The Paralitic and his Four Friends

We will begin by saying that this paralytic is a representation of the man without Christ. Of one who lies prostrate without being able to fend for himself, but above all submerged in a condition of shame, fear and deep sadness

Evangelization in some cases requires more than one person to be effective. This is what we call cooperation in salvation. In the passage we will use for our message today we have a living example of this. It took the participation of four men to bring a paralytic before the Lord for the purpose of being healed.

We will begin by saying that this paralytic is a representation of the man without Christ. Of one who lies prostrate without being able to fend for himself, but above all submerged in a condition of shame, fear and deep sadness. Of course we talk about the man without God. And because it is in such a state it is necessary to bring it to Christ, the only one who can lift it from such a condition. Mark describes this scene in a very lively way, abounding in details about the other gospels.

Some authors believe that the house where this miracle occurred was that of Pedro. But whatever it was in that place there was an extraordinary miracle where it became clear that Jesus Christ was God in showing that he could forgive sins and heal the paralytic. However, the credit of this story is taken by the four men who, overcoming all the obstacles, managed to put the paralytic in the presence of the Healer. In effect, this was his goal. The performance of faith of these men give us the guidelines to help in the salvation of the lost.

They show us the value of teamwork. The value of the unit in a single objective, inspiring us to do the same. Let's see, then, how to put faith in action to bring men to Christ. Let us consider the route that must be taken to bring the "paralytic" to the feet of the Savior. How to travel that road to get there.

I. FOR THE PARALYTIC TO BE BROUGHT TO CHRIST IS REQUIRED OF COMPASSIONATE MEN

Loading the one who does not walk v. 3. The name and origin of those men is unknown. We do not know in which ministry of the church they were involved. But that does not matter, the Bible is not interested in giving us those details but in showing us what they did. The emphasis is on the compassion and friendship they had for that unhappy paralytic.

They came to love him and would often come to him to accompany him. They would not come like Job's friends, to enter into a philosophical reasoning about the causes of their suffering. They would not visit him like the Pharisees, who would be more concerned about not getting infected than being moved to mercy. They were not like some who would only express words of pity before the human condition, but without going any further.

We have many people who will ponder the lost condition of man, but do not take any action to help them. The performance of those men was that of a "good Samaritan." They were men with great sensitivity, who had made the paralytic the object of their concern for such human misery. That is active compassion.

Four seem too many v. 3. These men show us that before we bring someone to Christ we must have compassion for them. It is the heart-to-heart contact that softens our sensitivity and puts us on the path to seek help from the needy. The compassion for that man led them to prepare an encounter with Jesus Christ.

We are struck by the fact that four men were used in the healing and salvation of the paralytic. There are paralytics who do not weigh much. Some known cases reveal these people reduced to a lot of bones. So that one man could have brought them to Christ. But here were four. Two would take the lead and two would go behind. The ones followed the others.

All teamwork to save the sick. There is a truth in this that must be taken: the church needs to work in communion if it wants to see the conversion of those around us, as Paul said to the Philippians in his letter: (Phil 2: 2-4). The work of family groups has this function. Did you realize how homes are a source of salvation for the lost?

II. FOR THE PARALYTIC TO BE BROUGHT TO CHRIST THE OVERRIDE OF THE OBSTACLES IS REQUIRED

Not being able to approach Jesus v. 4. Although Jesus is always close, there may well be obstacles that prevent us from reaching him. The day arrived when the four men, full of great optimism, enthusiastic with great hope and persuaded of a great faith, prepared to take man to Jesus. The news was on the streets. After a few days Jesus came to Carpenaúm.

Some think that this was the last time he would come to the city. For those men the time of salvation was urgent. If they did not take it now there would be no other chance. So, facing this challenge, a single issue dominated the determination of these four friends: to bring the sick person to Christ. They would have to convince the paralytic which would not cost much due to their condition.

But this is not always an easy task. People do not come to Christ as they go to their amusements. Not all cases respond in the same way. There is a world of excuses while talking about God's love for each life. You can invite someone to some social or sports activity and come soon, but invite them to come to Christ and you will notice how many excuses they put.

