Thought

When the four friends in this story heard Jesus was nearby, they were so sure Jesus could heal their friend that they broke through the roof of someone else’s house to get their friend to Jesus. They didn’t care about the cost of their actions—they believed the value of receiving healing from Jesus for their paralyzed friend was worth it. Now, no one is saying you should go breaking through roofs (please don’t!), but what are you willing to do to spend time with Jesus? Our faith in Christ should inspire us to action, because we can be sure that Jesus will do great things when we follow Him.

Word

Mark 2:5 NIV

When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”

Question

What were roofs in the first century like? What do you imagine?

Historians believe the roofs of houses in this area at the time would likely have been flat with narrow logs for beams. Tree branches would have been laid across the beams to form the base layer of the roof, and then, on top of that, clay would have been packed. If you’ve ever made anything with clay, you’ll know that when it’s wet, you can shape it and mold it, but once it’s dry it becomes hard. Packed layers of clay can be very hard to break. But it couldn’t keep out four people determined to help their friend!

Challenge

Think about someone you know who may have been hurt recently. Maybe it’s someone who is dealing with a long sickness or someone who injured themself. Or maybe it’s someone who just feels sad because they lost a favorite pet or had a bad week at school. Pray for that person. If you want to take an extra step, make a card for the person to tell them you are praying for them and thinking of them.

Prayer

God, thank You for giving us the gift of faith, and help me to take action to help others. Amen.