Friendship: Jesus & The Paralytic Man

00:00:00 Speaker 1: Two are better than one because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow. But woe to him who is alone when he falls and doesn't have another to lift him up. Ecclesiastes for nine and ten. Dear Lord, you are the author of love, fellowship, and friendship. Thank you for the gift of community and the people who lift us up to be better and pursue you. We pray that you would empower us to be better friends, always leading others to your provision, hope, and healing. Give us the wisdom to pick good friends, friends who pursue you and want what's best for us. Show us how to be better members of your body, aiding each other and bringing your kingdom here to earth. In Jesus's name, we pray Amen. Thank you for praying with me today. You're listening to the Jesus Podcast Inspiring Tales taken from the Gospel. Today is a story of friendship, faith, and the power of a loving community that fights for you. Let's begin. If this podcast has brought value to your faith, we'd love it if you left a review and shared it with a friend. We want the story of Jesus to be known throughout the world, because when Jesus' story is told, lives are transformed. 00:01:44 Speaker 2: He's here, the healer from Nazareth is here. In Capernaum. 00:01:49 Speaker 1: Leora was beside herself, the entire room stirred with anxious hope. Leora knelt to Jason and held his hand. 00:01:58 Speaker 2: This is what we've been prayed saying for Jason. This could mean healing. You could walk again. 00:02:05 Speaker 1: Jason looked up at Leora with a mixture of hope and sadness. 00:02:10 Speaker 3: Yora, what makes this healer any different from the rest, don't trouble yourself any more than you already have. 00:02:19 Speaker 1: Jason desperately wanted to hope for healing, but over a decade without his arms or legs had left him afraid of hope. Many traveling healers came and went, each of them stealing away more of Jason's belief. He used to whisper nightly prayers, begging God for forgiveness and mercy. His desperate prayers had faded with time, and Jason had accepted his fate as a paralytic. Yet Jason's friends, Leora, Matthias, and Joe ab still held on to hope. They prayed daily for him and made sacrifices at the temple. They cooked his meals and tended to his needs. The guilt of not being able to return their kindness was a continual sting in his chest. He turned away and clenched his face, holding back tears. 00:03:18 Speaker 4: This is my life, Leora. 00:03:21 Speaker 3: Whether God is punishing me for my sins or has forgotten me altogether, I've chosen to stop hoping. 00:03:29 Speaker 1: Leora looked at Matthias and Joe Abb. They exchanged determined glances and smiles. 00:03:36 Speaker 2: You may have given up hope, but we haven't. And since we're the ones who can walk, you have no choice. 00:03:42 Speaker 1: A teasing smirk sparkled on Leora's face. Jason's friends knew him, they knew he had grown calloused, but deep down there was a faint, flickering flame of faith. Jason looked up at Leora, and he was overwhelmed with gratitude for his friends. If he could ever move again, he would return their kindness. A smile curled at the edge of his mouth. Their faith was enough to convince him for another adventure. 00:04:18 Speaker 3: Then what are you waiting for? Get my bed? 00:04:23 Speaker 5: Friendship is a powerful force from little kids playing make believe on the playground to adults walking with each other through the highs and lows of life. We are meant to live life with others. Deep friendships can bring us great joy, but the ones rooted and genuine faith are even greater as they show us the depth of Christ's love. This is the Jesus Podcast, gospel inspired stories crafted for entertainment and transformation. I'm Zach frompray dot Com. It's great to be with you today as we look at an unusual yet miraculous encounter Jesus had with a paralytic man. It may not be what anyone expected, it was all according to Jesus's plans. Not long after Jesus appoints the twelve Apostles, he travels to teach and heal. As he enters the city of Capernaum, he is surrounded by a seemingly unsurmountable crowd. Rather than disappearing for a moment of quiet, he enters into a house with a massive crowd around him. As people hang on every word flowing from the mouth of the healer, a surprise awaits him. Today's story will captivate your heart with a beautiful testimony of friendship and the power of faith. We'll see some wild ways of bringing our friends to Jesus and the importance of never giving up on those near and dear to us. As you listen, ask yourself who you relate to most in this story, and ask God to reveal something new, profound, and meaningful about true friendship. 