Tear off the roof
The King’s in the house
Just get me to Jesus
I don’t care how
I don’t have to wait to get the healing
I gotta faith without a ceiling
So tear off the roof
‘Cause the King’s in the house*
A few weeks ago I heard a sermon with this question: “Do you have and are you a friend who would cut through a roof for someone else?” She was referring to the story of four friends who brought a paralyzed man to Jesus for healing.
One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. 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, right in front of Jesus.
When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.”
The Pharisees and the teachers of the law began thinking to themselves, “Who is this fellow who speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts? Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” Immediately he stood up in front of them, took what he had been lying on and went home praising God. Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” (Luke 5:17-26 NIV)
As I reread this story, three points stick out to me:
1) The writer specifically says that God’s power for healing was with Jesus. Does this imply there were times that same power was not with Jesus? And/or does this mean that Jesus is the conduit for the healing at all times?
2) Jesus healed the man when he saw the faith of the man’s friends. There’s no mention of the man having faith for healing.
3) Immediately after Jesus told him his sins were forgiven and take up his mat and go home, the man stood up. Not later, but immediately.
The story ends with, Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, “We have seen remarkable things today.” I would expect that if you or I had seen this miracle, we, too, would be amazed, filled with awe, and recognize and praise God for that miracle.
Which brings me back to the original question: Do you (do I) have friends who, after seeing no way through the crowd, would carry someone up to a roof and destroy the roof in order to bring someone to Jesus?
Put in a modern context, do you have friends who, if they saw no way into a packed church, would climb through a window or break down a barrier just to get you closer to Jesus? Who are the people in your life that wouldn’t give up on you spiritually? If all the doors were blocked, would they find a way—any way—to help you meet Jesus? Are you willing to be that person for someone else?
God,
Thank you for your love, your grace, your mercy, and your healing power. Thank you for the stories in your Word that encourage and challenge us. Help us to have faith to believe for healing for those around us. Help us to have courage to do whatever it takes to bring someone else to you. We ask this in Jesus’s name, AMEN.
*”Tear Off the Roof” by Brandon Lake, Chris Davenport, Hank Bentley, Jacob Sooter, Jordan Colle; © Capitol CMG Publishing, Essential Music Publishing, Integrity Music