In my church this past Sunday, the message delivered included the story from Mark 2:1-12. This passage deals with a man paralyzed, who wanted to be healed by Jesus. The problem was in getting access to Jesus. He was in a house, teaching, surrounded by a standing-room only crowd that spilled out the door. So the paralyzed man, who had been brought there by his friends, ended up coming face to face with Jesus by being lowered down to him through a hole they cut into the roof. And Jesus healed him!
Now, the purpose of this post is not to get into the details about healing and prayer and how God works. Suffice it to say that faith is a necessary component for God’s work in the world. And this passage does not indicate that the paralyzed man had any faith. Instead, it reads in verse 5, “When Jesus saw their faith [that of the men who lowered the paralytic to him], he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’”, and then in verse 11, “‘I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.’”
Jesus didn’t heal the man based on that man’s faith; he did it after he saw the faith of his friends, that they stopped at nothing in bringing their friend to Jesus. This paralyzed man’s need was greater than theirs; indeed, his only hope was to come to Jesus. And his friends made it possible.
As I listened to that message in church, I was reminded of Steve and Annie Chapman’s song from their 1986 album, Times & Seasons. The song, Faith Of A Few Close Friends tells the very story I’ve just related above. But it is more than just scripture put to song. Both the message I heard in church, and the remainder of the Chapman’s song takes this a step further. The extra step was pointing out that I can bring someone to Jesus, whether it be through my words, or my actions, or my prayers. And when brought to Jesus, it is not necessary for the faith (or lack thereof) of that person to result in God’s intervention in his or her life. My faith can be the key to unlocking a touch of Jesus for that person, the touch that could change a life!
There was a man laying paralyzed
He had no power, no hope in his eyes
He lay there waiting for his turn to die
But a miracle was about to beginCause all a sudden, his bed began to move
They were lifting him up, and he didn’t know who
He could hardly say it, but he whispered “Who are you?”
And they said, “We’re just a few close friends”They took that man to Jesus
He had no faith of his own
But when Jesus saw the faith of a few close friends
He said, “Take up your bed, man
Take up your bed and go home.”Now there are homes filled with husbands and children and wives
Who feel like the man who was paralyzed
They have no hope they will ever survive
But let the miracles beginLet those who are strong, and those who care
Lift him up to Jesus through the power of prayer
Take him to the Healer and on your way there
Don’t forget about the man and his friendsThey took that man to Jesus
He had no faith of his own
But when Jesus saw the faith of a few close friends
He said, “Take up your bed, man
Take up your bed and go home.”But when Jesus saw the faith of a few close friends
He said, “Take up your bed, man
Take up your bed and go home.”Faith of a few close friends
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