00:05:52 Speaker 1: The words of Jesus miracles spread like wildfire. Whispers of the healer from Nazareth filled the air as people anxiously awaited his arrival. It wasn't Jesus intention to become famous. He was content to act anonymously, healing beggars and teaching merchants on the road. But works and wonders like this couldn't remain hidden for long. He entered the city and a throng of people immediately crowded around him. Simon and Andrew did their best to keep them at a safe distance, but the people were overwhelming. They escorted Jesus through the crowd, hoping no one would rip him away. People were possessed by curiosity and wonder. 00:06:45 Speaker 3: I heard he healed a man of leprosy. 00:06:48 Speaker 2: My neighbor told me he turned water into wine. 00:06:52 Speaker 1: Jesus ran into a good friend's home. But the crowds wouldn't relent until he gave them something, anything. They flooded into the house, bursting at the seam to get a glimpse of Jesus. The disciples sat close to him, insuring none leaped from the crowd to touch him. Some sat at the window, while others remained outside to get second hand accounts of what was happening. The energy was palpable. Never before had a rabbi drawn such passionate attention. Even some of the Pharisees were there to hear a word from this new teacher from Nazareth. The clamoring ceased when Jesus opened his mouth. He spoke truths that had somehow missed thousands of priests, Pharisees and rabbis, Truths that could cut through pride and flesh straight to the heart and soul. 00:07:52 Speaker 4: You have heard it said, love your neighbor and hate your enemies. But I tell you there's a different way. 00:08:02 Speaker 1: They hung on his every word. Those who couldn't hear shoved to get closer. It was the beginning of something miraculous, a revival unlike anything anyone had ever seen or heard before. Jesus continued to weave stories about the Kingdom of God, likening God's will to seeds sown by a farmer and coins found by a widow. Each word was a precious treasure people tucked carefully into their hearts. It was a moment nobody wanted to end, except for the religious leaders pricked by a rabbi more popular than them. Jesus taught the crowds with passion and love. His words flowed steadily, as if from a gentle stream. But his teaching was interrupted when a large piece of clay fell well from the roof onto the floor before Jesus' feet. 00:09:04 Speaker 2: Excuse us, hard on us? Please can we get through? 00:09:09 Speaker 1: Leora, Matthias and Joe ab weaved through the crowd outside the house where Jesus taught Jason lay on his back, scared he would fall off the bed. As persistent as they were, they had no luck getting through. The crowd was dense and people weren't willing to budge. 00:09:29 Speaker 2: We need to see the healer. Please, will anyone let us buy no luck? 00:09:35 Speaker 1: Although they heard Jesus' words about kindness and compassion, they weren't willing to give up their place in line for a paralytic miracles required interruption. An interruption was the killer of entertainment. Shoved aside and rejected, the three friends lowered Jason down to think. 00:09:58 Speaker 4: I well, if we plowed to the crowd by force. 00:10:02 Speaker 2: Of course not, we'd be trampled before we got to see the heeler. 00:10:07 Speaker 3: Well, if we distracted them, hold them those a fire. 00:10:11 Speaker 2: We'd cause a panic. 00:10:13 Speaker 4: We can throw them over everyone and hope for the best. 00:10:17 Speaker 1: No, thank you, Jason chimed in. He would raise his hand to slap the back of Matthia's head if he could. 00:10:24 Speaker 3: Even if we got in somehow, the heeler is far too busy for me. Look, look, he has crowds of people waiting to speak to him. Just forget it. 00:10:35 Speaker 2: We tried, we haven't tried everything. Mattias may have a point. 00:10:41 Speaker 3: You're not throwing me. 00:10:43 Speaker 2: No, no, not that we can't go through the crowd, but perhaps we could go over them. 00:10:50 Speaker 1: Look, Leora pointed to the hill hugging the back of the horn. 00:10:54 Speaker 2: If we can get to the roof, we can get to the heeler. 00:10:57 Speaker 3: Leora, that's nonsense. We'd he destroying property. And what if you dropped me and Let's say I do get in front of the heeler. He might be curious that I interrupted him. 00:11:09 Speaker 2: I have faith, Jason. We have to try. This man healed a leper right near these very gates. We have to believe he can heal you too. 00:11:19 Speaker 1: Leora gestured to the others, and they lifted Jason from the ground and carried him to the back of the house. The hill sloped away from it, making it difficult to leap onto the roof. Mattias and joe Ab hoisted Leora to the top. She tied a rope to one of the beams and threw it back down. They tied Jason to his bed with the ropes and lifted him onto joe AB's shoulders. Matthias leaped up beside Leora and began to pull Jason up. Don't drop him, Leora warned, anxiously. 00:11:57 Speaker 4: He can't get paralyzed again. 