Mark 2:1-12

   This scripture is one of my favorite in the Bible - and I know I have a lot of them - but I like this one especially because when it comes to healing stories, especially the healing stories in the New Testament, it is different than most. Most of these, when they occur, happen because someone comes to Jesus or Jesus comes to them, he sees their faith and then pronounces them made whole or forgives their sins and they are healed. What I like about this story, is that there are FRIENDS involved - and these friends play an integral role in the healing that occurs.

   It is the friends who bring the paralyzed man to Jesus.
   It is the friends who are persistent and creative in their attempt to see Jesus.
   It is the friends whose faith Jesus sees before he turns and says to the paralytic, My Son, your sins are forgiven. Stand up, take your mat and go.

   As much as today’s story is about healing it is also about friends.

   Which is appropriate for today - two days before Valentine’s Day - why not celebrate the love that is experienced between friends - not just between couples. And even though Best Friend Day is not officially celebrated until June 8, according to Hallmark, we’re going to it today. We’re going to lift up and celebrate friends, friendships and the difference they make in our lives and in our faith.

   As you know, there are all kinds of good quotes and sayings about friends. Here are a few of them:

   We know that a friend in need is a friend indeed.

   Friends are family you choose for yourself.

   "A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words."

   "A friend is one who believes in you when you have ceased to believe in yourself."

   John Lennon says: "I get by with a little help from my friends."

   "A Friend is someone who knows all about you and loves you anyway!!!"

   "Friends are God's way of taking care of us”

   "No man is a failure who has friends." - Clarence, the angel from "It's a Wonderful Life"

   "What is a Friend?"
   by Cassidy - a young girl
   
   What is a friend?
   A friend helps you when you've fallen down.
   Shares with you when they have candy.
   Talks with you when you're sad.
   They are honest with you.
   Shares deep secrets with you.
   Plays with you when you have a bad day.
   They invite you over on Fridays.
   Laughs at your jokes so you don't feel stupid.
   Help you when you have problems.
   And sits by you at lunch.
   That is a friend.

   Friends play such an important role in our lives - they support us, they help us, they speak the truth to us, in great important matters and in those lesser ones, too. I had a friend who said, “only a true friend will tell you when you have spinach in your teeth.” She’s right. Friends love us and care for us - they will move heaven and earth for us - and if we’re a friend, then we’ll do those things, too.

   In our scripture reading - the friends of the man who was paralyzed - loved him and cared for him - so much so that they decided to bring him to Jesus to see if Jesus could heal him. Because this is what friends do - if we’re suffering or sick, if we’re sad and feeling immobilized - whether we’re it’s physically or spiritually or emotionally, friends want us to get better, to be healed.

   They’ll give us referrals to doctors they’ve had or heard about, doctors who have worked wonders for whatever ails you. They’ll hop on the internet and promptly come up with a diagnosis for whatever symptoms you happen to be exhibiting - they will even go so far as offering a cure or two themselves. I had a friend who was into natural healing and every time one of my kids got a sinus infection she had me holding him upside down by his feet to help his sinuses drain - five times a day, 20 minutes each time or as often as needed. I eventually went to the doctor and got some amoxycillin - but I appreciated her trying to help.

   I bet the paralyzed man had tried everything to get better - and his friends had, too - when they heard that Jesus was in town. Word had gotten out about this Jesus fellow - how he went from town to town preaching the good news, inviting others to believe and to follow, how he had been healing people from their illnesses and casting out demons. So they decided to give him a try - they brought their friend to Jesus.

   Which is a wonderful image, don’t you think? They brought their friend to Jesus. They knew their friend was suffering and they knew, on some level, that Jesus would be able to help him. Would be able to give him what he needed. Would be able to heal him.

   It’s a wonderful image and an even better thought - that Jesus can bring us healing. To believe that if we bring a friend who’s in trouble, who is hurting, who is ill, to Jesus, that person, that friend will be healed. That if we bring them to church, if we introduce them to the gospel, get them to a place where their faith might be ignited - just a bit - if we bring them to Jesus - something will happen.

   Now, here’s the tricky part - I’ve prayed with enough seriously ill people, and prayed for them, and you have, too, to know that sometimes, seriously ill people aren’t healed - their illness or sickness does not go away - and they die. But...I’ve also learned and I bet you have too, that healing happens in many different ways.

   Tony Campolo tells of a time he tried his hand at healing - during worship one Sunday he told the congregation that if anyone wanted to remain behind for healing, he would be glad to pray with them, though they shouldn’t expect much because, from his experience, nothing much happens when he prays, but if they wanted to give it a try, he’d be willing to pray as hard as he could.

   About 30 people lined up and he began - but he didn’t want to do this healing thing fast - like the kind of healings you see on television, he wanted to talk to a person, get a feel for what was on that person’s heart and then pray, really pray.

