And they came, bringing to Him a paralytic, carried by four men. Mark 2:3

Reading this passage what stands out is how persistent these four men were! They were convinced that Jesus could heal the man if they could just get him in front of him.

If you picture what they were attempting to do, all the while carrying dead weight, you’ve got to marvel at their ingenuity and never-say-die attitude. I can just imagine the pieces of pitch and straw raining done on Jesus and the crowd inside as he spoke, and the distraction it created.

But more importantly, I have to wonder, was it the paralytic’s faith or the four men’s that did the trick? And whose sins were forgiven, the paralyzed man or his friends? Scripturally, all were saved and forgiven on the basis of their faith, but perhaps it took the face-to-face encounter with Jesus to reach deep into the paralytic’s soul.

The four men were convinced of Jesus’ power. On the other hand, the paralytic may not have been convinced in his physical state, but they envisioned him whole. Think of the state of a lost world if all were taken to meet Jesus with this kind of motivation!