Bringing People To Jesus

Our text for this morning is another one of those stories of an amazing day that stuck vividly in the memories of his disciples. When you follow Jesus you never know what is going to happen. .

Our text for this morning is Luke 5:17-26.

17 One day, while he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting near by (they had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem); and the power of the Lord was with him to heal. 18 Just then some men came, carrying a paralyzed man on a bed. They were trying to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; 19 but finding no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the middle of the crowd in front of Jesus. 20 When he saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven you." 21 Then the scribes and the Pharisees began to question, "Who is this who is speaking blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 22 When Jesus perceived their questionings, he answered them, "Why do you raise such questions in your hearts? 23 Which is easier, to say, 'Your sins are forgiven you,' or to say, 'Stand up and walk'? 24 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins"-- he said to the one who was paralyzed-- "I say to you, stand up and take your bed and go to your home." 25 Immediately he stood up before them, took what he had been lying on, and went to his home, glorifying God. 26 Amazement seized all of them, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, "We have seen strange things today."

This story has 4 characters to it. In the center is this man who desperately needed to get to Jesus. And then there are his 4 friends, who were real friends, who did what it took to carry him to Jesus. But they ran into a crowd that got in the way, and, of course, Jesus himself.

Let’s start with this man. He was paralyzed. This was a day when pretty much all labor was manual labor and maybe he had been badly injured in a fall off of a roof or from a tree while picking fruit. We don’t know how he became paralyzed. This was a day when there was no modern medical care. This man was going to die without a miracle from Jesus. And he was paralyzed. There was no way he was going to make it to Jesus on his own.

Think about people you know. Do you know someone who really needs Jesus to touch their life, but you know there is no way they are going to come to Jesus, to walk into a church on their own? Maybe they are just fine physically, but something is broken in their heart that is paralyzing them spiritually.

Do you know someone who is paralyzed to come to Jesus on their own because they got hurt in church, perhaps years ago? Maybe they got criticized. Maybe they were really disappointed by people who came to church then gossiped cruelly. Maybe they were scandalized by seeing someone talk really religious at church and then do things during the week that showed them to be a total hypocrite. Is that person going to come to church on their own?

Do they need the support of the church? Do they need to come to Jesus?

What can we do to “carry them” to Jesus? We can listen to their hurt, draw out the poison. And it may take time for that to happen. We can share with them good things that God is doing here. Sharing about church may be the thing that will start the conversation they need to have; they may really want to have. We can invite them to come. We can offer to meet them at the door and sit with them, or even better, pick them up.

It’s very likely you know someone who is deeply grieving the tragic loss of a loved one. They know that God is there somewhere. But there is this big cloud of pain and grief in their hearts and they just don’t know how to fit their pain together with God’s love. Maybe they feel deeply disappointed in God, maybe angry with God. Do they need Jesus? Do they need God’s comfort? Do they need the healing support of the church? Absolutely. But they’re not going to come on their own.

How might we help them come to back to church? How might we carry them to Jesus?