Jesus is Essential
Mark 2:3–4: Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.
They really loved him, did they not? They would not be put off by the crowd. They even “vandalized” another’s property to achieve their end. They ignored the protests and judgments of those around them for the sake of their friend. Perhaps he was “family”—a beloved brother or uncle or father. Maybe he was simply a neighbor with whom they had grown up and played together.
Whatever the relationship, they loved him! And whatever happened that day—healing, rejection, whatever—the paralytic was a very rich man. He had something for which some people spend millions and yet never find. God was going to work in his life because his friends loved him. God is especially pleased to work when there is such love. Along with great love, his friends had great faith. There was no way they would have gone to such outrageous extremes of action if they did not implicitly believe that Christ could and would heal their friend. 1
Walking with Jesus
Would your consider yourself a ‘true friend” to others? What extreme measures have you recently taken for a friend? When will you bring your friend to Jesus? Why not invite them to church this Sunday!
You are My friends if you do whatever I command you. John 15:14
There is a big difference between a seasoned friend and a seasonal friend. – TWEET IT
Praying
Lord, thank You for inviting me to be a friend of God.
1. Hughes, R. K. (1989). Mark: Jesus, servant and savior. Westchester, IL: Crossway Books.
