Good News Ministries at 1511 Carter Oaks Drive, Valrico, FL 33594 US - Through the Roof
| Through the Roof |
"Through the Roof" is a faith-sharing ministry based on Luke 5:17-26:
The power of the Lord was present so He could heal the sick. The friends of a paralytic man carried him on a mat to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. Because of the crowds, they could not find a way to do this, so they cut a hole in the roof and lowered him on his mat down to Jesus.... Jesus said, "I will show you that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." He said to the paralyzed man, "Get up, take your mat and go home." Immediately he stood up, picked up his mat and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave glory to God. Filled with awe, they proclaimed, "We have seen remarkable things today!"
What obstacles seem insurmountable in your life? Look at the obstacles faced by the paralytic in Luke 5:17-26. The crippled man needed a healing, but his first obstacle was his disease. He could not walk to the house where Jesus was staying. He lived in the same town where Jesus had taken up residence when He wasn't travelling, and now He had returned home, but the man couldn't get to Him -- he was so close and yet so far.
However, he had friends who cared. He accepted their loving offer to carry him on an improvised stretcher (his mat) to Jesus. Then the next obstacle smacked him in the face. The house was too crowded. So many people wanted to be near Jesus, there was no way the paralytic's friends could get him through the door, let alone to sit him in front of the Healer.
How many of us have given up at this point? We overcome one obstacle only to be hit by another, and it seems like the task is impossible or the dream is too unrealistic to come true.
This is the time for innovation and determination! The paralytic's friends decided to take him to the one place where there were no crowds -- in the empty air above Jesus' head. Now that takes "thinking outside the box" ho-ho! But getting him to the roof was no easy matter. Probably, there was a ladder that led to the roof, because Middle-east housetops were often used for sleeping in the cool night air when the indoors was hot and stuffy. If the house owners were wealthy, they might have stairs. Though it's possible that a wealthy family donated their house to Jesus, it's likely that it only had a wooden ladder. Surely that made a difficult and risky task out of the friends' efforts to help the invalid.
Once they got him to the roof, they had to cut a hole through the tiles. Now they faced the obstacle that usually halts us in our tracks. It's the same obstacle Jesus was about to face, when He'd forgive the man's sins and the scribes would condemn Him as a blasphemer. The obstacle is this: "What will people think of me? Will they disapprove?" The paralytic's friends were about to damage someone else's property. Would they be stopped by people who were more concerned about the value of the house than the value of the man? (This is a good lesson to remember when we're the ones trying to protect material goods or company policies at the expense of an individual's needs.) And it probably crossed their minds that the "rabbi" (as Jesus was often called out of respect for His vast knowledge) might not appreciate getting his house ripped open. What if it was going to rain before repairs could be made?
When the obstacle we face is the opinions of others, this is the time to trust in Jesus' love and compassion. This is the time to find out what God thinks of what we are trying to do. How does His heart feel about our motives?
We cannot face obstacles alone, at least not well. We all need a support group of caring friends like the paralytic man's. We need Holy Spirit-filled people who will help us identify what is paralyzing us and will carry us when we are too weak to move forward on our own. We need friends who will confirm God's will and show us innovative ways to get around the obstacles. We need prayer partners who will bring us into Christ's presence.
NOTE: This discussion group is ONLY for those who read the Daily Reflections of Good News Ministries Online, because the faith-sharings are based on the Gospel reading for the upcoming Sunday and focus on the reflection question provided to readers of the Daily Reflections. If you are not yet a reader, please sign up now. You will then receive an invitation to join a Through the Roof community!