00:11:58 Speaker 3: Ron shot it. 00:12:00 Speaker 1: Jason said, wide eyed, terrified. If they dropped him, there would be no way of bracing himself for. 00:12:08 Speaker 3: Impact, dying while trying to get to a healer. What a way to go. 00:12:13 Speaker 1: Joe Abb lifted Mommathias pulled slowly, but surely. They reached the top, but that was the easy part. Now they had to find their way into the room. 00:12:25 Speaker 2: What now, now we have to make a hole in the roof. 00:12:29 Speaker 6: You're crazy. We should turn back. I can't let you do all this for me, Jason. Have you ever stopped to think that it's not just about you. We hate to see you in pain. When one of us suffers, we all suffer. And if this man can heal you, why wouldn't we do everything possible to get you to him. 00:12:55 Speaker 3: Wouldn't you do the same for me? Matthias the aura, no fussing, it's not having faith. 00:13:03 Speaker 6: We all need this. 00:13:05 Speaker 1: The words cut through Jason's anxiety. The words cut through Jason's anxiety. He had been so concerned about his friend's being inconvenienced that he hadn't stopped to consider how they needed this as well. They loved him and wanted him to be made whole. Friendship isn't just about what you can give, but what you allow yourself to receive. Jason nodded in resolution. He understood that this was an act of faith for everyone, and they couldn't continue half heartedly. The three friends began clawing away at the roof. They ripped off the outer layer of tile and got to the dried pitch and dirt. They chipped away at it until they got to the straw. They dug through it until finally reaching the inner layer of clay. There would be no hiding now. Once they broke through that last layer, it would start crumbling down. 00:14:13 Speaker 4: Be prepared to run if this work, do it. 00:14:16 Speaker 1: Joeab pounded his fist through the last layer of clay and it crumbled down to the floor flow. Everyone looked up in shock and began to back away from the falling debris. The healer, however, remained where he was, looking up with a smirk, quick grab the roof. Each of them grabbed a corner of the bed and lowered Jason through. Leora gave Jason a final smile. 00:14:44 Speaker 4: Have faith. 00:14:46 Speaker 1: She was filled with hope and worry. Jason gulped and closed his eyes as they slowly lowered him down. He could hear the people murmuring to each other. 00:14:57 Speaker 2: Ah, they row in the roof. 00:14:59 Speaker 3: Who would do such a thie? 00:15:01 Speaker 2: How wrong to interrupt? 00:15:03 Speaker 1: Jason's heart pounded heavily in his chest. He was afraid he was vulnerable. How could the healer receive him? Would he be angry at the interruption. Would he reject him, or worse, would he try to heal Jason but fail. Anxious tears streamed slowly down Jason's cheek as he slowly descended. If his body could move, it would be quivering from the stress and embarrassment. After what felt like an eternity of lowering down, Jason gently made it to the floor. He opened his eyes. He couldn't see his friends anymore. All he could see was the smile on the healer they called Jesus. Jesus looked down at the young man. His eyes reflected a deep shame and harassment, but behind it all was a yearning for healing. Jesus could feel the faint flame of faith in this man. He looked up at the roof. The three companions looked down from the hole, face is anxious and apologetic. Jesus smiled and shook his head in dismay. He saw their faith. Their bold actions revealed a fierce belief and deep love for their friend. What beautiful faith, Jesus said, with a grin. He knelt to Jason and placed a hand on his shoulders. 00:16:41 Speaker 4: My son, I see your worries and your heart rest assured, your sins are forgiven. 00:16:49 Speaker 1: As Jesus said this, there was a stirring in the corner of the room. Jesus' statement aggravated a few of the Pharisees. 00:16:57 Speaker 3: What did that Blastphemur? Just say, hey, who does he think he is? Only God can forgive sins. 00:17:05 Speaker 1: Although their words were out of earshot, Jesus knew what was in their hearts. He stood up and looked at the Pharisees. 00:17:14 Speaker 4: Why are you all so troubled by these things? Tell me which statement is easier for me to say to this paralyzed man, your sins are forgiven? Or get up and walk. I tell you now that the son of Man does have the authority to forgive sins. Soon you will all see. 00:17:35 Speaker 1: Jesus knelt back down to Jason, his eyes beaming with tender love and understanding. Jesus saw the pain, he saw the anxiety, he saw the shame, But most of all, Jesus saw the faith of his friends that moved them to action. 00:17:58 Speaker 4: My son, get up, take your mat and go home with your friends. 00:18:04 Speaker 1: Jason didn't feel like he had been struck by lightning or compelled by a force of nature. He simply felt whole. He felt a tinge in his toes and a twitch in his fingers. There was no easing into it, no wobbling of his legs or flailing of his hands. His movements felt normal, as if his paralysis had just been a bad dream he'd woken up from. Jason propped himself up with his arms and lifted himself on to his feet. Jason patted his legs and his chest. His jaw began to quiver and his throat clenched. 