A Hole in the Roof

As two men get ready to bring their paralyzed friend to Jesus, they see that the house is too full to enter. Not to be deterred, they headed for the roof where they began tearing the mud and plaster. As Jesus saw the men lowering their friend down, He looked at the paralyzed man and told him his sins were forgiven. Though some scribes in the crowd were angry at Him for this, He proved His authority to say this by healing the man. As he and his friends walked out of the house, everyone was amazed. After this Jesus went to the sea where He walked into the booth of a tax collector named Matthew.

In our last episode, we heard Jesus’ teaching in the Sermon on the Mount. He laid out God’s standard for true righteousness and made it clear that it was a matter of the heart, not just our words or actions. Ultimately Jesus was making a clear case for our need for a Savior – a desperate need for Him. Today, we’ll hear of a man and his friends who demonstrated great faith and friendship as they went to extraordinary lengths to help their friend receive the healing he needed from Jesus. We’ll also hear how Jesus called Matthew, a hated tax collector, to be one of His twelve disciples. In both stories, the religious elite becomes angry at Jesus’ words and deeds as they fail to see who this man who heals and forgives really is.