There was a man who was helped by His friends to get to house where Jesus was speaking. By the time they got there, the house was full and many could not get into the house to hear Jesus speak. I can imagine if it was the present time, there would have been a discussion among the friends along this line;

Friend 1 – “Whose idea was it to come here anyway?
Friend 2 – “It does not matter, we just have to figure a way to get in

Friend 3 – “I agree, there has to be a way

Friend 1 – “Are you guys out of your minds? Can you see the crowd outside? We should have been here hours ago to give us a chance to get inside”

Friend 4 – “What about the roof? Can’t we climb up and make a hole from which we can lower him down?”

Friend 2 – “Great Idea! Why didn’t I think of that?”



The faith and determination of these men led to the paralyzed man’s healing and deliverance. We do not know whether it was the man who asked for the help of his friends or that the friends decided to take him there. What we know is that these men were determined to get this man to Jesus at all costs.

 

We live in a world where the concept of friendship is being trivialised as a result of social media. We regard people who are active on our Facebook walls as friends even when we know little or nothing about them. We meet people at events, exchange numbers and they automatically fall into the ‘friends’ category.

 

True friendship is not about whose company we enjoy or about people who have good things to say about us. It is about people who are willing to sacrifice their time, effort and resources for the welfare of each other. It is about seeking to know the other person beyond the surface and making the effort to be there when they need us, whether they ask for our help or not.

 

Jesus himself needed friends when he was here on earth. When one of His friends, Lazarus became ill, a message was sent to Jesus, ‘Lord, the one you love is sick’ (John 11:3) When Jesus finally got to Bethany, Lazarus was already dead. One of the most magnificent miracles was performed by Jesus when He raised Lazarus from the dead. He turned the mourning of his friends into dancing and turned their sadness into joy.

Do you have friends who are determined to help you through your difficult moments? Are you a friend who will take on the inconvenience of being there for your friends?