faith was so strong that they knew Jesus was the answer. Do you know that Jesus is the answer for whatever is wrong in your life? They surely did.
Upon further examination, you see that their faith was not only strong and determined but was a faith that could be put to action. They were willing to act upon their faith. They weren’t afraid to roll up their sleeves and get involved in the work of the Lord. They weren’t just waiting for a miracle. They were going to go to where the miracle was and be part of the blessing. They inconvenienced themselves, put themselves in danger and climbed the roof, created a way and then lowered their friend into the house where Jesus was. Are you willing to be involved in the work of the Lord? Are you watching for opportunity while you wait for God to move?
The man sick with the palsy could not get himself to Jesus but His friends could and they did. Who do you know that needs you to bring them to Jesus? What are you willing to do to get your friends to Jesus?
Now let’s look at the absolute power of faith. In faith believing, nothing wavering, the friends took the man sick with the palsy to Jesus. They got him to Jesus and Jesus did the rest. He not only healed him of the palsy, but He made him whole. He met the greatest need of his life. Jesus saved his soul. They went for healing and got so much more. That is how it is with Jesus. He will always give us way more than we ask and so much more than we deserve. Perhaps it is time we all had a faith checkup.