Through the Roof: A Call to Spiritual Action

And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’

— Mark 2:3-5

These verses tell a story most of us entrenched in Christianity know. It tells a beautiful story of friends who care so much for one another that they lower their paralytic peer through a roof to Jesus, who they know can heal his ailment. It sounds nice. But I’ve heard this story many times and didn’t realize I became numb to it. Several times I’ve passed the verse over without recognizing the true beauty held within.

These friends picked up their paralyzed friend and brought him to Jesus. We don’t know the actual extent of the man’s paralysis, but from the text, we know he couldn’t walk. I have never had to lift a limp body, but I know it’s difficult. I’ve shouldered heavy sandbags of 100 and 150 pounds from the ground, and this awkward movement is hard work. These four friends lifted this man, likely around the same weight of sandbags I’ve lifted, and carried him to go see Christ. Carrying a heavy sandbag over the shoulder for a short distance is difficult, but they worked together to carry their friend for an unknown distance. However long, it likely wasn’t an easy trek.

When the men arrived they couldn’t get to Jesus because of the crowd. Too many people blocked their way. The men didn’t quit but instead went above and beyond. They carry their friend to the roof of the building. Not only did they walk carrying the man, but they lifted him up on the top of a house. I’ve never tried to lift a sandbag onto a roof, but I can imagine it would be extremely difficult.

After the paralytic was on the roof, the men removed a piece of it. Don’t pass over this like I have before. They took apart the roof. I don’t know what this roof was made with. Did they tear off the shingles? Remove straw? Tear through clay? I don’t know a lot about New Testament-period architecture in Capernaum. Either way, they physically tore a hole large enough to fit a grown man through, then lowered him down to reach Jesus directly. Through their great faith, Jesus saved the paralytic.

These men took on multiple physically grueling tasks to bring their friend to Christ. Nothing about it was easy. When they finally got to where Jesus was, they could have given up because the crowd was too large, but they pressed on. They knew that this man, Jesus, was important for their friend to meet – likely the most important man he would ever meet.

Tearing Through Roofs for the Lost

These men had a fervor for bringing their loved one to Christ. Do we have that same fervor? Would we take on the same challenges to bring our loved ones to Christ? Our challenges likely wouldn’t be physical in the same manner, but they are challenges nonetheless. Do we broach the hard conversations with our friends, having faith in Christ that His will shall be done in those conversations, or do we shy away because they are an awkward, emotional weight to carry? For parents, do we bring our children to church even though it can be difficult to get all our little ones dressed and ready on a Sunday morning? Do we take the time at home in the evening to teach Christ to our children when everyone is tired and just wants to clean up and get to bed? I could keep going and list the difficulty in sharing Christ in any relationship, but we all know it is almost always never easy.

I think most of us take the easy way out. The weight of sharing Christ with others is too heavy and awkward to carry, so we don’t try. We do some work, but the crowd is too hard to get through, so we give up and embrace comfort instead. We know how good and glorious Christ is, but often don’t do the work of The Great Commission we were commanded to do. Paul wished that he would be cut off from the grace of Christ so that his kinsmen could come to faith. Most of us do not have the same heart for our loved ones.

Tearing Through Roofs for the Church

Another way we can understand this passage of scripture is in reference to our service to fellow Christians. We don’t need to expend greater energy on the lost than the found. Since we put forth our strivings toward reaching the lost, we should also strive to edify our local church. Serving in a local body is not easy. Some go to church every Sunday, but that’s all. Corporate worship is one of the primary purposes of the church, but there are many more things to be done. It takes work to get to know our fellow church members. It takes work to spend time with them. It takes work to be there for them when their lives are difficult and remind them of Christ’s love. Sometimes service to one’s own church can be more difficult than evangelizing the lost.

God placed each of us in different locations, communities, workplaces, families, churches, etc. He has a reason for every position he places us– He is not capricious. His works and decisions have meaning and power behind them. We are the specific instrument He is using to serve our communities, whether in spreading the gospel or edifying the church.

If we drill down even more, we might ask: Are we putting in the work to grow closer to Christ in our own time? We are a blessed generation to have total access to the canon of scripture in multiple translations of our own language. It takes work to take time out of our busy days to sit down and read the Bible. It takes time to sit down in focused prayer and praise God, ask for forgiveness of our sins, thank Him for our many blessings, and reach out in supplication.

While we focus on showing others Christ, we cannot forget to show ourselves, Christ.

We must begin by following Christ’s commands. We must share Him with others, no matter how difficult it might be. God is sovereign. We know He is in control, but do we act like He is? Do we trust that God’s work of seed planting, watering, and bearing fruit in others can be done through us? He says it will, and we ought to believe Him. The fields are ready. He’s called us to do the hard work of tilling them.

We must take up our tools and get to work.