A Short Devotional of Four Great Friends
My text today is the story of the paralytic man
in Mark 2:1-12. (Please take the time to read this wonderful story.)
This event took place in Jesus’ home town
of Capernaum
in the area called Galilee. Evidently, Jesus had moved there from Nazareth when He began His public ministry.
The first notable thing we read is that somehow
or another it was spread around the entire region that “Jesus was in the house”.
It seems so insignificant to mention, but what a difference it makes when Jesus is your house! Fussing and fighting becomes love, respect and tenderness! Division
and divorce becomes peace and harmony – all because Jesus is in the house! Is
He in your home today? Have you invited Him in?
What a long and busy day it was. A great crowd of folk had gathered, and the Scriptures teach us that Jesus was busy healing and helping
people. Isn’t that just like our Lord? He is ever willing to help with
the needs of people no matter how long it takes.
Well, about that time we see four men walking
up the road carrying one of their friends on a cot (sort of like a stretcher).
The fellow on the stretcher is in desperate shape. He was taken with palsy, which was the word used in Biblical times to describe any
sort of paralysis. Maybe he had had a stroke?
At any rate, he was completely bed-ridden and his condition was degenerative. I’m sure there was a lot of physical
pain and suffering attached with this condition. But what is most disturbing
is the fact that there was not one thing anyone could do to change this man’s condition.
Doctors, family, and friends were helpless. His condition was hopeless,
and his fate was a slow and agonizing death.
You know, it really didn’t matter how much
money, position, fame, or talent this sick man possessed. It wouldn’t help
him one bit. In just the same way, all mankind have been stricken with the disease
of sin. Our fate is an eternity without God -- and money, friends, and station
in life can’t change that fate. The Scripture says in John 3:18, He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already,
because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
BUT, thankfully we had a Friend, Who was willing to sacrifice Himself for us to deliver us from that awful fate. You see the previous verses in John (verse 16) tell us 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.” Our Friend,
the Lord Jesus, paid the price for our sins so that we could go free! What a
Friend we have in Jesus!
In just the same way, this poor sick man in our
story had four great friends. They remain forever nameless in the Scriptures,
but I decided we might be able to learn a few more things from their story if we gave them some imaginary names.
The first friend is a fellow I like to call Bro.
Compassion. He’s the one who heard about the need in the first place. He didn’t just hear about it and say something like, “That’s too bad. I’ll be sure to pray for him.”, but he had the kind of compassion that gave him
enough of a burden to get involved personally.
Probably, that’s the biggest problem with
most of us today. We see so much hurt and disaster and sorrow every single day
that we are not moved to what we should maybe call “a compelling, motivating compassion”.
Rita Price wrote in a 1995 issue of the Columbus Dispatch this touching story:
Katie
Fisher, 17, pulled her unruly lamb into the arena of the Madison County Junior Livestock Sale last July. With luck the lamb
would fetch some spending money --- and hopefully she wouldn't collapse as she had during another livestock show the day before.
Katie Fisher had been battling Burkitt's lymphoma, a fast-growing malignancy, since February. She had endured many
hospitalizations and months of chemotherapy. "Sometimes, in the beginning, it hurt so bad all she could do was pace," said her 12-year-old sister, Jessica.
Selling the lamb did raise some money for Katie.
"We
sort of let folks know that Katie had a situation that wasn't too pleasant," said auctioneer Roger Wilson, who
hoped his introduction would push the price-per-pound above the average of $2.
It did -- and then some. The lamb sold for $11.50 per pound!!
Then an amazing thing happened. The buyer gave it back!!
That started a chain reaction. Families bought it and gave it back. Businesses bought it and gave it back.
"The
first sale is the only one I remember. After that, I was crying too hard," said Katie's mother, Jayne Fisher. "Everyone kept
saying, ‘Re-sell! Re-sell”
"We
sold that lamb 36 times," said Wilson. “And the last buyer gave back the lamb
for good.”
The effort raised more than $16,000, which went into a fund to help pay Katie's medical expenses.
Having compassion makes a real difference!
Having compassion makes miracles happen!
