WJS8 – Jesus Saw Faith

WJS8 – Jesus Saw Faith

Reading: Mark 2:1-12 (Click link for full scripture) 1 When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 2 Soon the house where he was staying was so packed with visitors that there was no more room, even outside the door. While he was preaching God’s word to them, 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus. 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:1-5 NLT) So often we think of faith as a set of doctrines we subscribe to or a set of beliefs we’ve been taught or a prayer that we pray, but this story makes it clear that there’s another meaning of faith. When Jesus saw the dust and straw begin to fall from the ceiling to the floor in front of him, he stopped teaching and watched the proceedings with great interest! When enough tiles had been removed and when Jesus’ listeners had scooted their chairs back out of the way, four men lowered their friend down through the hole in the roof, right in front of Jesus. These four men loved their friend so much and had such confidence that his paralysis could and would be healed if they could only get him to Jesus that they tore up the roof of the house and lowered their friend on his mat with ropes. I, like some of the people present that day, might have seen the mess they made, or the boldness they had, or the disruption they caused. Jesus saw their faith! Their faith was love in action.
• Their faith was noticeable because it caused them to go way beyond normal behavior to seek something from Jesus. Their faith demanded immediate attention!
• Their faith was noticeable because they were willing to accept the consequences of their expression of love for their friend. Their faith was willing to pay the price! It was on the basis of their faith, their visible, enacted faith, that their friend was healed and that his sins were forgiven. Friends, I’m not making some new doctrine here, I’m just saying that I want us to love enough and be bold enough that Jesus can see our faith and heal people who need healing and forgive people who need forgiveness. Prayer: Father, Please help us make our faith visible. Increase our love for others so that we act in faith that you can see. May our faith become visible to you and to others because we are moved by compassion to acts of faith. In Jesus’ Name!