00:18:52 Speaker 3: I I'm he healed. 00:18:56 Speaker 1: Everyone in the crowd stirred in wonder and fear. Each person turned to the other incomplete shock. Jason looked up at Leora, Mattias, and Joe ab They were cheering and jumping up and down on the roof, causing some of the debris to fall onto Jason's head. He laughed and turned to Jesus. 00:19:21 Speaker 3: Thank you, thank you. 00:19:24 Speaker 1: Compelled by his gratitude and newfound strength, Jason hugged Jesus and squeezed him up off his feet. Jesus chuckled and patted Jason on the back. 00:19:35 Speaker 3: I can walk, I can walk. 00:19:39 Speaker 1: The crowd cheered and parted for Jason. He picked up his bed and ran out. His friends were waiting for him. The three of them embraced and skipped away down the street. Their story proved that friendship fueled by faith was powerful. The crowd watched them leave, but the Pharisees locked their eyes on Jesus. This healer from Nazareth was going to be a problem. 00:20:12 Speaker 5: Proverbs eighteen eighteen tells us there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. Strong friendships have no replacement in our lives. While it's good to have a loving family and a community in places like our jobs or the church, there's something unparalleled when it comes to forming bonds with others in a heartfelt, vulnerable, and lasting way. Today we heard the recounting of four friends who were determined above all else to help one of their own, taking incredible risks and seeing even greater rewards. It's evident that Jesus loves it when we take friendship seriously. At Jesus's teachings and miracles spread, there was no stopping his swift gain to notoriety and popularity. Wherever he went, he was sure to draw large crowds, and Capernaum was no different. Imagine hearing the word of the new rabbi from Nazareth coming to your town. This wasn't an event you would want to miss. And while it's clear that most were there to hear Jesus speak, there were those, like the friends of the paralytic man, who had other ideas in mind. They wanted healing. Having heard that Jesus could heal, they decided that this was their moment to help their friend. In our story today, we see Jason a paralytic man. Like many people who deal with chronic illnesses and ailments, he's insecure about the help that he needs, and like many who have struggled with chronic illnesses in their entire lives, he's hesitant to put his help in any form of healing. With the rational he had resigned himself that he was going to be paralyzed for the rest of his life. But as good friends do, the friends quickly take to encouraging him. When we feel down, when we feel like we've been cast aside, or when we feel like life has dealt us a bad hand. It's the responsibility of a friend to not just be there for us, but to also help us, and sometimes help requires you just sit there. You just sit in the pain and you be there for your friend. But other times it requires that you take action on their behalf. When they're resigned to helplessness, you help them. When they feel like they don't want to press forward, You give them a nudge forward. When they feel like they've lost their purpose or lost their way, you remind them of who they are and who they can be. I'm sure we can all relate to Jason in some ways. Sometimes life gets the better of us and we feel down on our luck and we feel ourselves slipping into depression and afraid of the future, or a myriad of other things. But a good friend picks us up when we're down. In return, we could do the same for them. Our personal feelings, emotions, and situations ebb and flow as we're constantly changing. But having close friends around us ensures that when we're ever feeling down, we could be lifted up. And likewise, when we see that they're down, we can be a friend who encourages them. You see, friendship is a two way street. It's not just about receiving, it's about giving as well, Paul tells us and first Thessalonians five. Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are already doing. If we're going to walk well through life, we need friends willing to bear our burdens, look out for our good and encourage us when we are feeling down. But beyond just encouragement, a good friend will take it one step further and sacrifice for us. It was no secret that the paralytic man needed help for basic survival, eating, drinking, dressing. Everything was dependent upon the help of others, but his friends were happy to make these every day in consistent sacrifices to ensure he's cared for. A good friend will gladly lay down their convenience, their time, and their resources to help their friends. While these friends may be unable to do everything for Jason, they will do what they can. We read in one