The Faith of a Friend
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. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.” (Mark 2:4-5 NKJV, emphasis ours)
Judi’s mom is going into surgery at the time of this writing. She had a bad fall and broke her leg right above the knee. She is 85 years old which makes her more vulnerable in recovery than if she were 55, but even though she is in relatively good spirits, has a good doctor, she understandably has some fear about the procedure ahead of her.
What has been on our minds about this particular piece of scripture is that the paralytic in the story had no part in the faith story. It was the faith of his friends that Jesus took notice of. They brought him to Jesus and when they couldn’t get near Him, they did not give up. In fact, they created a hole in the roof and lowered their friend to Jesus so their friend could not be missed. Ultimately, the paralytic man was healed and was able to get up and walk home.
Friend, we can have an effective part to play in our fellow human beings’ lives. We can carry faith for them at times and in instances when they cannot. We humans are connected and out of love, we can give faith where it is needed for our families, our friends, and even our enemies.
Even though we’re not in the hospital in Pennsylvania, our faith can be effective in the life of our Mom. Our faith can easily believe for the best for her. We can believe for the repair of her bones, the healing of her body and the psychological fear of falling in the future. We can see her in Life, having energy to go through the post surgery therapy. We can see wonderful doctors and nurses caring for her with thoughtfulness and expertise. We can see visitors coming and cheering her on. This is our faith and it can combine with our mom’s faith, which may be a little shaken right now. We carry my mom to Jesus. We believe Jesus cannot miss her.
We know we don’t have control, but we do bring our faith to the table. We trust in God’s good character, no matter the outcome. Jesus may have healed the paralytic anyway, but He took note of the friends’ faith. I think it made Him smile.
This very idea opens up a wealth of possibilities. It makes God even bigger than just a transactional deity who requires and rewards faith on an individual basis. It makes our connection and care for each other paramount.
Ultimately, Jesus called himself the friend who sticks closer than a brother. It was really His faith on the cross that reconciled us all when we had no faith.
May you carry the faith for a friend today. And thank you for your faith for Mom’s recovery.