A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. (Mark 2:1-4)
Every time I read this passage I have to stop and ponder two questions: First, do I have any sold-out friends like that, who would rip a hole in someone’s roof because the doorway was blocked . . . just to get me in front of Jesus? Second, am I a sold-out friend like that to anyone in my life right now, for whom I would refuse to be denied in bringing him before Jesus? Those are questions we all need to consider, don’t you think?
Sold-out saints have a way of making things happen for the good of others and the glory of God. They refuse to be denied. Blocked doors will not keep them out. Crowded rooms will not cause them to shy away. And if they cannot bring someone to Jesus by the ordinary way that has been set before them, they will simply make a new way and refuse to stop until they get before our Lord.
Luke offered this insight to the account we read from Mark: “When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd” (Luke 5:19). What great risk these men took to get their paralyzed friend before the Christ! Just the sound of them up on the roof would have drawn the attention of those in the home. Then when they started digging and tearing away at the roof tiles, everyone inside would have been looking up as dust and pieces of the roof began to cascade down into the room below.
I really cannot think of any better phrase than sold-out saints when I read this account. These men would let nothing stand in the way of getting their friend an audience with Jesus. And how did Jesus respond?
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven. . . . I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” (Mark 2:5, 11)
The friends’ sold-out faith not only brought their friend physical healing, but spiritual healing as well. So the question I want to leave you with today is this: Do you have the kind of sold-out faith that will tear through roof tiles to get someone you know before the Savior of the world? May that be the confession of all our lives as we look for opportunities to bless those God has put in our lives, to the glory of the praise of His name.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
“Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:42)
When Jesus came to visit Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, the sisters were very busy, probably engaged in preparing a meal for the Lord and His disciples. Luke’s account tells us that Martha was “distracted with much serving,” giving us valuable insight into her heart . . . and into our own hearts as well! In serving her Lord, Martha was actually serving herself. Even service to Jesus can become self-serving if we allow it to happen. Martha had lost sight of her Savior because she shifted her focus to her service. Mary didn’t all into that trap; when Jesus arrived, Mary knew it was time to put her doing down and sit at the feet of her Lord.
The question we must ask ourselves is this: Am I more like Mary or Martha? We can get so busy doing stuff for our Savior that we neglect spending time with Him. Martha was encumbered by all of her doing, and she quickly grew frustrated that Mary had stopped helping with the preparations. “Lord,” she grumbled, “don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!” (Luke 10:40). Notice how Jesus responded to what amounted to a peevish rebuke from Martha.
“Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (Luke 10:41-42)
In the ancient cultural context, when someone’s name was repeated, it was a sign of relationship, friendship, and intimacy. Jesus was not upset with Martha, even though Martha seemed to be a bit upset with Him. In essence, Jesus was saying, “Martha, I appreciate all that you are doing in making preparations for our visit. Hospitality is a good thing, and we are to show it to everyone. But if we aren’t careful, the focus of our hospitality can shift away those we are serving, because we have begun serving ourselves.”
I can personally testify to this truth –perhaps I should say confess to this truth — from my life as a pastor. There have been too many times when my service has been self-serving. We are not immune to serving ourselves even when we are serving our Savior. We must constantly check our motives.
How is it with you? Which of the two sisters do you more closely resemble? I think we all have a bit of both Martha and Mary in us if we truly love our Lord. We want to serve to the best of our ability, but we need to know there is a time for serving and a time for sitting. Have you chosen what is better? May this be the confession of our lives.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them. (Psalm 34:7 NKJV)
There is a wonderful promise in our passage of Scripture today, but it comes with a condition. God has put His holy hedge of protection around those who fear Him. Now, this is not the kind of fear that drives us into a small, dark corner, cowering in fear of God. This fear is a holy reverence for the sheer glory and magnificence of our God because we love, respect, and honor Him.
When we read that “The Angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,” the word encamps reminds us of the 40 years of wilderness wandering of the people of God. After being freed from bondage in Egypt and being led out to the Promised Land, God gave Israel forty years to think about their unbelief and rebellion (Numbers 14:34). But during all that time, God never abandoned them. He encamped around them and protected them from everything that would come against them. Even in their faithlessness, they still feared God, and He ultimately delivered them into their Promised Land.
Do you fear God? Do you love and respect Him? Do you esteem Him above all else? Then you have this promise today, that God will deliver you from anything that will come against you. You have the promise of God’s protection, God’s deliverance, and God’s love, favor, and mercy.
We must be careful not to assume something that is not promised. The promise is not a trouble-free existence; regular readers here know that I frequently recall that Jesus flatly told us that we will experience trouble in this world (John 16:33). The promise in Psalm 34:7 is that God will encamp around you and ultimately bring you to the other side of everything that has come against you – if not in this life, then certainly in the next, when He brings you to your true Promised Land.
Are you living your life in the fear of God, knowing that He has encamped around you with His holy hedge of safety? We can feel all alone when the waves of challenge are crashing down on us, but we must remember what Jesus said to His disciples before He left them: “I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:18). You are not alone! Jesus is with you every step of the way, especially when your way is long and winding and filled with difficulties.
One final word of encouragement. A few verses earlier in this psalm, David said, “I sought the Lord, and He answered me and delivered me from all my fears” (Psalm 34:4). God not only hears your cries, He has promised to answer them and replace your every fear with faith. All you need to do is seek Him out, and you can look forward to His deliverance.
This is the Gospel. This is grace for your race. NEVER FORGET THAT . . . AMEN!
Grace for the Race 