Peter four ten each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. We all have various gifts, skills, and talents that God wants us to bless others with, especially our friends, and especially our friends when they're in need well. It may require a sacrifice of our time, our talents, and our treasures. Knowing that we can be supportive to one another should bring us a great feeling of purpose. But how far should we be willing to sacrifice for our friends? Well, Jesus tells us in John fifteen, My commandment is this, love each other as I have loved you. And greater love has no one than this than to lay down one's life for his friends. True friends love each other with the love of Christ. Christ demonstrated his love by laying down his life, and it's this very same heart of self sacrifice that Jesus calls us to show our friends. Friendship can be inconvenient, and at times it could even be painful, but pain is life, right, and it's not like we're hurting each other. It's that we're experiencing the pain that we experience together. This is exactly what Jason's friends are demonstrating. They're willing to sacrifice for him, even when it's inconvenient. Despite the large crowds that had formed around Ga confining him to the house, the paralytic man's friends didn't give up. They were going to fight for him. They so deeply loved him that they were willing to go to great lengths to help him. Paul tells us what active love looks like in Romans twelve ten. Be devoted to one another in love, honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient and affliction, faithful in prayer, and share with the Lord's people who are in need, and practice hospitality. These friends were certainly devoted to one another and lacked nothing when it came to zeal. This is what true friendship looks like. We're willing to put ourselves in uncomfortable and sometimes dangerous situations if it means fighting for our friends. I think children understand this better than we do. Sometimes. Have you ever seen children on the playground or have you ever seen a child get angry when their friend is bullied or hurt. Children stick up for one another, children help each other. There's a purity in their friendship Somewhere along the line. In our adult friendships, we make it about how we can mutually benefit each other, how we can have a business partnership, or how you can scratch my back and all scratch yours. May we never lose this childlike zeal for making sure our friends are cared for, protected and loved. You see, this willingness comes from a place of empathy. In our story, Jason didn't understand why his friends were willing to do what they were doing. It wasn't until Leora spoke up and said, when one of us suffers, we all suffer, that it all came forward for Jason. It was at that moment that he truly understood. Friends feel each other's pains. Friends experience one another's sorrows. They empathize with one another. Paul writes about that in Galatians. He says, carry one another's burdens. And in this way you fulfill the law of Christ. Let us not become weary and doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have an opportunity, let us be good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family life. Bearing one another's burdens doesn't mean that we assume someone else's problems as our own. It means that we have compassion for them and come alongside them to help them carry their burden. For Jason's friends, this meant a crazy plan of bringing their friend to the healer Jesus through a roof and Mark and Luke's recording of this miracle were told that it was Jesus, seeing the faith of the paralytic man's friends, that moved him to tell the paralytic man that his sins were forgiven. Perhaps this wasn't the miracle that they had initially expected, but it ruffled the feathers of the Pharisees, who found a fence in Jesus forgiving the sins of another. In response to the anger of the Pharisees, he not only showed that he has authority to forgive sins, but also the authority of the body. In confidence, he turns to the paralytic man and commands him to get up, take up his mat, and walk home. All of these events were spurred on by the faith of the paralytic man's friends. They set an example of what Jesus can do when we have passions and radical faith for one another. It would be hard to believe that Jason didn't walk away with a transformed heart and a deepened faith in Christ and the power that Christ could possess in his life. No matter who we are or where we are in life, we all need friends, friends like those of the paralytic man. Friends who encourage us, sacrifice for us, bite for us, empathize with us, and help us grow in our faith. Friends who demonstrate the love of God by laying down their convenience so that others might see and experience Jesus. But the best friend we could ever have is one who sticks closer than a brother, one who never leaves our side, one by the name of Jesus.