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. Mark 2:4

Devotion

My dad sometimes listened to talk radio when he was in the car. (This was back in the 1980s when we actually listened to the radio). As a child, I thought to myself, “I will never listen to anything so boring and lame. Top 40 hits are all that will be blaring through my car speakers when I grow up.” From the time I turned 16 and acquired my first car—a very cool Plymouth Sundance—I was jamming, volume turned all the way up, to all manner of music beloved by Gen Xers like myself: Boys II Men, Mariah Carey, Garth Brooks, and a little Guns ‘n Roses, too.  

What I’ve realized 30 years later is that I have now turned into my dad. I too have become boring and lame, listening to mostly podcasts or audiobooks when I’m in the car, which I have taken as a sign that I am well and truly deep into being middle aged. 

Most recently, I was listening to a book titled Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion. It’s a memoir written by Father Gregory Boyle, a Jesuit priest who has spent many years serving and working with gang members in LA. Boyle is the founder of Homeboy Industries which is the largest gang-intervention, rehabilitation, and re-entry program in the world.

Throughout the book, Father Boyle references a well-known gospel story that plays on repeat in kids’ Sunday school classrooms the world over. It’s the healing of the paralytic man, and as I was drawn back to that account, I was struck by a detail that I’d never paid much attention to before.  

Let’s pause for a moment, open our Bibles, and dig into the text where this account can be found in the Gospel of Mark, chapter two, starting at verse one.  

When Jesus returned to Capernaum several days later, the news spread quickly that he was back home. 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, four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 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. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

But some of the teachers of religious law who were sitting there thought to themselves, “What is he saying? This is blasphemy! Only God can forgive sins!”

Jesus knew immediately what they were thinking, so he asked them, “Why do you question this in your hearts? Is it easier to say to the paralyzed man ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk’? So I will prove to you that the Son of Man has the authority on earth to forgive sins.” Then Jesus turned to the paralyzed man and said, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home!”

And the man jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers. They were all amazed and praised God, exclaiming, “We’ve never seen anything like this before!” - Mark 2:1-12 (NLT)

This story is incredible for numerous reasons. Jesus miraculously heals a man in front of a whole bunch of people, and his words and actions stir up controversy among the religious leaders who were witness to this event. But there’s another detail I want to draw our attention to. In verse four, Scripture tells us these men were so determined to get their friend to Jesus that they literally dug a hole in the roof to make a way.

Take a moment to imagine this scene. Let it unfold in your mind as if you were there. These four men set off from wherever they’ve come, carrying their friend to the home where they’d heard the Rabbi, Jesus, would be. It’s a laborious effort that steadily drains their energy with each step, leaving them exhausted by the time they arrive. They're panting, lungs desperate for air, and the men’s garments are drenched in sweat as the hot Capernaum sun beats down on the earth below.  

The men try to navigate their way inside the house, so they can lay their friend at Jesus’ feet to receive the healing he so desperately needs, but it is no use. The house is simply too crowded to wedge their bodies, along with the mat holding their friend, inside to where Jesus is teaching. Even as disappointment and frustration begin to bubble up inside them, the men are unwilling to give up. Sweat dripping from their brows, muscles aching with fatigue, and dust coating every inch of their skin, the men lift their friend once again, stumble up the outside stairs of the home to the roof above.  

It’s a structure made of wooden beams, topped with tree branches laid perpendicular to the beams, and cemented together with clay. With as much strength as they can muster, the men begin to dig into the roof, feverishly ripping away clumps of clay and branches, removing enough beams so the mat carrying their friend could fit through. No doubt this was a messy process as they were knee deep in debris from the excavation while the onlookers below were being pummeled by remnants of what was once part of the home’s roof. As they gently lowered their friend into the home, placing him in front of Jesus, the men felt relieved as they had accomplished their task and witnessed something they could hardly imagine, their friend healed, walking out of the house carrying his mat as he went.  

In his memoir, Father Boyle makes this comment regarding the meaning surrounding what happened in this account. He states, “The focus of the story is, understandably, the healing of the paralytic. But there is something more significant than that happening here. They’re ripping the roof off the place, and those outside are being let in.”

As followers of Christ, that is what we are called to do today as well, “rip the roof of the place,” so others can encounter Jesus to receive the healing, redemption, and restoration only he can provide. No doubt, this is messy work, but it is so worth it. God is faithful to take our efforts and multiply them to expand the boundaries of his kingdom as we labor to lead people into his presence.  

It’s our collective purpose and calling as Christians. Jesus' exhortation to his disciples applies to us today as it did when he commanded them to “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19) and when he proclaimed the greatest commandments: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment. A second is equally important: Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:37-38). Such an assignment is not typically easy or tidy … it’s hard work and at times can get pretty messy, but it’s how we help people find and follow Jesus. We have the privilege of getting to lead people to where the real abundant life is found, as long as we are willing to “rip the roof off the place” so others can come in to meet him. 

PRAYER

Jesus, thank you for the gift of your healing and grace. Give us the courage to do the messy, faithful work of making space for others to encounter you. Help us be bold in love, relentless in compassion, and always pointing people back to you. Amen.

Jill Poe-Thompson
Associate Location Pastor - Edmond

Resources

• Read Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Father Gregory Boyle.

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