I read once again the story in Mark of the paralysed man who was let down through the roof by his friends. We can imagine the scene in our mind’s eye. As we read the story we often concentrate on the four friends who loved their friend so much that they used their imagination so nothing would stop them getting their friend to Jesus. At other times we concentrate on the paralyzed man himself who could do nothing to help himself, but relied on the care of others and the miraculous love of Jesus.
At the moment I am considering the crowd who in their eagerness to get to Jesus were in the way, They were a stumbling block to this man’s healing. Crowds always seem to have a mind of their own, kindness and consideration goes out of the window. As the man was suspended over their heads, the crowd had no choice but to move.
It’s a terrible thought, but do I stand in the way of someone getting to Jesus? By my bumbling witness and eagerness to tell a friend the life-saving news, am I a hindrance and not a help. I need sometimes to get out of the way and stand on the sidelines and pray, leaving to others the task of evangelising. I can only pray that God will give me the wisdom to know when and which is my role.