I saw something new in the story of Jesus’ healing the man let down through the roof. Look how it starts:

On one of those days, as he was teaching, Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there, who had come from every village of Galilee and Judea and from Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with him to heal. (Luke 5.17, ESV, emphasis mine)

The house was crowded with religious professionals! Interesting that “the power of the Lord was with him to heal” but none of those guys needed or wanted healing. Hence, in order for real ministry to occur, the four men carrying the paralyzed man had to be outrageously creative:

And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him 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. (Luke 5.18, 19, ESV)

I love the next sentence:

And when he saw their faith, he said, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” (Luke 5.20, ESV)

I’ll never forget Jack Thompson’s take on this. Jack was a retired colonel, B-52 pilot, serving as an associate pastor. Jack used to say, “What did Jesus see, when ‘he saw their faith’? I think the guys dropped the ropes!” That’s faith.

And of course, Jesus is messing with the religious professionals when he forgives the man’s sins and then goes ahead and heals him also!

Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk’? But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he said to the man who was paralyzed—“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed and go home.” And immediately he rose up before them and picked up what he had been lying on and went home, glorifying God. (Luke 5.23 – 25, ESV)

Adding the religious professionals into this story gives it a new spin. It reminds me of churches filled with Bible students waiting for the pastor to teach them something new or simply standing by listening for something to criticize. Several years ago, I was in a church primarily for ex-patriots in a semi-closed country. There also were hundreds of local young believers and seekers there, but the lead pastor spent his time teaching the mature ex-pats. “It’s what they expect.” But his teaching shouldn’t have been for the “mature” believers! They were keeping the needy from being served.

Those of us who are strong and able in the faith need to step in and lend a hand to those who falter, and not just do what is most convenient for us. Strength is for service, not status. Each one of us needs to look after the good of the people around us, asking ourselves, “How can I help?” That’s exactly what Jesus did. He didn’t make it easy for himself by avoiding people’s troubles, but waded right in and helped out. “I took on the troubles of the troubled,” is the way Scripture puts it. (Romans 15.1 – 3, MSG, emphasis mine)