“One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”” Luke 5:17-20 / Mark 2:1-5
The paralyzed man was desperate for his healing. He was fed up with his condition, so he allowed men to carry him to Jesus and this desperate man and his helpers approached Jesus by force.
“The Law and the Prophets were proclaimed until John. Since that time, the good news of the kingdom of God is being preached, and everyone is forcing their way into it.” Luke 16:16 / Matthew 11:12.
Therefore, they broke the protocol for the man’s healing and miracle. They broke the roof. However, Jesus was not upset. The people in the room saw a damaged roof but the Lord Jesus saw their faith–not the roof. That was more interesting to Jesus. The men’s faith is what caught His attention.
There are several things that we can walk away from about this.
Don’t suffer alone or in silence. Do ask others to help you ‘get to Jesus’.
Don’t allow obstacles, including people or even a broken roof, stop you from exercising your faith. What God sees in your life is different from what others see. The multitude may have seen a large crowd and a broken roof, but Jesus saw their faith. Proclaim what you hope for through intentional and zealous action–let the Lord see your faith.
And note, whatever damage your lack of faith may have caused, the grace of God will cover it. God can get you out of the damage.
“The hand of God is a hand of rescue.” Exodus 7:3-4
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” Romans 8:28
Activate the hand of God and the power of God by your faith. The Lord is waiting to see our faith-moves.
“Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.” James 2:21-22
REFLECTION
What can happen in your life if Jesus saw your roof-breaking faith?
ACTION ITEMS
- What are two things that you can do this week that will show Jesus your faith?
- Do those two things OR take steps towards those things within the next 7 days.
Rise and Shine Bright.