True Friends Stop at Nothing
What a Friend we have in Jesus
Mark 2:1-12
Mark 2:1 And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
Mark 2:2 And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
Mark 2:3 And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
Mark 2:4 And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Mark 2:6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
Mark 2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
Mark 2:8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
Mark 2:9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
Mark 2:10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
Mark 2:11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
Mark 2:12 And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.
Our scripture from the Gospel of Mark tells us about a friend in need, a friend that is ill, sick unto death and how four of his friends that stopped at nothing to get him help.
This particular incident will set off a series of confrontations between Jesus and the religious leaders of the synagogue - controversies that will eventually lead to the death of Jesus on Calvary.
Now our scripture tells us that Jesus had finally come back to Capernaum. His popularity has now peaked. Crowds of people follow Him everywhere He goes, hanging on every word He speaks, watching every move He makes. They’ve come to hear Him preach, watch Him perform healings, maybe even to seek healing for themselves.
Among this mass of people, we are told about one man who is very ill. He is paralyzed and bedridden. We don’t know what caused his paralysis, but that doesn’t really matter. People in Jesus’ day didn’t know anything about the nervous system or the immune system of the body.
They believed that all illness came from one of two causes: you either had done something that angered God and your illness was God’s way of punishing you; or a demon or devil had possessed you, trying to take you away from God. That was it. The medical dictionary of that day was a very short book.
The Health Tips page would have simply read: “Don’t make God mad, stay away from demons and you will be all right.”
That had to be pretty discouraging, especially if you were the one who was sick. It must have pretty discouraging for relatives and friends of sick people too, don’t you think?
It must have been difficult to watch a loved one suffer and not be able to do anything about it. And to further complicate matters, you had to wonder what this person had done to deserve the suffering and misery they had to endure.
Let me call your attention to something. You can’t call yourself a true friend if your idea of helping your diseased or paralyzed friend is running the water for them to bathe in their own self pity.
“Man this situation is messed up
I should not have happened to you.
Wow this is a tough break.
I don’t understand why either.
But it is just a shame.
I know how you feel”
NOT a real word of hope out of your mouth and quietly you are Happy that it is not happening to you.
A true friend will tell you that I don’t just want to pray for you but I want to pray with you. A true friend will not just tell you but show you that they will show you that they are willing to do all they can to help you through and or to get over your present situation. Let me tell you that you can tell who your true friends are if you have any at all. How you ask me, just get sick. Then all of a sudden the calls are going to stop, the unexpected drops by the house become non-existent. Let me tell you that misery loves company until you need or ask for something. But a true friend will not leave you in a time of need or want.
In this particular situation in our scripture, this man is paralyzed, but paralysis is not just of the body. There are people that are near and dear to us suffering from paralysis of the mind. They are seeking their fortunes and treasures on this earth and treasures in heaven is of no concern, they are convinced that they can’t go on without this drug or this drink, or even they are paralyzed by another person thinking that this is the last time they’re going to hit me or this is the last time they are going to wrong me.
And here you are on the sideline watching all of this take place and you have to ask yourself the question. AM I A TRUE FRIEND?
Because a real friend is going to say “whether you like it or not I’m going to help you.” And it may not come over night. But I’m not just going to stand here with lip service; I’m going to help you.
Someone once told me that a true fiend is the one who walks in when everyone else walks out.
Romans 15:1 We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.
Galatians 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.
And when you decide to get help for your friend, you may feel that the situation is hopeless and helpless. And that was probably the case of the four friends in our scripture today. They probably did all they could possibly do physically.
But all of a sudden they realized that there may be hope for this situation and that all is not lost. They heard that Jesus, the evangelist from Nazareth who has the reputation of being able to cure the sick, is coming to town.
You’ve tried everything else to help your friend, why not let Jesus try? Our scripture tells us that four friends rigged up a stretcher to carry their friend to the place where Jesus was staying because they felt that this might be their last opportunity to help their friend.
Now lets stop for just a moment and realize something. The friends are carrying the man on a cot to see Jesus. This action says to us that often we have to go the extra mile; we have to do more for others than they can or are willing to do for themselves. If they cannot go, we as true friends have to carry them to get the help that they need.
