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THE
REAL NEED.
They Looked at their friend and then looked at each other. They had not
known him any other way than confined to his pallet. His legs were drawn
and atrophied. All of a sudden it struck one of the friends, “Hey, that
new Rabbi has been doing miracles everywhere he goes. They tell me that he
has cured the blind, the crippled and even lepers. Let’s load him up and
take him to the other side of town. Jesus is speaking there at a house. I
know the guy. He would let us in.”
So they loaded up their buddy…let’s call him Joe…and started the walk to
the place where Jesus was teaching. Their spirits were soaring in spite of
the heavy load of Joe and his bed.
Their faces fell and they felt momentarily defeated when they reached the
house and saw that it was impossible to get anywhere near the door.
Important teachers and lawyers were packed tight in…no space for ordinary
Joe or his bed.
As one rubbed his beard and looked skyward, as if seeking help from
somewhere, the empty roof was right there before them. They got some help
and pulled Joe and his bed to the rooftop. Then, without even thinking
about what they were about to do, they started scratching at the roof
materials.
Inside it wasn’t apparent at first what was happening. Ceiling material
started drifting down around where Jesus was sitting and some of it fell
right on the teachers and lawyers. When they opened the first part of the
hole, all eyes lifted toward the ceiling, including the eyes of Jesus.
Jesus smiled, and stopped teaching as he watched the men begin to lower
Joe and his bed through the hole. People made way for the pallet and
helped guide the swinging Joe to a spot right smack dab in front of Jesus.
In the room there wasn’t a sound. Every teacher and lawyer was on tiptoe
because they knew they were going to see something. After all that is why
they were there. Either this man could do everything they were hearing
that he could do or he was just another phony.
They watched Jesus as he looked with compassion on the poor crippled Joe.
He didn’t speak right away, but when he did there was a gasp in the room.
“Son, your sins are forgiven you.”
What an uproar! The lawyers were all over it. “That is against the law,”
they cried. No man can forgive sins. Only God can do that.
The friends that had lowered Joe and his bed into the hole were in an
uproar as well. “Hey Rabbi, Can’t you see that Joe can’t walk. Why don’t
you do what you can to get this man on his feet.”
Jesus could plainly see Joe’s real need. Maybe Joe didn’t even know his
real need, but at the moment that Jesus spoke. He surely felt a release in
his soul. Even though he was still on his bed, don’t you imagine that
tears were streaming down his face as he wondered, “Can this man really
see into my soul? Can he really forgive me or are the lawyers right?”
That is when Jesus smiled, “Which do you think is harder to tell this poor
guy that his sins are forgiven or to tell him to get up and walk?”( Mark
2:1-12 NIV.)
Boom! Joe’s legs straightened out and his back became strong. A pulse of
life shot through his body and he jumped to his feet, picked up his bed
and started dancing around. The friends cheered and the mouths of the
teachers and lawyers were wide open in amazement.
The moral to this story…Jesus always sees our real need. He is always
ready to heal us where we hurt the most. He never gets confused about
which is more important the crippled body or the crippled soul. He is most
concerned about fitting us for Heaven.
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and all his righteousness and all these
things will be added to you. ( Matt. 6:33 NIV.)
Blessings
Allen |