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Healing Hospitality
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Mark 2:1-12 (New International Version)
Jesus Heals a Paralytic
1A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2So many gathered that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3Some men came, bringing to him a paralytic, carried by four of them. 4Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus and, after digging through it, lowered the mat the paralyzed man was lying on. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven." 6Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves, 7"Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?" 8Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things? 9Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'? 10But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ." He said to the paralytic, 11"I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home." 12He got up, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This amazed everyone and they praised God, saying, "We have never seen anything like this!"
Healing Hospitality
I don’t think of Jesus as having a home, do you? I think of him as wandering around with “nowhere to lay his head” as the eighth chapter of Matthew puts it. But here, in Mark chapter 2, the story goes that Jesus came home to Capernaum for a couple of days. It even makes it sound like the house he’s at might have been his house! Of course he had an abode before he began his traveling ministry, so why not? The place might’ve been a little dusty after all of that away time. But the word spreads that Jesus is home. People start to gather outside his door. Pretty soon there’s a whole crowd.
In that crowd, there are four people. They have a friend who can’t walk. They want to get him to Jesus to see if Jesus can do anything for him. But when they reach the house, it’s too crowded to get in. So, they have to find another way.
Now, this story doesn’t tell how these people decided to carry this guy to Jesus’ house. It doesn’t say if they felt awkward bringing him to Jesus. It just tells us what they did. There are two sorts of barriers we might have to overcome to bring our friends to Jesus. They are internal barriers and external barriers. First, internal, or personal, barriers, are the barriers inside our heads. When we think about talking to someone about our faith, we can get stuck before the words even come out of our mouth. Usually it’s because we don’t want to lose a friendship. We worry:
What happens if I invite my neighbor to church and then they say no? What if I make my friend feel awkward?
What if someone thinks I’m pressuring them? What if I come across as judgmental?
What if…?
So most of the time, we don’t talk to our unchurched friends about our faith. Then maybe we feel a little guilty about not doing it. And guilt rarely is helpful to keep us motivated. These inner barriers can keep us from ever mentioning faith to our friends.
Brian was going through a difficult time in his life. He had been laid off from work just before his wife was diagnosed with cancer. The financial and spiritual struggles were nearly debilitating. Fortunately, Brian and his wife had some dear friends. Two couples that they had known for some time stuck by them. They came by to see them regularly and brought over meals occasionally. When Brian’s wife died, they were there to comfort him. These were good friends. After some time had passed, Brian began to consider returning to church. He hadn’t gone to church anywhere since he was a teenager. But there was something about church that sort of kept bugging him. He decided to try the church in his neighborhood first. When he walked into the sanctuary, there were his friends! Both couples had been going to that church for years. They had also been friends with Brian for years. But they had never talked about their faith, even through his ordeals. It just hadn’t come up. They were flabbergasted, and very glad, to see each other there.
The research behind the Unbinding your Heart study shows that these internal barriers that keep us from talking about our faith never fully go away. Even people who eventually get really good at evangelism still have resistance to sharing their faith. Even pastors who head the most statistically successful churches say they still worry about losing a friendship or pressuring people. But they work around that barrier. They let those fears make them sensitive to others, but not shut off from others.
One woman interviewed in the study said that a new definition of evangelism had helped her. She thinks of evangelism as sharing something she enjoys with someone she likes. For her, this takes away the fear she has of being overbearing. Sharing something you enjoy with someone you like. That can be evangelism. For the four in today’s gospel story, it was a matter of sharing something they thought might help with someone in need. That can be evangelism too.
Sharing something you need with someone else who needs it…
Sharing something that makes you smile with someone who could use a smile…
Sharing something that gives you peace with someone in chaos…
Sharing something you enjoy with someone you like—that’s evangelism.
Somehow, the four friends in this story had the courage to bring this man in need to Jesus. Somehow, they had overcome whatever internal barriers there might have been in their heads. But then, they had to get him to Jesus. And that was another barrier entirely. Remember, there are two kinds of barriers that might keep us from bringing people to Jesus. Internal barriers in our own minds might be overcome. But still, external barriers must be dismantled. When the four people got there with the man on the stretcher, the physical entrance was crowded. People were not letting them by. I wonder how long they tried to push their way through before they decided to try another way.
