INTRODUCTION
Jesus performed many miracles as recorded in the Four Gospels. In those miracles, many times Jesus healed someone who was paralyzed. Just a couple of weeks ago, we looked at the man by the Pool of Bethesda near the Sheep Gate who had been waiting thirty-eight years to be healed. And remember Jesus asked this man a real interesting question: “Do you want to be healed?” And after hearing excuses from the man why he was not healed then Jesus proceeded to tell him to pick up his mat and walk. In this story, Jesus’ question reveals that He knew about this man, but the man did not know about Jesus. When asked by religious people “who healed you” the now healed man responded I don’t know.
Today, I want to look at another paralytic healing. Now, this story is different than the first story because in that first story Jesus came to the man and healed him; today, four friends need to find a way to bring this man to Jesus. In this story, the paralytic man, or his friends knew about Jesus and set out to go to Him. We don’t know anything about this paralytic man as to the length of his infirmity like we did the first one. We don’t know this man’s name or anything about his four friends. What we do know from the Scripture is that it appears that the four friends or more interested in getting the man to Jesus then the man himself is interested. When they could not get in the door, it was not the paralytic that suggested the roof; it was his friends that suggested the roof. When the four men lowered the man from the roof to Jesus, Jesus marveled at the faith of the four men and then it says He spoke to the paralytic.
Just as Jesus focused on the four men by saying to all present in the house that He saw their faith, I want to put our attention on these four men to gage our level of faith. So, I hope to answer today the question in my own life: “Does my faith fail me or does Jesus see my faith?”
BIBLE VERSE
Mark 2:1-5 (NKJV)
1 And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house.
2 Immediately many gathered together, so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them.
3 Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.
4 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.
5 When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
1
SOME PEOPLES' FAITH WILL FAIL THEM BEFORE THEY EVEN BRING THEIR REQUEST TO JESUS BECAUSE THEY HAVE BUILT IN EXCUSES AS TO WHY IT CAN'T HAPPEN.
In our story, we are told that Jesus entered Capernaum. Capernaum was a small fishing village with a population of about 1500 people in Jesus’ day. There was only one synagogue in the village so all the village people would have attended that one synagogue. Because it was a small village, mostly of fisherman who probably daily talked among themselves about their catch or lack of catch and who on Sabbath attended the one synagogue in the village, I would say that most of the people in Capernaum knew each other.
But in our story, no one mentions any of the four men by name. The crowd outside didn’t talk among themselves saying that it is a shame that so and so can’t get to Jesus since he has been paralyzed so many years. The crowd outside the house acted like these four men and the one paralytic were strangers. No one in the crowd mentioned them by name nor suggested let’s move out the way so our neighbor can get in to see Jesus.
So, amusing that they were from a neighboring village, I can hear the excuses that these four men could have told themselves so not to exercise their faith. Listen to some of the ones I thought of. Are you kidding me, we are going to have to carry him all the way to Capernaum? Even if we go to Capernaum, we are not going to be guaranteed that Jesus will see Him or doing anything to heal him. Why don’t we wait here in our village and see if Jesus might travel through our village rather than traveling this distance carrying our friend? I am not thinking about myself having to carry him, but let’s be honest this trip is going to be too hard on our paralytic friend.
These men would have none of those excuses. But I wonder if you have failing faith because you make excuses before you exercise your faith. Let me give you some examples. I would pray for his salvation, but he or she wants nothing to do with God, so why waste my time. I would pray for a miracle in this situation, but in my Christian life, I have seen God do miracles in others but never in me. I cannot ask God for that; it is asking too much from God.
If you think like that sometimes, let me remind you of this Scripture. Matthew 19:26 (NKJV)
26 But Jesus looked at them and said to them, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
We overcome our failing faith before it starts by remembering nothing is impossible for God.
2
SOME PEOPLE'S FAITH WILL FAIL THEM BECAUSE THEY HAVE "A ONE AND DONE TYPE OF FAITH."
These four men arrive in Capernaum with the paralyzed man, they find out that Jesus is mostly likely at the home of Peter, they discover where it is and headed to Peter’s home. When they arrive there, they discover the crowd is so large that the house is full, the doorway is blocked with people trying to hear and see Jesus. There is no way that they are going to see Jesus today. At this point, the four men could have said to themselves, we tried, and we obviously are not going to get our friend before Jesus, let’s head on back home.
But these men did not have “a one and done faith”. They were going to find a way to get this man in front of Jesus. Let me ask you a question, do you have “a one and done faith.” You know someone who is really sick, and you tell them that you are going to pray for them. How many times do you pray for them? Usually once and you feel like you have done your job. Jesus would call that failing faith because you didn’t keep praying until the person is made well.
Or let’s suppose you know the bread winner of a family has been laid off work because business is slow. You know that this family has several small children and that they live month to month. So, you decide to cook them a meal and bring it to them. Have you done enough by faith that God would be pleased? It is great that you brought them a meal but what about the other 29 days? Did you set up a food preparation schedule and get others involved? Did you ask the church to take up a love offering to buy groceries for this family? Or were you satisfied with yourself because you done the one and done.
If you think like that, let me remind you of this Scripture.
Matthew 7:7 (NKJV)
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
And the idea is to keep asking, keep seeking, and keep knocking. In other words, the Christian life is not a one and done.
We overcome our failing faith by remembering that my Christianity should not consist of one and done moments. I need to ask myself, can more be done?
3
SOME PEOPLE'S FAITH WILL GET JESUS' ATTENTION BECAUSE THEY GO BEYOND THE MINIMAL.
The door was blocked, they didn’t give up, one of the four must suggested let’s tear off the roof to get to Jesus. And not one of the other three that’s a crazy idea, let’s just go home. And I love verse five (5), Jesus seeing their faith. Jesus is saying that faith is action. You and I like to something think of faith as those theological discussions we have. But a little further on in this text Jesus is going to a have a theological discussion with the teachers of the law about healing this man. At no point does Jesus describe this as a faith discussion. The only faith that Jesus mentions is the faith of these four men that goes beyond the minimal to get their friend seen by Jesus.
Let’s look at your life: do you only do the minimal when it comes to praying for someone? Do you only do the minimum when it comes to helping a brother or siter who has a need?
Let me remind you what the Scripture says: Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
We show a faith that pleases God when we go beyond the minimal.
APPLICATION
What kind of faith do you have?
Failing Faith or a faith that is diligently seeking God.
We need to do some soul searching to discover why one we exhibit.
