The place was Capernaum – a fishing village located on the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus was teaching in a house that may have belonged to Simon Peter. Wherever Jesus went He attracted large crowds. This time was no different. The house was filled beyond capacity. You couldn’t even get near the door. Had there been a fire marshal in town, he certainly would have shut the meeting down.
As Jesus continued to teach, four men stood outside the house formulating a plan. Their paralyzed friend was on a stretcher. Their dilemma was how to get their friend past the crowd to Jesus. There seemed to be no way. Then they hit upon an idea.
At first the crowd inside the house became aware of a strange sound coming from the roof. Can you imagine their shock when all of a sudden debris and dirt started falling down on their heads? In a few moments daylight broke through. Then appeared the faces of the four men as they peered down through the sizeable hole they just dug in the roof. I wonder if Jesus broke into a smile or maybe a silent chuckle as He considered the comical side of what was happening.
While Simon Peter was frantically looking for his homeowner’s insurance policy to see if it covered the damages, these four men lowered their friend on the stretcher directly in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus performed the double miracle of salvation and healing. The paralytic who had to be lowered through the roof on a stretcher got up and walked out of the house completely healed!
Sue Anderson, who leads our prayer team ministry, made this great observation from this story: Hope in and of itself would have stopped at the door. But real faith will dig a hole in the roof! The audacity of the faith of these four men captured the attention of Jesus! The story teaches that Jesus is moved by faith that dares to believe and refuses to give up.
What miracle are you in need of today? Don’t be discouraged by a few obstacles or setbacks. Don’t give up because of the seemingly impossibility of the situation. Possess and practice audacious faith. Dig a hole in the roof. Believe and keep believing until the answer comes.
Pastor Todd Weston
As Jesus continued to teach, four men stood outside the house formulating a plan. Their paralyzed friend was on a stretcher. Their dilemma was how to get their friend past the crowd to Jesus. There seemed to be no way. Then they hit upon an idea.
At first the crowd inside the house became aware of a strange sound coming from the roof. Can you imagine their shock when all of a sudden debris and dirt started falling down on their heads? In a few moments daylight broke through. Then appeared the faces of the four men as they peered down through the sizeable hole they just dug in the roof. I wonder if Jesus broke into a smile or maybe a silent chuckle as He considered the comical side of what was happening.
While Simon Peter was frantically looking for his homeowner’s insurance policy to see if it covered the damages, these four men lowered their friend on the stretcher directly in front of Jesus. Seeing their faith, Jesus performed the double miracle of salvation and healing. The paralytic who had to be lowered through the roof on a stretcher got up and walked out of the house completely healed!
Sue Anderson, who leads our prayer team ministry, made this great observation from this story: Hope in and of itself would have stopped at the door. But real faith will dig a hole in the roof! The audacity of the faith of these four men captured the attention of Jesus! The story teaches that Jesus is moved by faith that dares to believe and refuses to give up.
What miracle are you in need of today? Don’t be discouraged by a few obstacles or setbacks. Don’t give up because of the seemingly impossibility of the situation. Possess and practice audacious faith. Dig a hole in the roof. Believe and keep believing until the answer comes.
Pastor Todd Weston
