Learning to Have Burden for Lost

¹⁸ Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed, whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him. ¹⁹ And when they could not find how they might bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the housetop and let him down with his bed through the tiling into the midst before Jesus.²⁰ When He saw their faith, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.”  Luke 5: 18-20

In the Gospel of Luke, we read an account of healing like no other mentioned in the Bible. The focus of the account is forgiveness and deity of Jesus, but I want to talk to you about the four friends. We have four men bringing a paralyzed friend to Jesus for healing. Tradition tells us this man was paralyzed because of a sexually transmitted disease. He was unable to come to Jesus on his own, but he was blessed with four friends who were willing to get him to Jesus. These four men teach us a valuable lesson on how friends ought to have a burden for those unsaved friends and bring the needy sinner to the savior.

To start with, look at their faith. Verse 20 tells us, Jesus saw their faith. I don’t believe the paralyzed man asked them to take him to Jesus. These men took it upon themselves and had such a burden for their friend’s need that drove them to act on his behalf. I am not suggesting that the paralyzed man had no faith or that he did not believe that healing was possible. We all have such friends in our life. Oh, they might not be paralyzed physically but certainly spiritually, emotionally, intellectually, and relationally. They simply can not let go of the past and are unable to experience the joy because they are troubled by sins committed previously. Perhaps they don’t see a need for healing, or they feel there is no way for them to get to Jesus in their present condition. No matter what the reason, the solution is the same as it was for these four friends. We need to carry them to Jesus. And, the way we do it is on our knees. These four friends lowered the bed down to Jesus. We need to lift our friends in prayer to Jesus. Are you praying for your friends, unsaved family members? Like these friends, do you have faith that Jesus can heal them? Look what James 5:16 says “and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Jesus honored their faith and healed the man. 

Secondly, These friends demonstrate love. It was their love for the friend that united them. They were not going to be able to do this on their own. They needed each other. So faith combined with love drove them to action. Our unity comes from faith and genuine love for each other. A common goal may create superficially unity for a short time, but real unity is only achieved by love and shared faith in Jesus. Gospel is all about love. In Galatians, we read about the fruit of the spirit is LOVE, which in turn brings joy, peace, self-control, kindness, patience Etc. Love is the central message of Christianity and the engine that drives us to fulfill the great commission. Love is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions and belief systems. Every other religion is based on men’s love for god and his devotion to that particular god. On the contrary, Christianity is based on God’s love for us and our acceptance of His ultimate sacrifice on the Cross. Romans 5 tells us, one of the benefits of salvation is God pours love into our hearts. A genuine love for others is a sure sign of a saved person. It creates a burden in our hearts for others, and we want them to experience the joy and peace that comes from walking with Jesus. Love is a trademark of a Christian, Jesus said: “they will know you by the love you have for each other”. I will go as far as saying, if you do not have love( burden) for the lost and sinners, you are not a Christian.

Thirdly, These friends had faith that Jesus can heal; they loved their friend enough to carry him to Jesus, and once they reached the house, the crowd was overwhelming. But, they did not give up HOPE. Their path was blocked, but they were determined to get the friend in front of Jesus. They could have turned around and wait for another opportunity or convinced their mind, we tried however, it was not meant to be. Instead, they looked for a solution, lowered this man from the roof right in front of Jesus. Have you encountered obstacles as you try to bring a friend or family member to church? Do people resist when you try to share Jesus with them? Have you tried a few times and convinced yourself that he/she is never going to come to Christ? If so, you need to learn from these friends. They were not discouraged but were determined. Maybe you need to remove some tiles and get them in front of Jesus. Yes, it will require you to do some extra work, but the love of Christ will strengthen you. At this point, I like to make it clear what it means to have real hope. It is not a wish but confidence in certainty — Jesus is our blessed hope, our living hope. Real hope has one source, Jesus. As we encounter obstacles, difficulties, and trial in our Christian walk, it is the hope of eternal life that strengthen us. It reminds me of the old hymn “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’s blood and righteousness. Christ the solid rock I stand “. 

1 Corinthians 13 speaks of Faith, Love, and hope. We see all three illustrated by these friends. They did not have any selfish motive. Matter a fact, as far as we know, Jesus did not say a single word to them. They had bought him for healing, but not only was he healed physically but was also restored spiritually. In the Gospel of John chapter 4, a centurion pleads with Jesus to come at once and heal his son in the next town. Jesus was his only hope, and it was his love for his son that drove him to Jesus. Do you know Jesus is your only hope, no matter how impossible the situation may seem? Do you have a wayward child? A stubborn spouse? Lost friend? Unbelieving parent? Your love for them and your faith in the word of God should drive you to our only blessed hope Jesus. Today, you don’t have to wait for Jesus to come to your town. There is no crowd blocking your path to Jesus nor do you need to get on the roof, all you need to do is put faith in our living hope Jesus, get on your knees and start praying for those who are paralyzed in your life because of sin. You can not have victorious Christian life without a burden for other souls. I like to close with a couple of quotes from Charles Spurgeon.

“Have you no wish for others to be saved? Then you’re not saved yourself, be sure of that!”

 ― Charles H. Spurgeon 

“Faith goes up the stairs that love has built and looks out the windows which hope has opened.” 

 ― Charles H. Spurgeon