The People Who Carried Us

Paul says carry each other's burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. The law of Christ is love. When you help carry someone else's weight, you are doing the most Christ-like thing possible. Because that is what Jesus did for you. He carried what you could not carry so you could be free. Now you get to do that for someone else.

Jesus was teaching in a house so packed there was no room to get in. Four men carried a paralyzed friend on a mat. When they could not get through the door, they went up on the roof and lowered him down. The text does not tell us their names, but we know their faith. Verse 5 says: 'When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, Son, your sins are forgiven.' Their faith. The friends' faith is what Jesus responded to. Sometimes the person you are praying for does not have the strength to believe. That is when your faith carries them.

Jesus proved He had authority to forgive sins by healing the man. The man got up, took his mat, and walked out in front of everyone. But think about this: the men who carried him did not get the credit, but they got the joy. They did not get the miracle, but they got to be part of it. And the paralytic — he went home changed. But he also went home with four friends who had proven they would do whatever it took. That is the kind of friends we need. That is the kind of friend we are called to be.