A Hole in the Roof - The Gospels

In this Bible Story, Jesus witnesses one of the greatest acts a friend can do. A few men cut a hole in a roof just to get their paralyzed friend down to Jesus. They go to great lengths to see their friend healed, and their faith is rewarded. This story is inspired by Mark 2:1-12, Matthew 9:9-13. Go to BibleinaYear.com and learn the Bible in a Year.

Today's Bible verse is Mark 2:4 from the King James Version.

Episode 183: As two men get ready to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus, they see that the house is too full to enter. Not to be deterred, they headed for the roof where they began tearing the mud and plaster. As Jesus saw the men lowering their friend down, He looked at the paralyzed man and told him his sins were forgiven. Though some scribes in the crowd were angry at Him for this, He proved His authority to say this by healing the man. As he and his friends walked out of the house, everyone was amazed. After this Jesus went to the sea where He walked into the booth of a tax collector named Matthew.

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Executive Producers: Steve Gatena & Max Bard

Producer: Ben Gammon

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Music by: Andrew Morgan Smith

Bible Story narration by: Todd Haberkorn

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Let us pray, And when they could not come nigh
unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where
he was, and when they had broken it up, they
let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy
lay Mark two. For as I ponder and meditate on

(00:22):
Mark two and Matthew nine, I stand in awe of
how the two stories connect. In the same way that
the friends got to Jesus in unconventional ways, so too
did the outcasts, misfits, and tax collectors get to Jesus
in unconventional ways. Jesus made this story and your life

(00:49):
serve as a reminder that you came to heal all
that are lost and in need of healing, both physically
and more importantly, spiritually, no matter what their condition. I
am committing my life to be able to be a
helping hand to those in need of your forgiveness and grace.

(01:11):
I will not look to title or economic standing to
determine the passion of my pursuit. I will rip a
hole through the roof, push through a crowd, or sit
with those forgotten if it means they receive their breakthrough
and healing. Thank you in advance for using me to

(01:32):
lend a helping hand to people that are hurting in
Jesus name.

Speaker 2 (01:40):
Amen, thanks for making prayer a priority in your life.
To hear the Bible come to life, Stay tuned for
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in a Year dot com.

Speaker 3 (02:02):
A hole in the roof. In our last story, Jesus
climbed a small hill and preached to thousands of people
about the Kingdom of God. He spoke about the backwards
economy of God's blessings, that the poor in spirit, meek
and mourning are the ones to inherit ultimate blessing from God.
He spoke of loving your enemies, not harboring hatred in

(02:24):
your heart, and removing judgment from your mind. All these
things caused awe and wonder in those listening. Now we
witness the faithful devotion of a few friends. They truly
act out the Kingdom of God by doing whatever it
takes to get their friend to the feet of Jesus.
They even risk vandalism and arrest to make sure their

(02:44):
loved one is healed. Inspired by the Gospels.

Speaker 4 (02:51):
Hello, I'm Pastor Jack Graham with today's episode of the
Bible in a Year. Once again. We are so happy
about the over twenty million people who have joined us
on this podcast, and I would encourage you right now
to pass this podcast along to others, let them know,
because we want to get the word of God to
as many people as possible, as quickly as possible. So

(03:14):
let's pick up where we left off the last time
we heard Jesus teaching the Sermon on the Mount. In
our last episode, he laid out God's standard for true
righteousness and made it clear that righteousness is not self righteousness,
but righteousness in Christ that is a matter of the heart,
not just words or actions. Ultimately, Jesus was making a

(03:34):
clear case for our need of a savior, our desperate
need for his salvation. Today we'll hear of a man
and his friends who demonstrated great faith and friendship as
they went to extraordinary link to help their friend receive
the healing he needed from Jesus. We'll also hear how
Jesus called Matthew, a hated tax collector, to be one

(03:55):
of his twelve disciples. In both stories, the religious elite
become angry at Jesus' words and deeds as they failed
to see who this man who heals and forgives. Really
is the Lord of life, the Lord of all. Let's
listen now to the reading of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Speaker 3 (04:15):
The three friends stood outside the crowded house. Hundreds of
people surrounded the property so they could hear Jesus teach.
Two of them stood, the other one laid on a stretcher.
The man laying down was completely paralyzed from the neck down.
His friends had brought him to the house in hopes
that Jesus would be able to heal him. However, the

