Your Faith in the Lives of Your Friends

Finding no way to bring [their paralyzed friend] in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”

─ Luke 5:19-20

Many times during Jesus’ ministry on earth, the Bible says He was moved with compassion to heal someone. It wasn’t compassion alone for the paralytic man Jesus responded to in Luke 5, but the faith of the four men who did whatever they had to do to get their friend in front of Jesus.

During Jesus days on earth, houses were constructed in stone and the flat roofs were made of mud mixed with straw. Outside staircases led to the roofs. It took a lot for these four men to get their friend into a crowded house where Jesus was speaking. They carried their friend up the stairs to the roof. Then they worked to take apart as much of the mud and straw mixture that was necessary, so they could lower the man down on a blanket or sheet into the house in front of Jesus.

These four men believed Jesus could change this man’s life. Their motives may have been to see him physically healed, but they also may have been worried about his spiritual condition, too. The Bible says Jesus didn’t know the paralytic man; he was not born again.

It wasn’t the faith of the one with the need who impressed Jesus, but the faith of his four friends demonstrated by the action they took to get him in front of Jesus. Jesus responded to their faith and healed the man – first addressing his spiritual condition “Man, your sins are forgiven.”

Positively or negatively, our faith affects others. While we can’t force someone to live for Christ, we can choose to put our faith to work through our words and actions and then give them a chance to respond.

Today’s One Thing

How is your faith powerful in the lives of your friends? Look for opportunities to bring your friends in front of Jesus.

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