And when you are trying to get them to the help, you may run into some obstacles. Just as the friends in our story today did. As they tried to get their friend to Jesus, the scripture says that they could not come nigh unto Him for the press. What press.
There was such a crowd trying to get a glimpse, a feel a touch, They were trying so hard to just to be near Jesus that the people were pressed together and it may have even been some shoving just to get closer. You know how when you hear about a good sale or they are giving away free food, you don’t want to be left out so you are going to be waiting for the doors to open and it might even get a little physical because you have got to get yours. Ooh how times change, here this mass of people pressed to get to Jesus and today people get to church early to get a back seat. Every thing up front is open but they chores to sit at the back. When the Word of God is coming forth through the preacher or evangelist, God is using him to reveal more of Himself to whom every will faithfully receive it. I don’t know about you but I want to be up close to receiving my blessing. I don’t need distractions; I don’t need to be so far back where I’m asking, “what did he say, what scripture was that?”
Now back to our friends. Well they realized that they could not get their friend to Jesus through this press so What to do now.
We have not come all this way to let the press of a crowd turn us away. If this man called Jesus can save our friend then we must by any means necessary get him in there. Let me tell you that you are not really trying to help your friend if at the first sign of adversity you turn around and go home or quit. Well we tried but we failed. How many of you know that if the Lord is on your side, there is no failure.
Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthened me.
So what is this saying, a mere crowd is not going to stop us.
Let me call your attention to what happened next. The scripture says they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up,
No this may seem strange to us that they were able to get to the roof and break it up. Now in these days, the houses did not have porches.
The rooftops were flat and this is where family and neighbors convened to rest, meditate and just visit. Most of these houses had steps both inside and outside that led up to the roof.
And the roof was made of tile like rocks, matted together with a straw and clay-like substance. So these men were able to get their friend up to the rood and started tearing a hole in the roof. They were so sure of Jesus’ power to help that nothing
Not the fact that their friend was near unto death
Not the fact that a crowd was in their way
Not the fact that they did not know whose house it was, but we are going to tear into this roof.
Nothing was going to prevent them from getting to Jesus-they had unstoppable faith.
This is the kind of faith we need when we are trying to bring our friends to Jesus. There are going to be obstacles in your way and the conventional ways you might have been using may not work but you have to keep trying, keep thinking, keep praying keep saying I have got to get you to Jesus.
Mr. Homeowner, I’m sorry about you’re roof, it will be taken care of, but we have an emergency situation here. Church that is how we need to view our unsaved family and friends, as an emergency situation and we are the paramedics.
Or job is to rush through traffic, blowing the horn with the lights flashing, move out of the way, I have a lost soul on board and if I do not bring them to Jesus, their soul will be lost forever.
Real friends don’t worry about thing like embarrassment when it comes to helping a dying friend. I’m pretty sure people looked at the four men like they were crazy, on top of somebody’s house, tearing up their roof, to get a man who was surely going to die into this house.
A real friend won’t look at your situation as a lost cause with no hope.
And now the story gets real good. Let me tell you when you bring a friend to Christ, Not only will they be blessed but you will receive a blessing too. Let’s look at what Jesus did.
Mark 2:5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Jesus I don’t understand, I came here to be healed and you say my sins are forgiven. I did not come here for sin forgiveness, I came to be healed.
And you know the friends had the same concerns and questions on their mind as if their efforts were in vain.
Let me make it plain for you. You’re sitting in the waiting room at the hospital waiting to hear whether or not the chest pains your spouse had was a heart attack or something else.
Suddenly, the door to the trauma unit opens and the doctor walks out. “I have good news,” he says. “Your spouse’s sins have been forgiven. God loves both of you very much.” Somehow that’s not quite what you wanted to hear. I mean, it’s nice to know that, but what does it have to do with curing the problem?
Isn’t this typical of our attitude toward God’s forgiveness? If I’m sick, what do I care about forgiveness of my sin? I just want to be well again. If I’ve lost my job, what do I care about God’s love? I just want my job back. God’s forgiveness just doesn’t seem to be much consolation when it comes to dealing with the day-to-day problems of life.
