READ: Mark 4:2 NLT
‘They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.’
Can you imagine what it must have been like? The house is filled with people eagerly listening to Jesus’ teaching when they are suddenly aware that the roof is being dismantled. Now don’t think of your own roof. Think of a typical Middle Eastern flat-roofed one storey building with an exterior staircase and a roof constructed out of branches and hard-baked mud. But even so it made a commotion and the owner of the house probably wasn’t too pleased!
What impresses me is that these four friends were real friends. They were determined that their paralysed companion should meet Jesus and nothing was going to stop them. Going to the trouble of dismantling a roof shows just how much they cared for their friend and how imaginative they were in working out a way of achieving their goal. I’m sure that many other people would have waited until Jesus had finished his teaching session and then introduced their friend to Jesus, leaving the roof in place. But these friends were seriously determined.
The sad fact of our society is that most people don’t know Jesus. They’ve never met him. They’ve never heard that he came into the world out of love for them, and that he wants to give them forgiveness and a new life. The problem is that lots of things stand in the way of them hearing about Jesus. They have a busy life, lots of interests, lots of issues to face, lots of bills to pay. If they are ever to hear about Jesus they will need a really good friend.
QUESTION: How much of a friend are you to those you know who have never met Jesus?
PRAYER: Loving Father, give us greater determination to introduce other people to Jesus whatever the obstacles. Amen.

Released on 6 Oct 2020