3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” (Mark 2:3-5)
I love this passage and every trip through I am left with new questions and new areas of wonder.
The first question I ask when I read this is, “Who am I willing to tear the roof off for so I can get them to Jesus?”
These friends obviously loved this friend so deeply they were willing to do whatever it took to get him into the presence of Jesus. I am challenged in intercession. This season of Lent has me challenged yet again to walk with Jesus in prayer. Part of that is to re-enter a level of intercession for others, a place of intensity, I have not walked in far too long. I am quite ashamed to think how long.
It takes me back to my young adult years when I would pace the floor fervently and offer up prayer for family, for friends, for the world. I would find a space where I could walk back and forth and also lift up my voice without disturbing anyone around me. It is this level of intensity I am reminded of when I come to this passage. This memory is what come to mind when I am prompted by the Spirit in this season to truly enter prayer at a new level.
As I get older, that form of “pacing” may change but I know I need that level of intensity again.
Who am I willing to tear the roof off for so I can get them to Jesus.
Then there is this: “When Jesus saw THEIR faith…”
The paralytic was lowered to him and Jesus didn’t see the paralytic’s faith. He saw the friends’ faith. And immediately on seeing the friends’ faith he didn’t heal the physical condition. He knew it was deeper. It was the soul. He forgave the paralytic based on the faith of the friends.
This has left me with a few more question that are so deep I don’t want to even write them publicly right now. Someone may be actually reading this so I don’t want to ask something that may come across as heretical or presumptive in faith or just plain stupid. But I will confess I am left with a set of questions today that truly challenge me. What IF I took up this invitation to a deeper walk in prayer and it brought me to this type of intercession? And that leads me to a set of unstated questions that will be carried in my heart for awhile.
Will I take up this deep invitation?
Apprentice 2 Jesus 
A thought for you.
“Realize it, my brethren; —every one who breathes, high and low, educated and ignorant, young and old, man and woman, has a mission, has a work. We are not sent into this world for nothing; we are not born at random; . . . God sees every one of us; He creates every soul, He lodges it in the body, one by one, for a purpose. He needs, He deigns to need, every one of us. He has an end for each of us; we are all equal in His sight, and we are placed in our different ranks and stations, not to get what we can out of them for ourselves, but to labor in them for Him. As Christ has His work, we too have ours; as He rejoiced to do His work, we must rejoice in ours also.”
–St. John Henry Newman