Read Mark 2: 1-12
You might be puzzled at my choice of title for today's blog - unless you are from Townhead Christian Fellowship in Stevenston. The name 'roof diggers' was coined by Stewart Beck (and I hope he sees his name on this Blog). We were planning a special event for Easter away back in 2006, I think, and the emphasis was going to be on having a special outreach in our local community. Stewart came up with this title which I have never forgotten. It relates to this incident at the beginning of the second chapter of Mark's Gospel. This poor guy is paralysed and he has heard that there is a miracle worker in the city of Capernaum. This man from Nazareth has done some amazing things already - such as healing a leper. He has also driven out an evil spirit from a man in the city. And so the poor guy reckons that if only he could reach Jesus, he might get healed. But he is bed-ridden and unable to sit up, never mind walk. However, he has friends who are prepared to make every effort to get him to Jesus. They carry him on his bed - maybe more like a mattress. They take a corner each and they carry him through the streets to the house where Jesus is teaching. Not a very comfortable journey for the nameless paralytic.
They arrive at the house - but as they approach the house they see that there is a problem. There are crowds everywhere and the house is crammed full with local people all wanting to meet this rabbi and to hear what he has to say. There is no way into the house - the door is jammed with people who could not enter the house and they are trying to pick up what Jesus is saying. The helpless man's friends were not easily discouraged or deflected from their mission. They had to get their poor mate to Jesus somehow. The roof! - not the kind of roof we might think of - it would have been a flat roof and it is possible that the owners of the house used this to socialise or dine. So the four helpers climb the outside stairs still balancing the poor helpless man in his mattress. I am not sure if they had planned the next step in detail but they began to make a hole in the roof. They would remove the tiles and then break through the plaster and then make a hole into the room down below. They then make the opening wide enough to take the bed. They find some ropes and lower their mate down to where Jesus was.
This must have been a shock to the listeners - some of whom would have found this really offensive. What about the damage to the roof also? Who is going to pay for the damage. I also can picture the scene down below as the rubble and plaster drop down on them as these determined guys are making a sizeable hole in the ceiling.
It was worth their effort. The helpless man is told to take up his mat and walk. Jesus' command comes with divine authority and the ill man does not argue or protest. He simply gets up with a strength he has not experienced for a long time and walks on legs he has not used for many years. This is a miracle and the onlookers are amazed. Here is what they said, "We have never seen anything like this!"
Is there a lesson for us today? Will we make a special effort to make sure that people who are in desperate need of help encounter the Saviour of the World? Will we break through barriers? Will we have the determination to take people to Jesus even when we meet with opposition? Do we care about people enough to make a sacrifice on their behalf?
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