The Selfless Love of 4 Men

There is a story of 4 men who give us a radical picture of selfless love. We never know their names, only their actions. They are only mentioned in a few sentences in the Bible. In fact, in the story, the men slide to the background.

And when he returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at home. And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay. And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:1-5

In this story, we find Jesus preaching in a home. By this time, He is well into his ministry. He is well-known for his healing and his love for others. And, when He speaks, He draws a crowd. The place was packed. Sold out. No more room. Any chance of seeing him was over. You needed to get there a few hours before kick off.

4 men arrive at the scene. Desperate. Determined. Relentless. Strategic. Proactive. Focused. They were carrying a paralyzed friend. A man that in no way could approach Jesus himself. He couldn’t walk. He was completely helpless. I imagine he had lost hope long ago. He could not help himself, the gaps were too large.

But, the 4 men filled the gaps. I am sure they knew it was sold out, and when they arrived it was jammed pack. They were helping their friend some how, some way. This story was not about their comfort, their ease, finding a way to do the bare minimum. Not a chance. They were getting to Jesus. End of story.

And, they did. Unable to budge into the room, they carry their friend to the roof. Unbelievable that they got a paralyzed man on the roof. They dig through the roof. Crazy. They somehow, some way, lower the paralyzed man on a mat directly in front of Jesus. Insane relentlessness.

The preaching stopped. I bet you could have heard a pin drop in the room. No whispering, no moving, all eyes on the 4 men looking through the roof, the paralyzed man on the floor, and Jesus. The Gospel happens.

And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:5

The 4 men brought their friend to be healed of his paralysis. Jesus sees their faith and forgives the paralytic of his sins, the ultimate grace from God. The faith of the 4 men brought forgiveness of sins. The man’s life is changed.

Meanwhile, I bet the 4 men are still looking through the hole in the roof, marveling, waiting, watching. Hope-filled blood is flowing through their veins.

Then, Jesus heals.

“I say to you, rise, pick up your bed, and go home.” And he rose and immediately picked up his bed and went out before them all, so that they were all amazed and glorified God, saying, “We never saw anything like this!” Mark 2:11-12

The 4 men are watching through the hole in the roof, as the packed crowd in the room splits, and their formerly paralyzed friend walks out. Imagine the emotion, the celebration, the fulfillment.

What a picture of selfless love. The 4 nameless men, unknown except for a few sentences in the Bible, give us a picture of radical love and care for another. Many times in this scene, they could have turned away. There was seemingly no way to get the man to Jesus, but their selfless love conquered all. Their selfless love opened their minds to alternative methods to make it happen. Their selfless love would not let them stop until they had helped their friend. We get a picture that these 4 men would have done anything.

Selfless love. This is the story of the Bible. This is the story of Jesus.

Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. John 15:13

What if we brought a different angle to our annual goal writing this year? In addition to things you want to accomplish, what if you include a list of names, those individuals that you will give selfless love to this year. What if you created a “selfless love” list of names and kept it in a place where you saw it every morning. Might make for a radically different year. The world needs it.

Impact others. Live generously.