Good Friends

A Paralytic Man

I can’t tell you how this guy was paralyzed. Maybe he was born that way and he grew up without having freedom of movement. Maybe for his entire life, he had to rely on his parents and family and friends to carry him anywhere he wanted to go. Maybe for his entire life, he was dependent on others. Or maybe something terrible happened to him in life that took away his mobility. Maybe he knew what it was to have freedom of movement and it was taken away from him. Maybe he had to learn late in life to swallow his pride and rely on the people around him to carry him where he wanted to go. Maybe he still carried bitterness about the accident that made him so dependent on other people.

And I can’t tell you how religious this guy was. Maybe he was raised by parents who really prioritized the Jewish faith and he had been in the synagogue constantly, his whole life. Maybe his parents only went on high holidays. Or maybe he found faith later in life and had dedicated himself to the synagogue. Or maybe, he didn’t care at all - maybe his life circumstances had beat any hope, any faith out of him. No matter how connected he was to the faith, one thing is for sure, surely he knew what people thought of him. People looked at him and wondered to themselves “who sinned, this man or his parents, this he has been paralyzed?” He knew that people assumed he or his parents had sinned, he knew that people believed his paralysis was God’s judgement. And, deep down, he believed it. He didn’t know whether it was something he had done or something someone else had done, but he knew, he just knew that he was broken because of sin.

He woke up that morning and struggled through the morning routine. Both physically and mentally, getting out of bed was difficult. Putting on clothes, eating, all of the struggles of the day weighed on him. Then his four friends burst into his home. They said there was some miracle worker or healer or something in town. They were so excited, but he didn’t share the excitement. He didn’t dare to hope that someone could help him, that someone could fix him. But his friends insisted and they started to carry him across town. As they approached the house where this healer was, the man saw the huge crowd and thought to himself “maybe there is something to this after all.” That only made him more dejected, because there was no way to get inside - even if his movement had been free.

His friends were persistent though and dragged him up on the roof. He tried to talk them out of it, he said they were going to cause a scene - so they tore up the roof and lowered him on his bed through the hole. He saw the man everyone had been paying attention to - you know, before they looked at the guy being dropped through the ceiling.

The man turned to him and everything else seemed to fade away, the noise of the crowd was muted, and all that mattered was this man in front of him. The man looked up at his friends, still standing on the roof, and grinned. He turned to the paralyzed man and said, “your sins are forgiven.” No one had ever said that to him before, and a weight lifted off of him that he hadn’t even known was there. He was still paralyzed, but he felt a freedom unlike anything he had ever imagined. He was forgiven, whatever sin had broken him was gone.

He was drawn out of his newfound joy when the Healer addressed some of the people in the back of the room. He told them “which is easier, to say, ‘your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say ‘rise and walk’?” Then the Healer turned to him and said “pick up your bed and go home.” And he did. He walked home and there wasn’t a happier man in town. His sin was forgiven, and his walking home was the proof.

A Different Kind of Broken

There’s a person out there. I can’t tell you how this person is broken. Maybe they were born with a disease or a disability that they’ll have to deal with for their entire life. Maybe they have seen more doctors and been in more hospitals than anyone ever should. Or maybe they struggle with mental illness. Maybe they wake up every day and face the world through the lens of depression or anxiety or a mood disorder. Maybe they look in the mirror every day and hate the person staring back at them.

I can’t tell you how religious this person is. Maybe they were raised by parents who really prioritized the faith and they grew up going to church every Sunday. Maybe their parents only went to church on Christmas Eve and Easter. Maybe this person has experimented with church, maybe they don’t care about God - if He exists at all, the world has convinced this person that He doesn’t care about them. This person doesn’t know about sin, but deep down, they know that they are unavoidably guilty and inescapably broken.

This person woke up one morning and struggled through their morning routine. Getting out of bed to face the world is difficult, and it gets harder every day. Getting dressed, showering, eating, driving to work - all the struggles of the daily grind weighed on them. But one of their friends is waiting outside for them after work, leaning against their car - just waiting. This friend said they noticed the person struggling, they said that they knew a place that could help. They seemed really excited about it, but this person didn’t buy it. They didn’t dare to hope that someone could help them, that someone could fix them. But the friend insisted, and got in the car to direct the person. They approached a church, the person saw the church and thought to themselves “what good could this place possibly do?” This destination made the person more dejected, because there was nothing there but antiques, old rituals, and the people clinging to them.

The friend was persistent though and dragged them into the building. They tried to talk their way out of it, saying that they weren’t really a religious person - so they walked into a room with a few other people. One of those people walked up to the person, looked at the friend with a knowing smile, and turned back to the person. That person said simply, you are loved here and you are forgiven - totally, completely, and freely. No one had ever said that to this person before, and a weight lifted off of them that they didn’t even know had been there. The problems were still there, but they felt a freedom unlike anything they had ever imagined. They were forgiven, whatever sin had broken them was gone.

Have That Friend, Be That Friend

Brothers and sisters in Christ, you are loved here and you are forgiven - totally, completely, and freely. Brothers and sisters in Christ, have friends who drag you to Jesus’ feet. Brothers and sisters in Christ, be the friend who drags people to Jesus’ feet.