Mark’s Gospel: Rooftops

When it comes to what Jesus can do, there are no ceilings and all rooftops must yield to those who come to Him in determined faith.

Posted on

Ceilings define the height of the interior of a house while rooftops protect its contents.
Both are metaphors for limitations; ceilings confine us and rooftops restrict our access. The ministry of Jesus would not be so contained.

He was ministering in a house in Capernaum. So many people came to Him there was no access through any door or window. This limited most of the crowd to secondhand descriptions from friends on the inside. One set of men would not accept these limitations. Their friend was paralyzed. It was their expression of friendship to carry him where he needed to go. These friends were strong and resourceful. They found the tools needed to dismantle the roof. They had ropes tied to a pallet to let their disabled friend down through the hole in the roof.

A Sermon Interrupted
Imagine the surprise when, as Jesus was preaching, there were footsteps overhead and dust falling from the ceiling. Suddenly the roof and ceiling were lifted away. The pallet carrying the paralyzed man started easing its way down through the hole in the ceiling. The owner of the house immediately began to estimate the cost of the repairs that would be needed. Someone would pay for this! A few men tried to stop the intrusion but there was no stopping this resourceful wrecking crew. The ceiling and the rooftop meant nothing to them.

Jesus smiled at the whole enterprise. As the man’s friends returned His smile, Jesus spoke to the man himself.

“Son, your sins are forgiven you.”

The smiles turned to puzzled looks. That was really, really nice, but what they wanted was a healing. After a collective breath, others in the crowd questioned among themselves along the same lines, some going so far as to call it blasphemy—only God could forgive sins!

Jesus knew this before they spoke it. He sought to break through the ceiling of their logic with a higher truth.

“Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Arise, take up your bed and walk’?

Before they could answer He made it plain to them:

But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins” —
He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”

It happened! The disabled man was suddenly quite able. He unhooked the portable bed. His friends sprang to help him but he waved them off with a smile. Unaided by his clever friends, the man unhooked the pallet, rolled it up, and walked out of the house. In his wake, the amazed crowd no longer contained any skeptics. They praised God saying:

“We never saw anything like this!”

When it comes to what Jesus can do, there are no ceilings and all rooftops must yield to those who come to Him in determined faith.

 

Scriptures: 

Mark 2: 1-12, NKJV
“And again He entered Capernaum after some days, and it was heard that He was in the house. Immediately many gathered together so that there was no longer room to receive them, not even near the door. And He preached the word to them. Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men. And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven you.’ And some of the scribes were sitting there and reasoning in their hearts, ‘Why does this Man speak blasphemies like this? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ But immediately, when Jesus perceived in His spirit that they reasoned thus within themselves, He said to them, ‘Why do you reason about these things in your hearts? Which is easier, to say to the paralytic, “Your sins are forgiven you,” or to say, “Arise, take up your bed and walk”? But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins’ — He said to the paralytic, ‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’ Immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went out in the presence of them all, so that all were amazed and glorified God, saying, ‘We never saw anything like this!'”

 

Prayer: 

Lord Jesus, give me the faith and resourcefulness of these friends! Let me capture their determination to be in Your presence today and to take my needs to You regardless of any hindrances. As I do, let me never forget the greatest miracle of all—my sins are forgiven in Your Name! Let today be a day without ceilings—unrestricted grace from above—and without rooftops—unhindered faith and obedience rising to Your throne. For You Glory, Lord! Amen.

 

Song:
Nothing Is Impossible
Words and Music: Eugene L. Clark

Nothing is impossible when you put your trust in God;
Nothing is impossible when you’re trusting in His Word.

 

Hearken to the voice of God to thee:
“Is there anything too hard for Me?”
Then put your trust in God alone and rest upon His Word–
For everything, O everything,
Yes, everything is possible with God!

 

Semper Reformanda!
Stephen Phifer

The views and opinions expressed by Kingdom Winds Collective Members, authors, and contributors are their own and do not represent the views of Kingdom Winds LLC.

About the Author

Full of passion for Jesus Christ, Stephen Phifer is a third-generation minister with more than three decades of experience as a pastoral artist, worship leader, and conductor.