Your Crowd Matters

Mark 2:1-12

                Something that I was reminded of recently is just how much our crowd matters. When we face situations that we never wanted to be in and couldn’t imagine going through alone, who is it that you’ve got standing by your side? I, for one, am so thankful that I don’t have to go through this life alone. One thing I’ve talked about before is how beautiful it is whenever you reach your breaking point. When you finally reach the end of yourself and come to the realization that our circumstances go so far beyond what our earthly capabilities could ever reach. There is SO much beauty in brokenness, whether you want to admit it (or see it) or not. But, beyond that, there is even more beauty in being broken together. And today, I want to talk about why the crowd we surround ourselves with matters.

                Back in Mark 2:1-12, we read this account of a paralyzed man. Word had spread like wildfire at this point of the miracles that Jesus had been performing, so there was this giant crowd following after Him. Some may have been seeking miracles themselves, and others may just be looking for that shred of evidence that what they’ve heard about Jesus was true. But then there were four men. These four men weren’t pushing through the crowd to ask Him to perform a miracle for themselves. They weren’t searching for evidence that Jesus was who He said He was. These men believed. They already knew without a doubt that Jesus was capable. That He was merciful. That He was willing. And do you know what they did with that faith? They used it for their friend. These four men heard Jesus was in town, they heard of the miracles that He had been performing, and they believed that everything He claimed to be was true. So, do you want to know what their first thought was? “I’ve gotta get my friend to Jesus”.

                The passage tells us that Jesus was in this house in Capernaum, and it was packed. People were crowded in so tight that no one could get through. But these four men were on a mission. They were carrying their paralyzed friend through this crowd only to realize that they couldn’t make it to where Jesus was. But they didn’t give up. Instead, they sought out the only way they could think of to take their friend into the presence of Jesus: they tore off the roof. They climbed up to the roof carrying their friend on his cot, tore back the roofing, and lowered their friend right down to Jesus. I read a commentary while looking into this passage and one observation said that lowering him down was the easy part. If they would’ve had to have lifted him back up, it would’ve been a whole lot harder. But these men had the faith that their friend was going to walk out of that house. That he wasn’t going to have to be lifted back out through the roof. Man, how blessed this paralyzed man was to have had the friends he did.

                So, what kind of friends do you have surrounding you? Would the crowd around you be carrying you to Jesus? Would they tear off the roof and lower you down to receive the healing that they fully believe Jesus is capable of giving? Would they sit with you in brokenness? Would they cry with you when the bad news comes? Would they pray with you and again for you before they lay their heads on their pillows at night? Would they enter the very presence of God on your behalf? Would they encourage and challenge you to chase after Jesus even more than you already are? Because that is the crowd we need to have around us.

                Life gets tough, that’s just the way it is. We live in a sin-ridden world with stumbling blocks, pain, and heartache around every corner. Our response to that is what makes the difference. Having those friends that you can go to when those times come is crucial. There’s going to be times when we don’t feel strong enough to even whisper a prayer. When we’ve been so focused on that crowd standing in our way that we can’t see the roof right in front of our eyes. And sometimes we’re not gonna be strong enough to make it to that roof by ourselves. But the faith of our friends, what a blessing. I’m so thankful for the friends and family that I have that I can be broken before God with. That will go to God on my behalf. That will pray with me and for me. That will sit in the hurt with me. That will push through that crowd and help me find another way through. That will have the faith and remind me that God is capable. I pray that you have a crowd surrounding you that when troubles come, pain sets in, or life gets hard, their first response is “I’ve gotta get my friend to Jesus.”