Luke 5: 17-19 One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick. Some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before Jesus. When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus.
I think about the friends in this story each time I read it. True friends are there for each other and provide support, trust, and help expecting nothing in return. I marvel at their love, commitment, and proactive decisions for their friend--the man on the mat. I wonder about the thought process that led them to do something as drastic as cutting an opening in the roof.
For some years now, I have categorized this type of friends as "mat friends" and since their names were not mentioned in the text, I have called them just that--Mat Friends. They were willing to carry their friend on a mat and did whatever it took to present him to Jesus, the only One who could heal him. There are several characteristics of these Mat Friends I admire.
Intentional. We all have busy lives and it's easy for us today to send a text and ask how someone is doing. But life over 2000 years ago was much busier since they didn't have modern-day conveniences. We don't know where the paralytic lived compared to where Jesus was, or where the Mat Friends lived. We know there were no cars at the time and people walked or rode on certain animals to get places. The Mat Friends were intentional. They didn't just say, "We probably should take our friend to see Jesus sometime." or "Let's hope Jesus comes near our friend's house so we can ask Him to stop in and heal our friend." They planned it, and they did it and I'm sure it took tremendous effort to carry their friend on a mat to where Jesus was.
Persistent & Strategic. The room was full, and the people probably spilled out the door. When there seemed to be no way in because of the crowd, the Mat Friends did not just give up and say, "Ah... too many people! Maybe we could bring him back another time." The text above says that there were religious leaders there. The friends could have said, "Well, the religious leaders are here. They can pray over him or they can present him to Jesus. It's part of their job." but they didn't! The Mat Friends pressed forward and strategized, probably trying to think "outside the box" on how they could bring their friend in front of Jesus so the friend could be healed. I'd say cutting an opening in the roof is really outside the box of your normal way of squeezing in through the entry doors!
Faith-ful. In subsequent verses, it said that Jesus saw their faith and forgave their sins. And, He healed their friend so that he could walk! It was their tremendous faith fully in Jesus as God that led them to do all the things they did. Otherwise, if He was just a good teacher, why go through the trouble.
Mat Friends--The type of friends who would do anything for you.
I aspire to be like the Mat Friends. However, I'm just going to be transparent and say that it has been hit or miss for me. I try to be whenever I can. With two separate friends, I once offered for them to call me even if it was in the middle of the night as both were struggling with some things with their respective husbands. Both took me up on the offer, and thankfully, they were not on the same day. One called one evening around 11:30 PM. We talked for about two hours. The other on a different day called at 10:00 PM to see if I could come over which I did. If you knew me well, you'd know I love my sleep, but--you know what?--I was fine and glad to be a "shoulder" for them to cry on and to be available to pray with them.
Recently I was on the receiving end of love, support, and help from my Mat Friends. In a two-week period, I had two lung surgeries back to back. I tell you--it is not for wimps. I don't know how I made it on the surgery list because I am a wimp when it comes to pain :)
The husband of a couple with whom we are friends drove up to the hospital in the crazy DC rush hour traffic just to sit with my husband and to pray with him during my surgery. You couldn't pay me enough to drive in the crazy traffic! Mat Friend
There were local friends, friends across the country, and people in my bronchiectasis support group who lifted me up to Jesus in prayer, like the friends in the passage who carried their friend on the mat to Jesus. They didn't just pray once when they learned about my surgeries. They followed up for exact dates and times. They followed up the day before. They followed up the day of. They prayed during my surgery. There were people in every time zone in the U.S. who were praying as well as people around the world. There were people praying for me whom I've never met and most likely never will! And then there were the delicious meals, homemade baked goods, beautiful flowers, and notes & cards. Mat Friends
I am blessed beyond measure and extremely thankful, first to the Lord, and second, for my Mat Friends! May the Lord be glorified for my healing and recovery!
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