   He did this for people with all kinds of needs; additions, problems with anger, problems with relationships and a few with physical illnesses.

   Four days later he got a phone call. The woman on the other end said, “Tony, on Sunday you prayed for my husband. He had cancer.” Tony said, “When I heard the “had”, my heart quickened. “Had cancer?” he asked? The woman answered, “Well, he’s dead now.”

   When she said that, he thought to himself, “Well, a lot of good I do.” Then the woman said, “You don’t understand. When my husband and I walked into that church that day, he was angry with God. He had cancer and knew he was going to die. He hated God for letting it happen. At night he would lie in bed an curse God. It was horrible. And the angrier he got toward God, the meaner he was to everyone around him. His nastiness just kept getting worse and worse but then you laid hands on him on Sunday morning and you prayed for him.

   When he walked out of church I knew there was something different, she said. I could feel it. He was a different person, the last four days of our lives have been the best we’ve had together - we talked and laughed, we even sang hymns with each other. It was a good, good time. Tony,” she said, he wasn’t cured, but he was healed.”

   Healing takes all kinds of shapes and forms. Sometimes a cure does happen. Sometimes it doesn’t. But more often than not, people find healing in different and unexpected ways - in forgiveness, in being restored to a loving relationship with God, in the peace that’s been eluding us for so long, in the hope or the joy or the grace we’ve been desperately needing.

   Jesus can heal us in ways we don’t know or can’t imagine. Maybe it happens in the worship or the music or the prayers. Maybe it happens in the word of God or maybe it’s found in the care and love of a church family - who knows. But it does happen. Give me Jesus, the song goes - and something will happen.

   And even though it’s not always easy to bring our friends to Jesus, to say, “Come to church with me, I think it will do you good.” Or, “I find my faith has really made a difference in my life, I think it will make a difference in yours...” or, “can we pray together, I think we should pray”, still we do it because we know on some level that Jesus will help, will give our friends what they need, will be able to heal them. And, that’s what friends who love and care for each other do.

   That’s what the friends of the paralyzed man did - they brought him to Jesus.

   And when they couldn’t get in to see him, couldn’t make their way to the door of the home where Jesus was staying, well, that didn’t deter them, not in the least. They didn’t put their friend down and say, “Sorry Bob, today’s just not your lucky day.” They were determined, they were persistent, they were creative - as only true friends will be.

   I would have loved to see Jesus’ face when the roof tiles started falling in him and then as he saw the paralyzed man being lowered down on his mat into the house. For some reason, I imagine him smiling - thinking to himself - this guys got some good friends by his side - he’s going to be just fine.

   True friends will do whatever it takes - they are creative and persistent - when it comes to our well being.

    - Think of the friends who, when you’re feeling down and depressed, won’t let you just disappear, try as you might - they call, they write, they stop by, they continue to reach out to you until you have no choice but to finally give in and feel better.

    - or the friend who will drive you to the doctor any time you need it - day or night.

    - think of the friend who repeatedly tells you how wonderful you are and that the guy who broke up with you wasn’t worthy of you to begin with - and about the 1000th time you hear it, you begin to believe it!

    Or the friend who keeps inviting you to church until one day you just give in to get him to stop bothering you - and then you realize that this - the worship, the community, a relationship with God was what you were needing all along.

   These are the kinds of people, who if need be, would climb up on a roof, dig through it and lower you down if they thought that would make you better - if they thought that would bring you healing.

   The friends that brought the paralyzed man to Jesus were persistent and creative, they did what they had to, because that’s what friends do.

   And Jesus, upon seeing the friends, upon seeing their faith - said to the paralytic: Son, your sins are forgiven. Stand up, take your mat and go home. And he did.

   And that, right there is my favorite part of this whole healing story - Jesus saw the faith of the friends - maybe it was the hole in the roof - the lengths to which they had gone, maybe it was the hope in their eyes - they truly believed Jesus could do something, maybe it was something only he could see in them, whatever it was - it was enough, their faith was enough.

   Which is an important thing for us to remember - that sometimes it is our faith and the faith of our friends, that help make healing possible.

   Sometimes we need their faith, when ours is a bit low or gone altogether, to keep us going, and sometimes they need ours.

   Maybe it’s in the prayers we say for each other, the tears we shed together, or the things we’re willing to do for each other, or the trust we have that God will give us what we need. I don’t know how it works, I just know that it does. Sometimes it is our faith and the faith of our friends that help make healing possible.

   The paralyzed man needed the faith of his friends to bring him healing and that’s what he got, because that’s what friends do.

   I get by with a little help from my friends, John Lennon said. Thank God for their care, for their love, for their faith, for bringing us to Jesus when we need it, for their creativity and persistence at all times, and for helping us heal, Thank God for friends.