Four Friends Who Would Not Give Up

Carrying a Friend

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The man in Mark 2 could not walk, but he was not alone. Four friends carried him all the way to Jesus. Their love and faith teach us how to be a real friend.

They saw a need. Their friend could not get to Jesus by himself. They did not just feel sorry for him. They did something about it.

They worked together. One person could not carry a grown man on a mat. It took four. “Two are better than one… For if they fall, one will lift up his companion” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10).

They carried the load. “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). A burden is a heavy load. Sometimes the load is a body that hurts. Sometimes it is a sad or worried heart.

They put him first. “Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others” (Philippians 2:4).

Love that costs. The friends gave their time and their strength, and they even broke open someone's roof! Real love is willing to give something up for someone else.

They did not give up. The door was blocked. Most people would have gone home. These friends found another way in.

Faith that acts. “When Jesus saw their faith” (Mark 2:5). Jesus could see their faith because it showed in what they did.

Trusting Jesus. “He who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Diligently means carefully and without giving up.

Love in action. “Let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth” (1 John 3:18). A deed is something you do.

Jesus did the rest. The friends could carry the man to Jesus, but only Jesus could forgive him and heal him. Our part is to bring people. Jesus is the One who saves.

Jesus carried us first. “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows” (Isaiah 53:4). Jesus carried our sins to the cross because He loves us.

What we learn. A real friend cares, helps and keeps going. Most of all, a real friend brings people to Jesus.

What to do. Think of a friend who is having a hard time. Pray for them every day this week, and do one kind thing to help carry their load.

In Mark 2:3-5 four men cared enough about one friend to carry him to Jesus, dig through a roof and risk looking foolish in front of a crowd.

Friends lift each other. “Two are better than one… For if they fall, one will lift up his companion” (Ecclesiastes 4:9-10). The verse goes on, “But woe to him who is alone when he falls.” The paralyzed man was not alone.

Galatians 6:2. To bear means to lift and carry. Paul calls this “the law of Christ,” because Jesus told His followers to love one another as He loved them (John 13:34).

Philippians 2:3-4. Humility looks out “for the interests of others.” Carrying a friend costs time, comfort and pride. These four men paid all three.

Obstacles. The crowd blocking the door was not cruel; it was simply full. Often the barriers to bringing someone to Jesus are ordinary: busy schedules, awkwardness, or fear of what people will think.

Persistence. Jesus said, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Matthew 7:7). In Greek these are keep-on words: keep asking, keep seeking, keep knocking.

“Their faith” (Mark 2:5). Faith cannot be seen, yet Jesus “saw” it. James teaches that faith without works is dead (James 2:17). Works do not earn salvation, but real trust in Jesus always shows up in what we do.

Faith for someone else. The friends' faith did not save the man in his place. Jesus spoke to the man himself. But their faith brought him to the place where Jesus spoke.

Hebrews 11:6. Faith believes that God “is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The friends sought Jesus with everything they had.

1 John 3:16-18. “By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us.” Christian love starts with what Jesus did and then shows itself “in deed and in truth.”

The greater burden-bearer. Isaiah 53:4 says the Servant “has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows.” Before we ever carry anyone, Jesus carried us. “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).

Application. Name one person whose load you can help carry. Practical help, faithful prayer and an invitation to hear about Jesus are all ways to bring a friend to Him.

Bringing Others to Jesus

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The four friends did not only help the man with his body. They brought him to Jesus. Nothing we do for a friend matters more than that.

Jesus came for sinners. Later in Mark 2 Jesus said, “I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Mark 2:17). Everyone needs Jesus.

Jesus looks for the lost. “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10).

Anyone can come. The Bible promises that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:13). Whoever means anyone at all.

People need to hear. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Your friends need someone to tell them about Jesus.

A brother brings a brother. After Andrew met Jesus, the first thing he did was find his brother Simon and bring him to Jesus (John 1:41-42).

Come and see. Philip told his friend Nathanael about Jesus and invited him to come and see for himself (John 1:45-46). You do not need to know everything. You can just invite.

Kids too. Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them” (Mark 10:14). Kids can come to Jesus, and kids can bring their friends.

Pray first. Praying for a friend is like carrying them to Jesus. “Pray for one another” (James 5:16). Ask God to open your friend's heart.

Levi's dinner. Right after healing the paralyzed man, Jesus told a tax collector named Levi, “Follow Me.” Levi followed, and soon many tax collectors and sinners were eating with Jesus at Levi's house (Mark 2:14-15). Levi brought his friends to Jesus.

Jesus' command. “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations” (Matthew 28:19). And He promised, “I am with you always” (Matthew 28:20).

Tell what Jesus did. The healed man walked out in front of everyone, and the people praised God (Mark 2:12). When you tell a friend what Jesus has done for you, it can help them trust Him too.

Be patient. Some friends will not be ready to listen right away. Keep loving them, keep praying and keep inviting. God is working, even when you cannot see it.

Heaven rejoices. “There is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10).

What we learn. Jesus wants everyone to come to Him, and He uses ordinary people, even kids, to bring them.

What to do. Write down the name of one friend. Pray for them every day this week. Invite them to church, or tell them one thing Jesus has done for you.

The four friends are a picture of every Christian's calling: to bring people to Jesus. Mark 2 and the rest of the New Testament show us how.

The need is spiritual first. Jesus' first words to the man were about sin (Mark 2:5). Friends can meet many needs, but every person's deepest need is forgiveness. Jesus “did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Mark 2:17).

Repentance. To repent means to turn from sin to God. It is a change of direction, not just feeling sorry. Jesus joined it to faith: “Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15).

How people hear. Romans 10:13-17 lays out the steps. People call on the Lord because they believe, they believe because they hear, and they hear because someone tells them. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17).

John 1:41-42. Andrew's first act as a follower of Jesus was to find his brother Simon and bring him to Jesus. Simon became Peter, a leader of the early church. One invitation made a lasting difference.

John 1:45-46. When Nathanael doubted, Philip did not argue. He invited him to come and see. A personal invitation is still one of the main ways people meet Jesus.

Levi (Mark 2:14). Tax collectors worked for Rome and were often hated as cheats. Yet Jesus said to Levi, “Follow Me,” and “he arose and followed Him.” No one is too far away for Jesus to call.

Intercession. Carrying a friend in prayer is intercession, praying on someone else's behalf. “I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men” (1 Timothy 2:1).

Levi's table (Mark 2:15-17). Levi opened his house, and “many tax collectors and sinners also sat together with Jesus.” The scribes complained, “How is it that He eats and drinks with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus answered, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.” Bringing friends to Jesus often starts at a table.

The Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20). Jesus' command rests on His authority: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” The same authority that forgave the paralyzed man sends us out, and He promises, “I am with you always.”

The Holy Spirit. “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me” (Acts 1:8). We do not change hearts. The Holy Spirit does, through the message about Jesus.

Joy. “There will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).

Application. Pray daily for one or two friends by name. Look for a natural moment to share what Jesus has done for you, and invite them to hear God's Word with you.

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