Who Cares? The Key for Real Impact

Mark 2 tells us the story of a paralyzed man and his four friends who went to great lengths to meet Jesus in Capernaum. When they heard that Jesus was in the city, the four carried the paralytic on a mat to the house where Jesus was preaching. However, when they arrived, they saw that the gathering crowd was so enormous that it spilled out of the house itself. They could not get through. But instead of leaving when they encountered this obstacle, they tried to find another way in. Who suggested the plan first? And how must the friends have reacted to an idea as insane as climbing through the roof of someone’s house? It probably seemed like the craziest plan they’d ever heard. But they persisted past this seemingly impossible idea and together, they hoisted their friend onto the roof. If we consider the passage for a moment, we also realize that these men didn’t own the house. Although it didn’t belong to them, they began to dig through the roof of somebody else’s home in order to reach Jesus. They saw the risk of the endeavor as an investment that they would have to pay later. As they lowered their friend down in front of where Jesus was speaking, the last risk presented itself. In addition to the risks of physical harm, crazy ideas, and financial disputes, they risked humiliation and failure when they brought their friend to the front of the crowd. All of these risks and obstacles were overcome, however, when Jesus saw their faith and forgave the sins of the paralyzed man. When the teachers of the law scoffed, Jesus told the man to take up his mat and go home. He did. The entire crowd was amazed and praised God, saying “We have never seen anything like this!” One of the greatest miracles that we at LINC NT saw in the last year was the healing of Luis’ physical, relational, and spiritual brokenness. We didn’t find Luis, and he didn’t find us. His cousin, Javier, was so burdened by Luis’ pain that he asked us to visit him in spite of the fact that Luis lives thirty-two miles away, far outside our current area of work. Javier had faith, and we believe that through that faith, God brought healing to Luis. Many times, we don’t have a perfect solution for a struggling friend or family member. We feel powerless and helpless. But God is strong where we are weak, and He is faithful to hear our prayers and respond to our acts of faith. In times of need, being a good friend requires us to not only believe but to risk as well, putting our love for our friend above our own desires and worries. We must risk our reputations, our finances, and our personal convenience to go out of the way to help our friends. Although it may not be comfortable or easy, we make an impact when we care enough to help others. “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13:35   - by Oscar Benavides and Kristen O'neal