(04:35):
house was overflowing with so many people, almost all hope
of seeing Jesus was lost. The two men looked down
at their friend, trying to hold back their tears. Then
one of them looked at the house again. His eyes
scanned the property. He smiled and looked at the others.
I have an idea, he said. Jesus was teaching in

(04:57):
the middle of the home. Hundreds of people sat and
st around him, hanging on every word he said. Jesus
was speaking of the Kingdom of God. He spoke of
God's law, his love, and his forgiveness. As Jesus was speaking,
he felt a small piece of plaster fall on his
head startled. Jesus looked up to the ceiling to see

(05:17):
the roof being torn apart from the outside. Jesus stood
to his feet and the crowd stepped back as more
roofing fell from the ceiling on to the floor. A
bright light shone through the ceiling. Then, all of the sudden,
Jesus saw a silhouette of a man on a stretcher
being lowered down by ropes. The two friends had found
a way to Jesus. Although it was unconventional and perhaps illegal,

(05:41):
they were willing to do whatever it took. The paralytic
was lowered slowly. Jesus went under the man and helped him.

Speaker 4 (05:48):
To the floor.

Speaker 3 (05:49):
Jesus looked up at the hole in the ceiling. He
could see the friend's guilty smiles. Jesus grinned and looked
down at the man. He placed his hand on his
shoulder and said, my child, your sins are forgiven. As
Jesus said this, a scribe and the crowd scoffed. His
sins are forgiven. What authority do you have to forgive sins?

(06:12):
God alone has the power to forgive sins. The scribes
spat on the ground, angry at Jesus's words. Jesus looked
at the man with compassion. He knew the scribe was
questioning his words. Jesus smiled and answered him, tell me
which is easier to say your sins are forgiven?

Speaker 1 (06:32):
Or get up and walk?

Speaker 3 (06:34):
And immediately as Jesus said this, the man's legs began
to move. The paralytic's eyes widened as he lifted himself upright.
Jesus stood up and helped the man to his feet.
The two of them embraced, and the man picked up
his bed and walked out. The crowd parted to make
way for the man, and Jesus could see his two
friends standing outside, hugging him and leaping for joy. Standing

(06:58):
shoulder to shoulder, the three men and walked away back
to their homes. After these things, Jesus went out and
sat by the sea. The waves crashed gently on the shore.
The breeze whistled to the left, and Jesus watched as
crowds began to approach him. Their needs were endless, but
so was his love for them. To his right, Jesus

(07:19):
saw a man named Matthew. He was a tax collector
and hated among his Jewish kin. Tax collectors were considered
Jewish traitors. They hoared themselves to the Roman government and
used corruption for their own gain. Matthew, however, felt the
weight of his sins. He sat at his booth with
his head held low, ashamed of who he had become.

(07:42):
Jesus approached the booth. Matthew had grown accustomed to men
and women coming to the tax booth to spit on
him and ridicule him. However, Jesus simply smiled and said
two simple words that would change Matthew's life forever. Follow me,
Jesus said, plainly. Then he began to walk off. Matthew

(08:03):
paused for a moment and looked at the pile of
coins and paper at his desk. Was he truly willing
to sacrifice wealth in favor with Rome to follow Jesus?
Was Jesus worth it? Matthew looked at Jesus walking away. Yes,
it is worth everything, he thought to himself. Matthew stood
to his feet and ran after Jesus. The two of

(08:24):
them connected, and Matthew hosted Jesus and his followers at
his home. They laughed and shared stories. However, not all
were amused. The Pharisees stood outside the house with their
arms crossed. They stopped one of his disciples and said,
look how he dines with tax collectors and sinners. Aren't
you ashamed to follow him? The disciple paused, unsure of

(08:45):
how he should answer. Before he could say anything, Jesus
stepped outside and approached them. His eyes were piercing, filled
with deep wisdom. Tell me, Jesus said, who needs a
doctor more the sick or the help? I have not
come to sit at the table of the righteous, but
to help sinners in need. Jesus left with his disciple

(09:07):
back inside. As he left, he gestured for the Pharisees
to join him. They sneered and left.

