Mark 2:5
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him,
"Child, your sins are forgiven."
If we have faith that God is with us and an active presence in our lives, it is because we have hope. Hope is more than wishful thinking, hope is in the knowledge that God loves us and that His love never fails. In this passage, I am enamored with those friends of the paralytic. Don't we all want friends like that! They couldn't get in through the door, and they didn't leave. They found a new entrance.. the roof!
My oldest daughter works in the medical field, and she will tell me how difficult it is to move a patient, even a child, who is immobile, either because they are sedated or in a condition that needs special care. How about moving a paralytic man and lowering him safely from a roof into a room? While the scribes in that room questioned the ability of Jesus to forgive sins, these friends and the paralytic already knew the ability of Jesus to heal both physically and spiritually. Their hope helped motivate their faith and I suspect they were very gratified with the outcome.
"They were all astounded and glorified God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this." Mark 2:12
