Luke 5:17-20 (Message)
One day as he was teaching, Pharisees and religion teachers were sitting around. They had come from nearly every village in Galilee and Judea, even as far away as Jerusalem, to be there. The healing power of God was on him.
Some men arrived carrying a paraplegic on a stretcher. They were looking for a way to get into the house and set him before Jesus.
When they couldn't find a way in because of the crowd, they went up on the roof, removed some tiles, and let him down in the middle of everyone, right in front of Jesus. Impressed by their bold belief, he said, "Friend, I forgive your sins."
Jesus was impressed "by their bold belief."
Impressing Jesus is a pretty awesome thing in the New Testament.
It does happen a few times. And it seems always to have to do with the individual's (or in this case, the group's) willingness to accept and believe.
The action here...the serving...shows their faith.
And before Jesus even heals their friend physically, he provides for his healing spiritually.
Who are we in this story?
Part of the watching crowd? The Pharisees on the sideline, hoping that someone will trip up?
Are we the paralytic on the stretcher, dependent on his friends, hoping they don't lose their grip?
Are we the friends, straining hard and working with focus to bring their friend close to Jesus?
It probably depends on the day.
If we're honest, sometimes...maybe many times, we do sit out on the sidelines, out of fear, or judgment, or uncertainty.
Sometimes we are truly helpless, and maybe that's when we're most open to help from God and other people.
And sometimes, we have the opportunity to be servants.
Be thankful for those moments when you've been helped, and have the opportunity, means and motivation to help someone else.
Serving is an act of faith, and it deepens our relationship with Jesus, every single time.
And, with a special nod to SOTH's Carlton Moore for the reference, I thought I'd include the lyrics to "Gotta Serve Somebody" by Mr. Bob Dylan:
You may be an ambassador to England or France,
You may like to gamble, you might like to dance,
You may be the heavyweight champion of the world,
You may be a socialite with a long string of pearls
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
You might be a rock 'n' roll addict prancing on the stage,
You might have drugs at your command, women in a cage,
You may be a business man or some high degree thief,
They may call you Doctor or they may call you Chief
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
You may be a state trooper, you might be a young Turk,
You may be the head of some big TV network,
You may be rich or poor, you may be blind or lame,
You may be living in another country under another name
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
You may be a construction worker working on a home,
You may be living in a mansion or you might live in a dome,
You might own guns and you might even own tanks,
You might be somebody's landlord, you might even own banks
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
You may be a preacher with your spiritual pride,
You may be a city councilman taking bribes on the side,
You may be workin' in a barbershop, you may know how to cut hair,
You may be somebody's mistress, may be somebody's heir
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
Might like to wear cotton, might like to wear silk,
Might like to drink whiskey, might like to drink milk,
You might like to eat caviar, you might like to eat bread,
You may be sleeping on the floor, sleeping in a king-sized bed
But you're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody,
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
You may call me Terry, you may call me Timmy,
You may call me Bobby, you may call me Zimmy,
You may call me R.J., you may call me Ray,
You may call me anything but no matter what you say
You're gonna have to serve somebody, yes indeed
You're gonna have to serve somebody.
Well, it may be the devil or it may be the Lord
But you're gonna have to serve somebody.
Prayer: Like the friends of the paralyzed man, teach us to work hard to bring others close to Jesus.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be. World without end. Amen.
Tomorrow's Scripture: John 13:3-17
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