Mark 2:1-12
The word is
out, in spite of Jesus wanting everyone to keep things a secret, the crowds are
coming, and they keep coming, gathering around him, demanding his attention,
wanting to see him. People are traveling
from all over; sick people, unclean people, and just plain curious people. The problem is not that there’s too much
going on, but the crowds, the multitudes which have been such a positive sign
of Jesus' popularity start to keep those who really need to see Jesus,
at bay.
But some in
this large crowd are just too creative, too determined, too cleaver to be
frustrated by this seemingly inconvenient obstacle. In today’s story four people carrying a
paralyzed man do not give up when they realize they cannot get near Jesus; they
do not declare their task impossible; they do not go home in despair.
What,
instead, do they do? They take the roof
off the house where Jesus is, and they don’t just peel back a few shingles, they dig with hands and primitive tools through what must have been
some combination of adobe, wood, thatch, and maybe even stone.
They didn't
care about the obstacles. They wanted
to get to Jesus. They had an idea, and
they went for it. “What have we got to
lose?” (they must have said) “Let’s give it a try.” So, to the roof they went. They made a way. They persevered.
At some point
you (we) will probably have to do the same.
Maybe it will mean thinking differently about something, risking
something, doing things in a slightly different way. Maybe, in our personal lives, we will need to
rearrange our schedule. Or go at things
from a different direction. Get our priorities
in order. Make the time. Make a way.
Today’s story
is a good example of what we (you, me, and the church) are being called by God to
do – be so determined to dig a hole
in the roof and turn our paralysis over to God to be healed that we will do whatever it takes – called to faithfully
wait on one hand while we fervently work with the other – called to craft a vision,
with God’s help, until it becomes a reality.
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