So when the Bible or the preacher or a friend tells us that “God loves us”, we say, “That’s nice, but it doesn’t pay any bills. It doesn’t relieve my physical suffering. It doesn’t make me feel better about myself.” Friends we’ve got it all wrong, so let’s look at the truths Jesus is teaching.
Now Jesus proclaimed forgiveness for the man’s sins. Forgiving the man’s sins was far more important than healing him. A sound body only assures life for a few more years at most, but a sound soul assures life forever.
Jesus forgave the man’s sins first, and by doing so He taught the man, his friends, and everyone around that the most important thing in a man’s life to for man to seek forgiveness of his sins. A man should seek to be forgiven before anything else. Jesus wishes man to live eternally, not just for a few short years.
But before man can live eternally, he must be willing to come to Jesus for the forgiveness of his sins. Jesus is teaching us that forgiveness and healing are inseparable.
If you have been forgiven you are healed. Listen sin removes us from fellowship with the Father. Forgiveness brings us back into fellowship with the father.
Away from the Father is spiritual, death misery, worry unhappiness. But with the Father there is life, joy, peace, and understanding.
Jesus is saying don’t worry with trying to find the medicine, seek the cure. And that cure is Jesus. 2X
It’s a shame that we let our bodies control us to the point where in Sunday morning service when we should be feeding our souls we sitting here thinking about what we going to cook or what we going to eat after service. You are supposed to be eating right now.
Matthew 4:4 Jesus said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
We need to seek spiritual food with as much and even more zeal than we hunt down food for our bodies. Think of it as a race, a race against starvation, your body and your soul.
But the difference is that your body has a finish line but your soul goes on. The marathon for your soul is endless. So it would only seem logical that the more food, more training, more concentration should be towards the longest race. That is why food for your body should be a distant second to food for your soul.
John 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Now notice something here, “we need to tell others how easy it is, how good it feels to come to Christ.”
Look, when this man is brought before Jesus, Jesus does not accuse the man of past sins. He does not find fault with the man: I does not matter what he has done, why is he here, and from where he has come. Jesus does not hesitate in forgiving the man. When the man comes to Jesus, Jesus responds tenderly and compassionately. How do I know that well it says it right here in verse 5, he call the man “son.” Now in the Greek, son is translated “teknon” which means child.
Looking at the man at his feet, Jesus saw a child, and Jesus responded to the man just as any of us would respond to a child lying helpless at out feet, with compassion.
What a lesson Jesus is teaching here. Jesus is saying if our desire is to be like Him, then this is the way we should welcome the unsaved. We should not be concerned with why they have come to church, but that they are now in church; not what they have done in the past, but that they are presently coming to Christ.
So what if they used to be an alcoholic gambling drug addict prostitute. You need to realize that you used to be something too, and you are still something now.
John 8:7 He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.
Romans 3:23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
And you know what, we all will continue to sin and come short of the glory of God. But the saved have found the way to forgiveness of sin and the Lord is telling us that we now have to show the way.
Now Matthew chapter 5 becomes a little clearer because Jesus told us that we are the salt of the earth,
that we are the light of the world,
and we need to let our light shine before men
that they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in Heaven.
Now finally I want to call your attention to Jesus’ speech in addressing the sick man. Jesus said “thy sins be forgiven thee.” Notice that Jesus proclaimed forgiveness in His own authority. It is very critical that we see this. He did not say, “God, forgive this man, or God, I wish You would forgive this man.” Jesus said, “Son, thy sins be forgive thee” He forgave the sins Himself, in His own name, power and authority. The point here is unmistakable. Jesus is proclaiming to be God, the very Son of God and the people around the house understand exactly what He is doing.
Now we must realize that when you are doing the Will of God and bringing people to Jesus there are going to be those around you that do not have your, nor God’s interest in mind. This is the case in this house when Jesus forgave the man’s sins. Let’s look at versus 6-8
Mark 2:6 But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
Mark 2:7 Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?