There are a multitude of obstacles v. 4. How many people would be stationed at the door listening to the Master's most unparalleled teachings? We can imagine the painting. Those men charged the patient a certain distance, but now they can not enter. It is possible that at first the moments of discouragement and even frustration came, but they overcame their own feelings of failure.

They did not see the "crowd" to get to Christ. What is the crowd that prevents people from coming to Christ today? A multitude of religions, a multitude of dogmas and precepts, a multitude of false teachers, a multitude of amusements and pleasures of the world, a multitude of bad testimonies, a multitude of indifferent and insensitive believers, a multitude of complaints and criticisms from the believers themselves, a multitude of lives that do not they are a good reference for a living and victorious Christianity ... and the list would continue to be very long.

The believer and the church should be aware of those "crowds" that are obstacles for others to come to Christ and open more spaces to bring men to the feet of the Master. There are serious obstacles that prevent the paralytic man Christ from being brought. Our task is to convince them to take them to Christ.

III. FOR THE PARALYTIC TO BE BROUGHT TO CHRIST, THE POWER OF PERSISTENCE IS REQUIRED

Discovering the roof v. 4b. The truth of this story is that this man was healed by the enormous faith that his friends had. The Bible does not tell us that they were discouraged by the difficulties. Let's imagine the scene. Suddenly the crowd that was posted at the door note that these men managed and instead of looking for the door to enter are on the roof of the house.

We believe that these men knew well the structures of the houses, because soon they opened a gap to be able to lower the sick man. As I believe that Jesus was a man of great humor, I imagine him even laughing with such an occurrence on the part of these men. Now see this. Jesus is in the room teaching.

He had to hear the blows on the ceiling and see how that house was filled with dust unlike that which was filled with perfume when a woman broke the alabaster glass on her feet. Now Jesus will have to stop his teaching. He contemplated the brave faith those men who looked from above and now has the sick in front of him v.5. My brothers evangelization consists of bringing the "paralytic" to Christ.

Overcoming the disbelief inside v. 4, 7. The Pharisees who were there were filled with amazement and an immediate reaction calling Jesus a blasphemer v.7. But the certain thing was that the intrepidity of these men left as much astonished to which they were inside as those that were outside. What happened there was a story that expanded very soon.

IV. BRINGING THE PARALYTIC TO CHRIST FINALLY LEADS TO JOY JOURNEY MADE

Lowering the paralytic to Christ v. 5. The objective had been met. Those men overcame all difficulties and now there is a stretcher with a disabled person in front of the only one who could do something for him. It is not known if the paralytic had been born in that condition. It is not known if what came to him was the product of sin itself, judging by the words of the Lord that his sins were forgiven.

There are four onlookers from above and a crowd inside and outside waiting for what Jesus could do. The rest of the work depends on him. So in this scene Jesus is going to move from the condition of Master to the condition of Savior and God. That house witnessed this fact. The first words of Jesus could confuse the audience.

The onlookers on the roof would expect Jesus to give the healing order once and for all. But he did not. What a disappointment! It was more concrete in saying "your sins are forgiven you". However, those words are always the beginning of the true divine miracle. Jesus Christ will not heal the body if it does not heal the soul first. Nowadays it is the other way around, because the main concern is to heal the body before the soul.

CONCLUSION: "Then he got up immediately, and taking his bed, he went out before all, so that all were astonished, and glorified God, saying: We have never seen such a thing" v. 12. This is the final goal of evangelization: that men glorify God for the work done in the "paralytic." This is the final joy of the one who evangelizes. The performance of these men shows us how the task should be given in evangelization. They reveal to us that if there is no compassion there is no interest in the lost.

They tell us that if there is no unity, the lost will remain in their condition; The four took one side of the bed and picked him up. They tell us that even when the road to the Lord is hindered by a "multitude" of obstacles, one must be perseverant and bold to bring men to the Lord.

And above all, they show us that there is joy in heaven and in the evangelizing heart, when we see men rise up from their state and glorify the Lord for the change of their lives. Am I part of these "four friends"? Do I have a sincere love for the one who is "dead in his trespasses and sins"?