Mornin’ Juice (rooftops)

There is a song that is a favorite for many maybe even including you! Rooftops by Jesus Culture, is one that will get you up outta your seat, raising hands and desiring

…shout out Your name
That I am yours, I am yours
All that I am
I place into your loving hands
And I am yours, I am yours.

When my bride, debby, was preparing for a worship night we most recently had on Good Friday, this song was on the list, almost immediately the thought of the boys who carried their friend, their companion, their comrade who was paralyzed to see Jesus. You will see the scene in Mark chapter 2. Jesus has just returned to Capernaum and is hanging out where does the most, a home. The teaching and healing that Jesus is flowing is drawing large numbers of people, word of the one who is the Word is flying through the neighborhoods.

We aren’t privy to the conversation beforehand, but ponder for a moment. You are hanging out doin’ whatever it is you do on a given day, sure you may have heard of this guy, Jesus before, but maybe you haven’t given it much thought or maybe you were one, that has heard and told yourself and others, “if that dude ever comes to town, I’m chasing him down, I want to hear and see this man”. That day comes and you and 3 of your buddies bring your paralyzed friend to the one. The ONE ou have hope, this Jesus, the son of God who can and will heal. yet upon arrival at the scene the crowds are massive.

Mar 2:3-4 NLT 3 four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a mat. 4 They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.

Good grief i love this scene. They see the crowd, the men don’t respond i do when i hear the wait at one of my favorite restaurants is 40 minutes and bolt outta there. No these guys get their buddy on the roof, that in of itself would be a site, (wonder if others helped?). They make it to the roof and then claw their way through the roof. Look gang, the noise of hacking, punching, scraping at the roof would have been a disruption, wouldn’t it. Would our response be “what the hell?!?! and who is up here causin’ all of this”….”HEY WHAT ARE YA’LL doin?” I mean we honk at folks who hesitate a millisecond at greenlights. But not Jesus, maybe some in the room would have and were distracted, but look at the response of Jesus.

Mar 2:5 NLT 5 Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”

Are you kidding me? Jesus sees their faith. Sees their faith!

Wow to have been in the room to look up at the faces of the ones who lowered their buddy down into the room, to see these huge smiles on their faces, their hearts pounding with excitement and then they hear “My child your sins are forgiven” Uh Lord, teacher, rabbi, uh son of God, our buddy is laying on a mat paralyzed…uh that’s kinda well uh why were risked it all to be here…Jesus knows this doesn’t he? Of course, yet Jesus does what Jesus does, and he always addresses the heart first. Jesus was making sure that everyone, including the religious leaders of the day knew that he was after healing hearts first and foremost, he was on the scene to set captives free and did he ever. You have to go read this interaction between them….(Mark 2:1-12)

Life at times paralyzes us doesn’t it? Unexpected death of loved ones. Marriages falling apart. Relationships with people within your inner circle that have gone sour. What is yours? What is that something or someone that for the moment has you doubting, has you temporarily on the bench wondering what your next steps are. The illustration of the 4 buddies just hits home in how we are to live life in community and when life has knocked us on the mat, and we just might be living in a place of unbelief, we need trusted friends who will lower us into the room with Jesus and hear Jesus empower/remind through the Holy Spirit within us to RISE UP from your unbelief and beLIeVE…

over 40 days this year we chatted about fasting from unbelief https://therefugemboro.com/2018/02/18/morning-juice-lent/. It’s a fast i will continue, one that will take buddies to remind, to carry, to rise up with. a journey that is open, transparent, vulnerable for us to readily admit when life is grand and when life has us momentarily paralyzed. one that will keep us shouting from the rooftops

all that i am i am yours!