Mark 2:8 And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
In verse 6 it says that it was certain of the scribes sitting there reasoning in their hearts. Calling Jesus a blasphemer and wondering what authority He has to forgive sins.
Notice that they did not audibly speak the words but merely thought them and Jesus perceived their thoughts in His spirit. He knew what they were saying to themselves without a word being spoken.
It is important that we understand who these scribes were and why they were even in the house in the first place.
Now apparently the ruling body in Jerusalem, the Sanhedrin had heard about a prophet in Galilee who was carrying on an unusual ministry. Unbelievable miracles were being claimed. This prophet who called Himself, Jesus of Nazareth, needed to be checked out to make sure He was not teaching error and misleading the people.
That He was not threatening a revolt against the Jewish religion and nation, which was under Roman domination. The Sanhedrin sent a delegation to Capernaum to investigate Jesus.
The scribes mentioned in verse 6 was this delegation that was sent. And when the scribes heard Jesus forgive the man’s sins, a red flag immediately went up in their minds and
I even think there was an expression on their faces that told all. Who does this man think He is God? Is this man claiming to be the promised Messiah? Now before we get all riled up about these questions, understand that for them, these questions were logical and reasonable.
And these questions seem logical and reasonable for most people and religions in the world today because they view Jesus only as a prophet or a great man.
In their minds, Jesus could never posses the right or power to forgive sins. But saints it is our charge and our mission to shout to the world that “God so loved the world that he gave His only Begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”
If Jesus was not the Son of God then the Scribes would be correct in saying that Jesus is speaking Blasphemy. But we know that Jesus is the Son of God, He truly forgave this man’s sins and guess what He can forgive your sins too.
Now Jesus had the attention of the scribes when He told them what they were thinking and now it was time for Jesus to teach them something.
Mark 2:9 Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?
Jesus is letting them know that either task if fully within his power,
and I know what this man wants, I also know what he needs. I also need to set the record straight.
Mark 2:10 But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
And yes I have given this man what he needed and with the
Unstoppable faith of himself and his friends.
Mark 2:11 I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.
Now these four friends in the midst trials, obstacles did not stop
until they got their friend to Jesus.
You need to ask yourself again, am I a true friend. And before you answer that let’s look at the example of “Jesus my friend.”
Suppose you are in prison, you have committed a crime worthy of death. The judge gave you the death penalty.
While you are waiting the execution, they come and let you out and put your friend in your place.
He says to you, “I have come to take your place.”
We’d say No! You shouldn’t.
He says, “I want to because I love you. The only thing that I ask in return is that you don’t do these things that got you this death sentence any more. Do this in remembrance of me.
What would you do?
Would you continue do those same things that put you on death row?
Or would you honor your friend remember what he did for you?
Church Jesus is that friend
Oh how I love Jesus, because he first loved me.
He said in His Word that He would never leave me nor forsake me
Oh what a friend I have in Jesus
I can talk to Him late in the midnight hour, when I’m troubled
He hears my faintest cry and he answers by and by
There not a friend like the lowly Jesus
Jesus did not give me the spirit of fear
So yes I can walk through the valley of the shadow of death fearing no evil
When 10,000 enemies are against me I will not be afraid.
When I’m down to my last dime, back is against the wall, situation is looking hopeless
I just start praising His name and lifting His name higher
And church I brace myself, because
I’m a living witness that when praises go up,
Blessings come down.
My Lord looked beyond my faults and saw that I had a need
And that need was Jesus
Jesus died on Calvary so that I could live and that you could live eternally.
Yes I am a slave bought with a price
and that price was the blood of Jesus.
So what ever He wants me to do, Lord I’m willing
Wherever He wants me to go, Lord I will do your bidding
I’m going to tell everyone I know about the good news of Jesus Christ.
It is because He lives that I can face tomorrow.
For the Lord is my
Creator Sustainer Healer Provider Comforter
Shepherd
Light in a dark situation
Bridge over troubled water
He makes my crooked road straight
My all and all.
My way out of no way
My help and My Strength
Cedric A. Portis
cedque8@cs.com
