Living in the Image of God M03S04
Intercession and human effort by others can move God to grant favors to alleviate the suffering of another person. Therefore, a prayer for the needy will likely be more effective if intertwined with human effort to provide goods or service to alleviate the need. Four men, motivated by compassion and driven by faith, persevered to take a paralyzed neighbor to Jesus despite physical difficulties. Their faith, manifest through their effort, moved Jesus to forgive and heal the paralyzed man.
This bible study examines the events of Christ healing a paralyzed man: to understand that intercession and human effort by others can move God to grant favors to alleviate the need of another person. Jesus healed a paralyzed man because of the faith and effort of four men that brought the man to him. The four men recognized the need of the paralyzed man, committed to doing what they could to alleviate the need, believed he would be healed if they took him to Jesus, and persevered to take him to Jesus despite difficulties they encountered. Jesus was moved by their faith to forgive and heal the paralyzed man.
The account illustrates intercession motivated by compassion. The four men and their neighbors decided to take the paralyzed man to Jesus because they had compassion on him and believed that taking him to Jesus would be sufficient to obtain healing for him: “Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them” [Mark 2:3]. They took him to Jesus physically at the time because Jesus was with them in human form. Today, they would have taken him to Jesus by praying for him: that is, by intercession.
Furthermore, the account illustrates that intercession often may need to be intertwined with human effort. That is, a prayer by others on behalf of the needy often will be more effective if intertwined with human effort directed at providing goods or service to alleviate the need. The men were determined to obtain healing for their paralyzed neighbor by taking him to Jesus, organized themselves for the effort, took the man to the site, and persevered against physical difficulties to accomplish their objective of getting him to Jesus. Their intercession, intertwined with human effort, conveyed their faith and compassion to Jesus. He was moved by their faith and effort to forgive the man his sins and heal him from paralysis: “When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven’” [Mark 2:5].
Events of Jesus Healing Paralyzed Man
The events occurred while Jesus was in his home town of Capernaum, teaching the word of God and healing the sick: “A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home.” [Mark 2:1]. Four men had compassion for their paralyzed neighbor and brought him to see Jesus. However, there was a large crowd there and the men could not find space to gain access to Jesus. They took the paralyzed man to the roof, made a hole over where Jesus was, and lowered the man through the hole to Jesus.
Jesus was moved by their faith. He forgave the man his sins and healed him; because of the faith of the four men, which they showed through their effort.
Compassion and Faith
The decision of the four men and their neighbors to take the paralyzed man to Jesus was motivated by compassion and driven by faith. They had compassion on the paralyzed man. That is, they recognized his need and committed to doing what they could to alleviate the need. Also, they had faith: that is, they believed that their paralyzed neighbor will be healed if they take him to Jesus. Further, they had an opportunity, because Jesus was in the area teaching and healing people that came to him. Therefore, they decided to take the man to Jesus.
Human Effort and Perseverance
Driven by compassion and faith, the four men carried the paralyzed man to the site. However, they did not find a way to go in to meet Jesus. People had “gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door” [Mark 2:2]. But the four men persevered. To overcome the difficulty, they decided to lower the paralyzed man in through the roof. They took him up onto the roof; made a hole in the roof, over where Jesus was; and lowered him to Jesus through the hole: “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” [Mark 2:4].
Intercession and Human Effort
Intercession means taking the need of others to God in prayer. The four men took the paralyzed man to Jesus, physically at the time because Jesus was with them in human form. Today, they would take his need to Jesus in prayer. That is, taking the man to Jesus as they did was an intercession.
Additionally, the account illustrates that intercession often may need to be intertwined with human effort, to work together toward completing responsibility in a call to compassion. That is, a prayer by others on behalf of the needy often will be more effective if intertwined with human effort directed at providing goods or service to alleviate the need.
The four men and their neighbors were determined to obtain healing for the paralyzed man by taking him to Jesus, organized themselves for the effort, took the man to the site, and persevered against physical difficulties to accomplish their objective of getting him to Jesus. Their intercession, intertwined with human effort, conveyed their faith and compassion to Jesus.
Their faith moved Jesus. He forgave the paralyzed man his sins and healed him. He told the man to “get up, take your mat and go home” [Mark 2:11]. The man recovered at that instant, which amazed every person [Mark 2:12]: “He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, ‘We have never seen anything like this!’”
Summary of What We Learned
Intercession and human effort by others can move God to grant favors to alleviate the suffering of another person. Therefore, a prayer for the needy will likely be more effective if intertwined with human effort to provide goods or service to alleviate the need.
Four men, motivated by compassion and driven by faith, persevered to take a paralyzed neighbor to Jesus despite physical difficulties. Their faith, manifest through their effort, moved Jesus to forgive and heal the paralyzed man.