Mark 2:1-12 2024/03/31 Osaka Church
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit
The people chose four strong men for their palsy and bedridden friend. Then they carried him on their shoulders, leaving him lying on the bed, and carried him to the house where Jesus was teaching. But the house was so crowded that they couldn’t even get close to the entrance. So the four men climbed onto the roof, cut a hole in the ceiling, and lowered the sick man down in front of Jesus. Jesus healed him immediately.
Now, everyone, please try to imagine.
Four burly men hurried down the road, carrying a bed with a sick person on it. Many friends follow them. When they realized that the house where the Lord was teaching was full of people, they called out, “OK! Let’s go”’ and they set up a ladder, one of them carried the sick person on his back, climbed up to the roof, and pulled up the bed from there. Then, They tore off the roof.
Aren’t you surprised? In that era, roofs were very simple, consisting of wooden branches lined between beams, coarse fabrics placed on top of them, and hardened with kneaded mud. So maybe it’s not that surprising… But, everyone! Please be surprised! It’s someone else’s house. Without any hesitation, they tore off the roof of someone else’s house and lowered the bed down with the person on it.
Inside the house…suddenly there was a crunching sound overhead, and then a cloud of dust flew up, and the dried lumps of earth fell down. Can’t you see Jesus’ face looking up in shock? Moreover, the people there were surprised for the second time as the bed on which the person was laying was gradually lowered. Can’t you hear the stir of the people?
The Gospel says, “Jesus saw their faith.” This one! Jesus saw their daring behavior; the Lord couldn’t help but blurt out, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” I have just said “He blurted it out,”. I’m afraid such saying may be impolite, but it is appropriate. Jesus saw in this an incredible amount of trust him. Jesus could not help but repay their trust. That’s why he blurted it out. “Your sins are forgiven!” They surprised God, impressed God, moved God’s heart, and brought out God’s words and actions. Amen, Amen, I can only say “Excellent!!”.
“Jesus saw their faith”… “They” are not just four men. The people who chose the four men and asked them, “You guys must be confident in your strength,” were bound together by their love for a sick friend and their direct trust in Jesus. They were bound by the belief that “this person will definitely help him.” That is why, with one heart, they embarked on a bold action that even the Lord Jesus was surprised at, and accomplished it. People who are united in their trust in Jesus and who have Jesus in their head as if they were one, are able to astonish even God and bring out his works.
It’s church. It is a fellowship, “the New People of God”, “the Body of Christ” tied to the Savior Jesus.
Let’s stand before God without fear. Never be disappointed, always be joyful. Let us pray without fear and without ceasing. Let us always be bold and express our requests to God. There are many friends who are having a hard time and are suffering. Let’s pray to the Lord, help, comfort, and forgiveness for our sick friends, for our friends who are about to lose hope, for our friends who have lost their faith, for our friends who have fallen into sin, and for all the people around the world who are sad and weep.
The church prays with one heart as it waits for Pascha.
“Lord, we join with them who broke through the roof, in absolute trust in You on that day, and we raise our joyful voices up with them. In the light of your glorious resurrection that fills the midnight cathedral, we pray for all of us. “Lord, gather us all together and embrace us.” Amen