Through the Roof
26 January 2026, Third week after Epiphany
During the season of Epiphany we pay special attention to the “manifestations” of Jesus. These are the events of His life that reveal His glory: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.“ (John 1:14).
One of the traditional readings in this season is the healing of the paralytic, in which friends lower a paralyzed man through a roof, asking Jesus to heal him. Here is the text from Mark 2:1-12 for your convenience (this story is also reported in Luke and Matthew):
A few days later, when Jesus again entered Capernaum, the people heard that he had come home. 2 They gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left, not even outside the door, and he preached the word to them. 3 Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4 Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on. 5 When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralyzed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”
6 Now 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?”
8 Immediately 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? 9 Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up, take your mat and walk’? 10 But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the man, 11 “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” 12 He 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!”
This is remarkable in so many ways. We notice that Jesus is so very popular that He is surrounded by crowds. How can disabled people reach Jesus when stronger people are creating barriers? The only way for this man was through the persistence, ingenuity, and audacity of his friends. What devotion and care—and faith that the effort would be worthwhile!
The response of Jesus is also remarkable. There is no report of Jesus scolding them for breaking the roof, or for pushing into His presence. And most astonishing, He “sees their faith” and pronounces that He forgives the sins of the paralytic. Of course, perhaps this is not what they were seeking! Most of us do not realize that our deepest need to is to be connected with God—we all have selfish hearts and need to be reconciled.
Jesus forgives sins. The Pharisees knew what that meant, that Jesus is saying that HE IS GOD. To demonstrate His power, glory, and authority, He goes on to physically heal the man.
As a reader who is disabled, let me say some of what strikes me in this passage.
•The friends. Many of us cannot move or travel independently. We need help to get to Jesus. For me, one of the things this means is that I will need a ride to church for the rest of my life. Transportation is tiring and tedious work. Thank you, friends, who drive the elderly and others to church!
•We are all interdependent. Americans (and most Western cultures) value independence. We may need a reminder that this value often runs contrary to how God wants us to function in community.
•Friends show faith and perseverance when their friend in need can’t access Jesus.
•The crowd. It sounds as if these people couldn’t or wouldn’t make way for the weaker person in their midst. How can we notice the person on the outside who is denied access?
•The paralytic. In this case, Jesus heals. We know that He has all authority and power. The conversation about healing (Who is healed? Who is not? Why or why not?) is complex. This man’s “disability story” brought glory to Jesus. I hope mine can, too.
The kingdom has broken through in the person of Jesus. Come and see who He is!
Thank you for these insights
These are great insights bud. I admit that I have always been confused about the lowering through the roof, but you shed some light on this for me, thank you my friend.