This is a devotional thought that I shared at a leadership meeting of AFCI-Asia in Yangon, Myanmar, April 2009. Explaining how peoples around Jesus showed teamwork and became a team with effective teamwork.
In this situation Jesus is in a house at Capernaum. The house is full, there is no space. Four men carried a sick person who was a paralytic. They could not get enough space to bring him to Jesus. So they went to the roof, opened it and lowered the paralytic to the spot where Jesus was preaching.
Jesus forgave the paralytic’s sins; He also healed him, and the teachers of the law were thinking how Jesus dared to forgive sins.
In this passage I will try to show you how these four men worked as a team to get the paralytic to Jesus to be healed.
Here I see a team of five men who worked together. We, as AFCI evangelists nationally, regionally and globally, need to work as a team in harmony and cooperation to make Christ known to the lost world.
Working As A Team
Mark 2: 1-12
And when he entered again into Capernaum after some days, it was noised that he was in the house.
Mark 2:1
And many were gathered together, so that there was no longer room for them, no, not even about the door: and he spake the word unto them.
Mark 2:2
-A big crowd
-Jesus is teaching
-Many came for healing
And they come, bringing unto him a man sick of the palsy, borne of four.
Mark 2:3
-A paralyzed person (a paralytic)
-Four men carried his bed
-The four men carried the fifth man
Here we see a team
1. Did they know Jesus (the five men)?
2. Maybe they didn’t know Jesus before that time
3. Just a thought came to their minds: take the sick person to Jesus (Thought)
4. They made plans
5. Which route we shall take?
6. What is the distance we must travel with our friend?
7. What was the team attitude?
8. What action did they take?
9. They walked all the way to Jesus.
10. Perhaps some people mocked their good intentions and efforts.
11. The team worked in cooperation.
12. The team did not work in competition with one another.
13. Personal work is involved (everyone played his role individually, in harmony with the other team members).
14. They helped the sick.
15. They helped others.
16. The team has a single goal.
17. The team worked in unity.
18. The team had faith for the healing of their sick friend.
And when they could not come nigh unto him for the crowd, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed whereon the sick of the palsy lay.
Mark 2:4
1. The team opened the roof.
2. The team worked together.
3. The team had a lot of perseverance.
4. The team had a good partnership.
5. The team was practical.
6. No selfish players on the team.
7. No single player wants to get the credit.
8. The team has determination.
9. The team has compassion for the sick.
10. The team has a commitment.
11. The team was committed for a specific goal.
12. The team has a healthy coordination.
13. The team has a healthy communication.
14. The team has a transparent communication.
15. The team was very confident.
16. The team had confidence.
17. The team knew the ground realities.
18. The team worked from the grass roots level.
19. The team had a good relationship.
20. There was no leg-pulling (no one was forced to participate).
21. There was no pushing (i.e., a race—kids running, pulling and pushing one another).
And Jesus seeing their faith saith unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins are forgiven.
Mark 2:5
But there were certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,
Mark 2:6
1. Faith of the sick person.
2. Authority of Jesus
3. Authority with Jesus
(When we are with and for Jesus, we have spiritual authority.)
Why doth this man thus speak? he blasphemeth: who can forgive sins but one, even God?
Mark 2:7
The scribes said he is not God.
And straightway Jesus, perceiving in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, saith unto them, “Why reason ye these things in your hearts?
Mark 2:8
Which is easier, to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins are forgiven; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?”
Mark 2:9
-Jesus is omniscient.
-He has the spirit of discernment.
“But that ye may know that the Son of man hath authority on earth to forgive sins” (he saith to the sick of the palsy),
Mark 2:10
-Jesus forgives sins
I say unto thee, “Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thy house.”
Mark 2:11
-Health restored.
-God gives us more than what we expect.
-A sick person came for physical healing.
-Jesus provided him spiritual healing as well.
And he arose, and straightway took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw it on this fashion.”
Mark 2:12
-A joyful obedience.
-The sick person is healed.
-People were astonished.
-They praised God.
-They had never seen such an incident.
Team Application:
-They reached.
-They rushed.
-They opened the roof.
-The sick one was healed.
-The sick got eternal life.
-The sins were forgiven.