The Faith of a Friend

Matthew 9:2 - "And they brought to Him a paralytic lying on a bed. Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralytic, 'Take courage, son; your sins are forgiven.'"


Matthew 9 recounts the famous story of Jesus healing the paralytic.  This story comes in the middle of Matthew's portrayal of Jesus to the Jews as their King, their Messiah that they had been waiting for.  He shows them His pedigree to be King (chapters 1-4), His principles to be King (5-7), and then in this section His power to be King (8-10).  Matthew seeks to demonstrate that Jesus has power over sickness, the demonic realm, the elements of nature, and everything else in this world.

This story, however, puts an interesting twist on the role of our faith.  In previous stories, Jesus had healed someone because of their faith - the leper and the Roman centurion's servant, for example.  However, in this story Jesus heals someone as a result of the faith of their friends.  These friends went to the trouble to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus.  When they arrived, the place was so crowded that they had to climb up on the roof, cut a hole in it, and lower their friend down to Jesus.  What an incredible testimony of the power of faithful friends!

So, it causes me to ask the question: What has MY faith done for others?  Have your family, friends, or co-workers been impacted by Christ as a result of your faith?  Jesus makes it clear here that our faith has a direct impact on the lives of others.  Take some time this week and examine your faith and the role it plays in the lives of those closest to you.