Friendship and Faith

 


"When Jesus saw their faith . . ."--Mark 2:5

Before we delve into Advent, I want to spend some time with what would have been our lesson for November 25th.  The story of Jesus and the paralyzed man in Mark Chapter 2 (vv. 1-12) is a powerful one.  Jesus is in Capernaum, the fishing town at the north end of the Sea of Galilee that is home base for him.  When people learn that he is at home, they flock to the house and fill it to the point overflowing. Jesus is teaching those in the house when a "paralyzed man" is brought to him, carried by four people.  Because of the crowd, the four are unable to bring him directly to Jesus.  Instead of becoming discouraged, or coming back another time, they climb up on the roof of the house, lift up their friend, and "remove the roof."  They then lower him down to Jesus!  The artwork accompanying this post depicts the four having removed planks and setting their friend down through the opening to a place directly in front of Jesus.  Mark's gospel is even more descriptive, saying they "dug through" the roof (which was likely made of saplings, branches, and clay) with great determination.

The story says that "when Jesus saw their faith, " he tells the paralyzed man that God's saving power is at work through the faith of his friends.  "Faith" is our relationship with God, expressed in our beliefs and our actions.

What does the story tell us about "friendship?" What kind of power is at work when we practice true friendship with one another?  What role does our "faith"--our relationship with God lived out--have in our friendships?

Also, there are different ways of being "paralyzed" in life, aren't there?  We can be paralyzed by fear, confusion, lack of confidence, isolation.  How can friends help one another with these kinds of paralysis?  

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