And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men.
Mark 2:3
Sociologists are quick to point out that the healthiest people mentally and physically, are those who are functionally aware of others. These people often find themselves in “the helping professions” like nurses, counselors, pastors, policemen and many other affiliated occupations. It seems that there are some who will wade into other people’s lives, try to do what seems right and most importantly, touching others in their needs.
There are some who say that you either got it, or you don’t. My issue is that Jesus seems to think that His followers would learn how to activate this mentality– this gift. Each of us are directed to “bear one another’s burdens”. This really can’t be adjusted in order to fit my selfish personality. Regardless of my personal proclivities, it seems I am stuck with “the least of these”. Thankfully Jesus promises me a Helper to help me, and help others who need help.
Carrying a cot for a paralyzed man seems to be indicative of how life is going to go for us, as we surrender to the task and carry our share of the load. We comply with the need of the moment, to bring this man into the Lord’s presence. I’m not thinking rewards here, or any special recognition. Essentially, I’m just the schmuck who has to carry this guy into the presence of Jesus.
“Our society is filled with runaways, dropouts, and quitters. The epidemic of walking away has hit our land with effects as devastating as the bubonic plague, and it has destroyed millions of effective lives and relationships. We are so self-centered that we have ceased to lay down our lives for others.”
Kay Arthur
There is a definitive call to service as His student, His disciple. You just might say that learning how to forget yourself is the major starting point for a real servant. It’s like your new Cadillac Escalade, equipped with cameras and a computer on the dash. You don’t need to ask for these, they just give them to you. It is part of the package. Serving is part of the package that discipleship has when its delivered to your “apartment door.”
You will learn to serve someone else. This tutelage takes a long, long time. In all of these lessons we are free to leave, terminating our relationship with the person we are serving. But I don’t advise this at all. Jacob had Laban teaching him, and teaching him, for many years. Scripture is jammed full of men and women learning by serving. And sometimes, that can take a lot of time– maybe years.
There was four men carrying the paralytic, two would’ve been a strain, and three awkward. No–four is just right. Let us be a serious people, fulfilling our responsibility to our friend lying on the cot and to Jesus. We are all in this together. Now– it’s time to take your place and lift.
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Broken Believers 
The story of the paralytic is one of the more interesting anecdotes in the Bible….I wonder who those four friends were. Were they close to the paralyzed man? Were they family, or relatives? Did they carry him to Jesus because of compassion or pity or love or duty? Did all four know each other and him, or were one or two of them friends of the other two and helped out of their friendship for the other litter-bearers as opposed to friendship for the paralyzed man?
The Bible doesn’t say what their motivations were. It just says what they did, and what they did was pretty impressive (climbing on the roof and digging a hole, no less. Not only hard work, but possibly dangerous). Perhaps that teaches me that while it’s nice to feel the warm fuzzies when helping people, the more important thing is that you just help. And go all-out about it. Climb roofs, dig holes, do physical labor, whatever it takes to get people in front of Jesus.
Hmm. What do you think?
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Reblogged this on cuppajoeandthou and commented:
I love this blog. Broken Believers has been an uplifting presence in my life for years and I highly recommend it!
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I wonder how the healed paralytic lived his life afterwards. Did he serve those in need? Did he bring them to Jesus? Did he excitedly tell those to brought him to Jesus about the removal of the burden of his guilt?
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Ahhh… good questions. I could only suggest that he would never be the same again.
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