One by Four

My dad grew up in a family of carpenters. In a family of 11 children which included 5 boys and 6 girls, there was much to do on the farm.  The boys seemed to have picked up a little bit of everything from their Dad including how to raise cattle to how to build houses.  Two of the boys ended up becoming carpenters and built many houses in Colbert County.  I am the first to admit the carpenter skills skipped over me.  One day I was summoned to help with my uncles and dad on a small project.  I was asked to retrieve a 2x4 and a 1x4.  When I brought back a piece of plywood with the 2x4 my family knew I was meant to be a preacher.

One of my favorite stories in scripture is found in Mark 2 where Jesus is visiting the city of Carpernaum and is in a house preaching. The word spread quickly that Jesus was near and before long there were so many people that they were standing out in the front yard to the street.  In the meantime, a paralyzed man wished he could go to the house revival but he had no one to help him.  But on this day, we find that 4 men helped carry their paralyzed friend to see Jesus but when they arrived the crowds were great.  Then the four men went above and beyond, no pun intended, to give their friend a chance.  They somehow raised him to the roof and then dug a hole through the roof to lower hm down at the feet of Jesus.  And as you know the story, Jesus forgives the man and heals the man completely.
 
How did they get their friend up on the roof?  One by Four!  Four men were determined to bring one man to Jesus.  These men were resolute that their friend would be given a chance to engage Jesus. I heard evangelist Ron Dunn say one time, “preparation is an act of faith.”  These four men instinctively prepared a way for their friend to meet Jesus.  Mark 2:5 tells us, "when Jesus saw their faith."  When one door closed, they had a plan b.  Faith is preparing as much as we can to make sure the opportunity for success is at a maximum.  But if the outcome is not what we hoped for it doesn’t deter our faith and preparation.

What would compel these men to such a task? Why would they want to risk embarrassment, financial costs or even punishment for destruction of property just for their paralyzed friend? I cannot prove this, but I believe it is because these 4 men were a part of the story.  I think the miracle of the paralyzed man of Mark chapter 2 happened is because these 4 men had been forever changed in encounters found in Mark chapter 1. 34 “and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.” Mark 1:34. I think it is very possible that the four men had all encountered Jesus in some miraculous way on their own.  How could they keep this miracle to themselves? They had to share it with those they knew!

The Lord is still searching for that one who is lost!  But I also think the Lord is still waiting on those of us who have been changed by Jesus to become a part of the Fantastic Four!  As a young teenage man, I preached on this passage and I said then, “there are too many ones and not enough fours!”  I hope we can change that trend in the days to come.