External barriers can be very daunting. Do you remember how vulnerable you felt the first time you visited a church? Some of you may remember me telling this story about a guest who spoke to me after worship one Sunday in Windsor. “I made it today,” she said. My recollection is that my reply was simply a quizzical expression. So she continued. “Two weeks ago I got up on a Sunday but never made it out the door. Last Sunday I got as far as the front doors here and then went home. Today, I made it.” The idea of venturing inside that fortress took three tries.
They could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, verse 4 says. We need to ask ourselves and the Holy Spirit this very searching question: Are there any barriers that are keeping people from getting to Jesus in our church?
Well, you may say, it’s not the crowds! But no matter our numbers, a church can feel crowded. Just because spaces are empty doesn’t mean they’re open. In your mind’s eye, join me in a virtual tour of our church.
First, our parking lot. Where do guests park?
Do they know where to come in?
Do they have to “dig through the roof” so to speak, like the paralyzed man’s friends did?
When they get to the entrance and come inside, are they greeted immediately? Are there signs to show them where the restrooms are?
When a new parent comes with a baby, do they find a sparkling clean nursery with two ready attendants?
When a guest comes into worship, do they find ample room in the back pews?
We don’t know for sure whether or not this house described in Mark’s gospel was Jesus’ house. But where is Jesus’ house? Chapter three of Ephesians says we are the very dwelling place of God, with Jesus Christ himself as our cornerstone. This is Jesus’ house. As we took our mental tour through the church building, did you see any barriers to Jesus’ house? Anything that would keep people from coming in and finding him here? Anything that says “Keep out!” instead of “Please, come in!”?
In your folder today there is a little cloth to remind us of the mat used to bring the man in our text to Jesus. Can you think of a part of our church that needs Jesus’ touch. Or something that needs our touch! Where are we needing to be more ready for guests? If you are new to our church, particularly if today is your first time here, we especially invite you to do this! Your insight is the most valuable we can receive. What has welcomed you? Or not welcomed you? Please, help us do better. Where is there an external barrier to Jesus’ house?
A church held a Vacation Bible School outdoors. They had a kind of marketplace set up so that it felt like a New Testament street scene. Adult volunteers in the church portrayed different characters from the Gospel. They even had a Jesus. The kids loved it, especially Elizabeth.
After VBS was over for the day, Elizabeth was at home when she somehow got a scratch on her leg. She showed it to her mother, who gave the required kiss. She even put on the boo-boo cream and the Dora the Explorer Band-Aid™. But that wasn’t enough for the little girl. “I have to show it to Jesus,” she insisted. “He can make it better.” The child’s insistence grew. The mom tried to explain that Jesus didn’t really live at the church, that it was a man in a costume, but this made it worse. “He does!” she cried.
At a loss, the mother loaded her kids in the car and headed for the church. Of course she expected no one to be there. But as they drove up, they saw some people milling about, taking down the outdoor decorations. The man who had been portraying Jesus was there, sitting on the church’s front porch. He wasn’t in costume, just in his usual clothes. But the little girl didn’t seem to notice. “There he is!” she shouted, and ran to him. The man seemed surprised, but held out his hands to greet her. The child told him all about her scratch. He listened. Together, the mother, two children, and “Jesus” said a prayer. Then, like the man on the mat, the family got up and went home.
In a few minutes we are going to have the opportunity to receive the Lord’s Supper. This symbolic meal is many things, but it is certainly the sacrament of welcome. Here you are invited to receive the spiritual nourishment God offers in Jesus.
How will you respond? What part of our church needs to be more welcoming? When the Lord’s Supper is finished we are going to sing a hymn. As we sing, imagine that you are bringing this area of our church forward for Jesus’ healing touch. Put the little mat on this table. Then together we will pray that every guest meets Jesus here, from the front porch on.
B
