It was the perfect day. The light of the morning was beginning to shoot its rays of “wake up sleepy world” to the left of me. To the right of me the scarey things that go bump in the night were racing away in a chaotic frenzy so as not to be touched by the light that would destroy their ominous power of fear. My feet were pointed where they always would be, toward the fishing nets and boats awaiting the next trip out into the Sea of Galilee.
Although the day was still very dark but moving clock-like toward dawn, the smell of breakfast would soon be near to the right side of my face. Soon some kindhearted individual would lift my head and feed the contents of the bowl into my thankful lips. Then my observations of the day would begin as they had for seemly a myriad of motionless years. No, not motionless on the part of the world, but motionless on the part of most of my body. One moment I was as healthy as the next citizen of Nahum's Village; and then the fever, the days of darkness, and my awakening to find my body still would remain asleep as the years and opportunities would pass me by (hope almost gone).
Something was different about the day though … breakfast had not arrived and my position in life was being disturbed from the four corners of my pallet bed existence. Jostled and tossed from side to side! … Was it the four carpenters from Zechariah 1:20 needing to build the future and I was in the way? Was it the four winds of the north from Zechariah 2:6 readying the land for the return of the King and once again I was in the way? Possibly this would be my undoing as the 4 chariots and the four Spirits from the Lord (mentioned in Zechariah 6) were preparing for the movement of God's Kingdom into the kingdom of men, and of course, the useless sinners, like I, would be swept away in the tumult. I would just close my eyes and commit my fate to the cruelty of a God who would smash this “potters vessel” to dust and treat it as useless as a sparrow that would fall in the night.
With my eyes closed tightly, I was not able to shut out the terror of the ride, the noises and the smells out side. People crowding in with all their obnoxious body odors and topical fixes for the smell. People murmuring obscenities about “the useless paralytic” borne by four ...four??? Up I went, seemingly above the crowd; a momentary digging sound ; the smashing of pottery; and my stomach began to sink as I felt my whole life being lowered... down, down, down, down and then the sudden stop. All was still, almost as the calm before the storm.
Just knowing that the opening of my eyes would reveal the horrors of Gehenna, I committed to my fate and opened my eyes. Far above me peering downward through a hole leading to the sky, were the smiling faces of four friends (Why were they smiling so?) ...Then an almost familiar face broke the distance between my friends and I. This face was so familiar to something deep within my now longing soul(“Oh please speak the words, I long to hear. Draw me, draw me near.”) “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee”. Did you hear what He said? “SON ...concerning your sins ...forgiveness … to you”.
Moments later, I was experiencing the impossible. My four precious friends were racing through the streets of Nahum's Village singing the praises of the Savior. My friends were dancing behind me while gleefully carrying a now empty bed; and I now running with a miracle, all because of these Four who looked beyond my uselessness. My miracle ...was more than the one obvious to the eye...my miracle was ...FORGIVENESS … This forgiveness given to me, now quickened me wholly His. I now realized that without the Word of Jesus I would have been condemned to eternal paralysis in Hell. I was not the only Palsied man in town. I will choose to be one of the Four, for there are so many others that need a friend, to bear the burden of them, to shatter the shame above their lives, and to lower them into the loving forgiveness of Jesus. My Friends and I are still dancing … what a sight!(Mark 2:1-12)(Join us!)
HLFA,
Jeff
