what if it were you?

Jesus’s public ministry was full of miracles - turning water into wine, feeding the thousands, and of course, healing so many hurting and broken people. One of the most well known miracles was when Jesus healed the paralyzed man. See, disabled individuals were not given a lot of options for survival. They were allowed to beg for money, but unlike today (where it is still very challenging), there were almost no accommodations to make life easier for them. No wheelchair ramps or handrails, no nurses dedicated to their care unless potentially their family was incredibly wealthy. We don’t know much about this man’s story, but I imagine that he was broken, and desperate for change, but didn’t have a lot of hope that it would happen.

Have you ever been desperate? I mean really, really desperate. Have you ever begged God to change your situation? I imagine that the paralyzed man probably had done just that. So, we find Jesus, perhaps visiting the house of a friend. There were so many people surrounding the house (Jesus was drawing crowds wherever He went) that it was hard to even see Him. As He taught and shared parables, suddenly He began to hear something on the roof of the house where He was sitting. Out of nowhere, debris began to fall from the ceiling, landing on the people inside, dirtying their hair and covering their clothes. As Jesus looked up, He saw a group of people - some standing, and one man, laying on a stretcher. Those friends began to lower their friend through the roof (if this was my house, I would have been beside myself). When he came to the feet of Jesus, I imagine there was a weighty silence. What would Jesus say? Would He send them away for destroying the roof of His friends? Would He heal the paralyzed man? Jesus simply said, “Your sins are forgiven.” Frankly, if I were the paralyzed friend, I would be resisting the urge to say - yeah, is that it? I just popped in through the roof, pal. Don’t you see my legs? Can’t you tell that I have risked everything to be here, in front of you, asking once more for a miracle?

However, Jesus didn’t stop there. Jesus declaring the man’s sins forgiven meant that He believed Himself to be the true Son of God. The Pharisees would have been holding their breath in shock and disgust. To declare that would have been the highest act of blasphemy that Jesus could have committed. Jesus - who is so funny, even in moments like this where He knew He was signing His death warrant - turns to the Pharisees and quotes their own thoughts back to them. He challenges them with a big and bold question - “Which is easier to say, your sins are forgiven or get up and walk? The Son of Man has authority to forgive sins even on this Earth.” I imagine Jesus smiling and shaking His head, and maybe grabbing the hand of the paralyzed man. “Get up, take your mat, and go home.”

Everyone collectively held their breath - the man’s friends, the Pharisees, and the crowd of onlookers. As they waited to see if Jesus was proven true, the man began to shift his legs. Suddenly, for the first time perhaps in his life, he stood up and began to walk. Can you imagine the scene that followed? I am sure there were shouts of joy from the man and his friends. Gasps of amazement from the crowd. Yells of horror and fear from the Pharisees as Jesus, once again, defied everything they believed to be true, good and holy.

Reading this story in Luke 5 and watching it on The Chosen brought a few questions to my mind. I always try to put myself in the story, and figure out who I relate to the most. Sometimes, that isn’t always a pleasant analysis, as I find myself among the Pharisees or hiding in the crowd. I haven’t always been the friend carrying people to Jesus, begging for miracles. I think there are a few types of people in this story, and maybe it will help to lay them out like this:

1. Carrier - Are you willing to do whatever it takes to bring your friend to Jesus?

2. Doubter - Do you actually struggle to believe Jesus is who He says He is, and that he can still do miracles?

3. Paralyzed guy - Are you worn out from this life? Struggling with depression, anxiety, maybe even physical illness? Do you find yourself on the stretcher?

If you’re a carrier, people might think you’re a little crazy. You carried your friend all the way up to the top of a roof. Not only that, you ripped that roof open just for the chance that Jesus might do a miracle. No assurances. No safety nets. That’s what being a Christian feels like - moving by faith doesn’t come easily every single day. There is no assurance that what I pray for will actually happen. It takes a lot of hope and faith in the God of Miracles to believe in the impossible.

If you’re a doubter, are you standing by shaking your head at the carriers? It feels impossible to take those risks, to live life without the safety net of the facts. Jesus doesn’t seem real, and you haven’t seen any miracles anyway. How do you know that any of this is even true, and not just some hyped up cult?

If you’re the paralyzed man, you are trapped at the mercy of the carriers and desperate for a miracle. Life has worn you down. Depression. Loneliness. Anxiety. Abuse. Whatever happened has left you immobile on this stretcher, and you don’t know what else to do. Your friend comes to you with a crazy idea - what about Jesus? He’s here, in town, at someone’s house. If we can just get close enough, maybe He will heal you. At this point, you’ve tried everything else. What do you have to lose? What does it cost you to stretch that faith out one more time, looking for hope, praying for healing?

Wherever you find yourself, I am desperate for you to know the Jesus of Nazareth that I call Savior. See, I’m a carrier. I am desperate for Jesus, and I’m willing to carry you up on a roof top to get to Him. My social media is about Jesus. My life is about Jesus. My conversations are about Jesus. This is not to say I am something special because I am a messy sinner, but because Jesus has done miracles for me. See, I used to be the paralyzed man. I was so bound by sin and overcome with depression. I couldn’t get off the stretcher. The good news that I have for you tonight is that when Jesus heals you, when you experience what could only be called a miracle, you become burdened to carry that good news. You can’t stop talking about those miracles. You are desperate to carry your friends to Jesus, because you know for a fact what He did for you, He can do for them too.

If you’re a doubter, the greatest struggle for you is probably that first step of faith - choosing to believe. I can tell you that Jesus is who He says He is. I have found Him to be faithful and honest and kind. But no words of mine can convince you - it’s going to be you, stepping out on faith for your own kind of miracle. Lay down the idea that facts are the only trustworthy and secure thing there is. Test Jesus and find Him worthy of your love. Let Him transform you into a carrier of this news, a desperate friend who would carry someone up a ladder to find a miracle.

No matter where you see yourself in this story today, you don’t have to stay there. You can be a carrier. You can be a desperate, crazy, roof climbing fanatic. What will you do to see everyone around you come to Jesus? Let me ask you this... WHAT IF IT WERE YOU?

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Nicole Worm is the founder of Redeemed Collective, a recovering perfectionist and is committed to eventually seeing the Atlanta Falcons win a Super Bowl. Also, committed to being dog mom to Bear.