Speaker 4 (09:17):
As we begin the story of Jesus today, we find
him teaching in a very crowded house. People are squeezed
in from wall to wall and spilling out of the
door as they listen to the wise words of this teacher, Jesus,
who was unlike anyone they had ever heard before. We
then discovered that some men had heard that Jesus would

(09:38):
be nearby, and they'd known of his healing ministry. Perhaps
they'd seen some of the miracles happen, but for whatever reason,
they knew that this was an opportunity to help a
dear friend, a man who was paralyzed and helpless. They
wanted to get their friend to Jesus. He would not
have the ability to get to Jesus on his own,

(09:58):
immobile as he was us, but these friends demonstrated true
love and compassion as they carried the man to the
home where Jesus was speaking. When they arrived, it seemed
impossible to get to Jesus. There were so many people around,
and apparently no one else cared for the paralyzed man
and wouldn't let him through. But these four friends were

(10:20):
undeterred and undaunted. They climbed up on the roof and
dug out a hole so that they could lower the
man to Jesus. Talk about determination and dedication, compassion and
cooperation is all here. They could have easily packed up
and left heads hanging low, defeated, sad because their friend
would remain crippled, But that's not what they did. They

(10:43):
insisted on seeking after Jesus and the promise of healing
they believe he could give to their friend. What a
great reminder this is that we should have compassion upon
people that we love and care about. That we should
do everything possible to spend and be spent in order
to bring our friends and even people we don't know

(11:04):
to Jesus. Are we willing to push through every obstacle
to search for every possible way to connect those who
need the Lord to the one and the only one
who can make a difference in their lives? Or do
we just give a half hearted attempt and turn away
at the slightest setback. Pray that God would give you
and me strong determination and devotion to get our friends

(11:27):
to Jesus. These men show us the valuable lesson that
Jesus taught about asking and seeking and knocking and never
giving up because the answer will come. When Jesus saw
the man coming down from the ceiling, he went into action,
going to the man in speaking to him. Here is
what he said in Luke five, verse twenty. When Jesus

(11:50):
saw their faith, he said, friend, your sins are forgiven. First,
notice that Jesus was not speaking of this man's faith,
the crippled man's faith, but the faith of his friends.
It was their faith that brought the man to Jesus.
Our actions, when done in faith believing God, have significant
impact on the lives of others. Our faith moves from

(12:13):
faith to faith. Notice that Jesus doesn't immediately heal the
man's body. His first words are words of forgiveness. The crowd,
and especially the Pharisees and the teachers of the law
take note of This is offensive and shocking to them
that Jesus would claim to be able to forgive sins.
That's something only God can do. But Jesus shocked them

(12:36):
again as he spoke to reveal their hidden thoughts. He
asked if it would be easier to say the man's
sins were forgiven or to tell the man to get
up and walk. Clearly, it would be easier to just
say his sins were forgiven, because there would be no
visual proof of this having worked or not. So he
turned to the man and told him to take up
his mat and go home. Immediately the man was healed.

(13:00):
He stood up from his cot and began praising God.
With those words, Jesus showed that he has the power
to both heal, but most importantly, to heal the soul
to forgive sins. Everyone praised God in amazement for what
they saw Jesus do. We then see Jesus calling another disciple.

(13:21):
This time it was a man named Matthew. He was
a tax collector, which means the Jewish people saw him
as a traitor and a servant of the invading Roman government.
Tax Collectors were not respected or revered members of Jewish society.
They were just included with all the other sinners. So
when the religious crowds saw Jesus with tax collectors, they

(13:44):
once again sneered and scoffed that this man would stoop
so low as to associate with outcasts and sinners. How
could anyone follow such a man, they thought, and once
more Jesus called them out for their hypocrisy. He had
come to heal the sick, to help sinners, not the righteous.
They could not understand that the purpose of Christ's coming

(14:07):
was to save sinful people. The righteousness of the Pharisees
and the religious crowd was only skin deep, and that
they needed healing sole healing, just as much as the
tax collectors and the sinners. Christ came into the world
to save sinners like you and me. Jesus was ready

(14:27):
and willing for all to follow him, but so many
rejected him, especially those who were very religious. And yet
he kept on helping people, loving people, and would one
day go to a cross to lay down his life
so that our sins could be forgiven. Dear God, we
thank you for the four faithful friends who go to

(14:47):
great lengths to show your love and compassion to their friend.
For the healing and the power of Jesus to save.
Help us Lord, to be friends like these to people
we know, and to do whatever it takes to bring
people to the loving, saving arms of Christ. In Jesus' name,
we pray Amen. Thank you for listening to today's Bible

(15:09):
in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas.
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(15:33):
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