18Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 19When 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. (Luke 5:18-19, NIV)
Two weeks ago, we examined the story in Luke 5:17-27 in which several men brought to Jesus a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When they couldn’t get close enough to Jesus, the men did a shocking thing: they got up on the roof of the building where Jesus was speaking, made a large hole in the roof, and let down the bed with their friend so that it landed right in front of Jesus. Jesus did indeed heal the paralyzed man, but only after forgiving his sins, which stirred up the Jewish teachers who were observing Jesus’s behavior. Last time, we focused on the fact that the men who carried their friend to Jesus took many risks in order to do what they did. They risked reputation and legal repercussions. They risked angering many people, including Jesus. And they risked the disappointment that Jesus would not, after all they had done, heal their friend. Do you ever wonder why the bed-carrying men were willing to take on such risks? First of all, there is something that is likely though not stated explicitly. We can surely infer from the story that the bed-carrying men were deeply committed to their paralyzed friend and his healing. They were willing to risk so much because of their care for him. Committed love for others will motivate us to put everything on the line. The more we love, the more we will take risks in service to others. Luke does note another reason for their risk-taking behavior. After they tore a hole in the roof and lowered their friend down to Jesus, Luke writes that Jesus “saw their faith” and then ministered to the paralyzed man (v. 20). Surely, the men who brought their friend to Jesus had exceptional faith. They were convinced that Jesus had the power to heal and would indeed heal their friend if they could only get him into Jesus’s presence. They trusted Jesus utterly. The more we trust Jesus, the more we will take risks for the sake of the Kingdom of God. We will be emboldened to try things we would not otherwise try, to love in ways we would not otherwise love, to build what we would not otherwise build. Why? Because we trust Jesus to guide us, empower us, and work through us. So, whether we are moving far away from home in response to God’s call, reaching out to care for a colleague at work, confronting injustice in our city, we rely on Jesus, the One we trust because He is utterly trustworthy. Have you ever taken a risk because you cared for someone? Can you think of a time in your life when you took a risk because of your trust in Jesus? What were those experiences like for you? What helps you to grow in your trust in Jesus? Comments are closed.
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