Having compassion really changes things – and people! Oh, that God would give us a heart full of compassion for
needy people that are right around us!
Well, Bro. Compassion wasn’t working alone. The 2nd great friend was a guy I like to call, Bro. Cooperation. This fellow knew exactly where to go and he had a plan. You
remember the old cliché, “No one plans to fail, but many people fail to plan.” This
is why Bro. Cooperation was so necessary. He was the person with the organizational
and people skills to get the job done. In all probability, Bro. Compassion may
have just sat there weeping with the sick man unless Bro. Cooperation had come along.
Bro. Cooperation wasn’t seeking a name
for himself or any kind of glory or reward. He just helped unite his buddies
in one common mission. We can learn a lot from an unselfish man like this.
The next great friend is Bro. Cost. He was a man who was willing to count the cost! He was the
one who footed the bill for all that was going to happen. This job was going to mean taking some time off from work. This project was going to take up a lot of energy and precious time – that we
never seem to have enough of. It may even cost them something in regards to their
reputation. I mean, what will people think?
What sacrifices are going to be involved?
Bro. Cost came to the conclusion that any sacrifice
necessary was worth touching and saving the life of a friend. Well, so what if
it inconveniences me? Bro. Cost had figured out that life-changing opportunities
seldom arrive when it’s convenient.
The last of these 4 great friends was a gentleman
I call Bro. Consistency. Many people feel their hearts tugged when they see and
hear about problems. Many of them determine to pay the cost, and are all excited
to get started, but Bro. Consistency is the one who keeps saying, “Let’s keep going!”
Here’s the twist in this amazing story.
When they got to the house, these four friends could not even get into the front door because of the crowd of folk standing
around outside.
Bro. Compassion probably broke into tears at the sight. Bro. Cooperation was willing to hang around but he couldn’t
see how to go forward from here. Bro Cost most certainly would have stopped to figure out the least expensive way forward;
however, Bro. Consistency looked at his fellow workers and whispered, “Let’s not quit! We’ve come this far; let’s
find a way!”
And,
boy, did they ever find a way! They got up on the roof (which were flat in that
day), figured out approximately where Jesus was standing, and just cut a hole in the roof large enough to lower their friend
down inside the living room!! Can you imagine all those people sitting inside
as the dust began to fall on them? I often wonder what the owners of the house
said?
Bro. Compassion concluded that the time to act
was now. Bro. Cooperation jotted down the details. Bro. Cost figured up the expenses
and concluded a person was more important than a roof. Bro. Consistency said,
“Let’s
all just grab hold of these ropes and lower him down slow and steady.”
Together, they certainly got the job done!
Their faith was sorely tested! When you repeatedly
stretch most things (like rubber), they weaken and break – BUT the only way for your faith to grow is to repeatedly
stretch it!! And you can be sure that God will see to it that your faith is tested so that it can grow.
They overcame even the greatest obstacles. Probably the least of the obstacles was the roof.
That was just logistics. A bigger obstacle was the crowd. Many good-hearted people get discouraged and quit when the crowd begins to mock, laugh, or complain.
But
the biggest obstacle was themselves. They weren’t any different from us. They were (too) busy. I’m sure they hesitated to get involved. They probably had some troubles getting along. They probably
hesitated when the costs came up to more than they expected. I’m sure there was a strong temptation to quit when things
got rough. But they overcame their biggest obstacle which was their own self-centeredness,
and thus they were able to change someone else’s life.
These four friends didn’t get sidetracked,
discouraged, or defeated! They pressed on.
They stayed faithful!! They made a difference!
God can still use people like these four great
friends to make a difference, but it is going to take some compassion, cost, cooperation, and consistency.
How about you, neighbor? Everyone needs a friend
like these four men. Whose life will you touch this week to make an eternal difference?
SPECIAL NOTE: Pastor
Gene Ballance has had the great privilege of ministering in Colonial Heights at the Faith Baptist Church (1226 West Roslyn
Road) since 1994. We invite you to join us for our services on Sundays at 9:45, 11:00 and 6:30; and again on Wednesdays at
7:00. May God richly bless you.
