Healing Hospitality – Part 1

I’m sure that most of you can relate probably as a child, maybe going off on a Summer, or holiday vacation visiting relatives. They are probably fond memories now, visiting with family and friends. But if you think back to that gathering perhaps the joining together even for a brief time, the two, or three families, the accommodations were probably less than desirable. There were just too many of you! Maybe you had to sleep with a cousin that wet to bed, or snored unmercifully, or maybe you had to sleep on the floor. And so as we’ve conjured up some of the real downsides of your memories… let us explore today’s devotional!

After Jesus was rejected and run out of his hometown of Nazareth, Jesus moved on to the fishing village of Capernaum. There the people were much more open to him. There in Capernaum Jesus had the experience of a full, over full, house. News quickly spread that Jesus was there. People started to gather outside his door. Pretty soon there was a crowd. Mark describes it... So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door. Mark 2:2 NRSV

People came to see Jesus, hear him preach and teach, and be healed by Jesus. One man in Capernaum had four really good friends. These four friends were in that crowd at the house of Jesus. Their friend was paralyzed. It is obvious that his paralysis was so severe that he could not walk. His friends wanted to get him to Jesus to see if Jesus could, would, do anything for him. They hoped that Jesus would heal him and restore his ability to walk. So they carried him to Jesus.

However, remember Jesus had a full house. It was so crowded that even the door was blocked. So when they reached the house, it's too crowded to get in. So, they had to find another way to get him to Jesus. What follows is the most remarkable part of the story. These friends climbed up on the roof and... They removed the roof above Jesus; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. Mark 2:4 NRSV
Jesus is so moved by the bold faith of the four friends that Jesus said to the paralyzed man... “Son, your sins are forgiven... Stand up, take your mat and go to your home” (Mark 2:5,10 NRSV).

We don't know whose house this was. I have always thought if it was my house, I would have been really, really mad. Jesus wasn't. He was impressed by their faith and their ingenuity to get their friend to him. Mark doesn't tell how these friends decided to carry this guy to Jesus. We are not told if they felt awkward bringing him to Jesus. Mark simply tells us that they did. In 'Unbinding Your Heart', Martha Grace Reese describes two kinds of barriers we might have to overcome to bring our friends to Jesus. They are internal barriers and external barriers.

Internal personal barriers are the barriers inside our heads. When we think about talking to someone about our faith, we can get stuck even before any words come out of our mouth. Often it's because we don't want to take a chance on losing a friend. We worry...

What happens if I invite my neighbor to church and then they say no?

What if I make my friend feel awkward?

What if someone thinks I'm pressuring them?

What if I come across as judgmental?

What if they laugh at me and embarrass me?

What if...?

So, far too often we decide not to talk to our unchurched friends about our faith. These internal barriers can keep us from ever mentioning faith to our friends.

Evangelism Tip of the day:  Today, set aside a few minutes to do an honest self-assessment.  What are the interior barriers that keep you from bringing others to Christ?  Take one step today to work toward removing one barrier today.

Prayer: Lord, today search me and let me see the internal barriers that keep me from being Contagious in sharing my faith and your love with all with whom I come into contact.