Friendships

In Mark 2 we see a very special healing. Jesus is preaching in a house in Capernaum, and while he was preaching, four men lower their paralyzed friend through a roof into a room where Jesus was standing so that Jesus would see him and heal him. Jesus is so impressed with their faith that he does heal their friend.
I call them “friends” although that is not in the text. Surely, anyone who is willing to carry a paralyzed man up a ladder to the top of a house and then dig their way through a roof in order to let him down into Jesus’ presence had to be pretty good friends of the sick man. They had faith in Jesus’ ability to heal, but they also had faith in their friend—that he was worth the effort to heal.
Having friends is an important part of the Christian life. We all need people who believe in us, encourage us, and are there for us when we need them. We all need to be the kind of people who encourage and help others.
People can have hundreds of “friends” on Facebook and yet have very f