Embrace the Awkward

When they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus. When Jesus saw their faith, he said, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” - Luke 5:19-20

Try to imagine yourself as the man who is paralyzed in that moment - having been confined to a cot for perhaps years. And imagine yourself as the friends who carried him all the way to Jesus and got on top the house and ripped open the ceiling and lowered him down.

What a disappointing moment. Right?

You’ve hoped so much for this moment to finally walk. Your friends have believe and worked and sweated. And all that Jesus gives out is a little forgiveness? Are you kidding me! We wanted full healing! Sure, sure, it’s coming - but it seems almost like an afterthought to Jesus. So just sit in that moment with the paralyzed man looking up at Jesus and the friends looking down through the ceiling. And sit in the tension. Feel the disappointment.

Sometimes God doesn’t answer the way we want God to answer. Maybe even most of the time. Now, perhaps it’s still the right answer that God gives. But it sure doesn’t feel that way, does it?

Before we move on tomorrow and get to the healing, let’s not skip over the in between moment when Jesus spoke on no healing was given. Can you relate? What do you do with Jesus’s answers when they aren’t the ones you want? Take some time today and embrace those tensions and process them with God.