Monday, July 6, 2026
And many were gathered together, so that there was no more room, not even at the door. And he was preaching the word to them. And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay And when Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven.” Mark 2:2-5
What Are You Seeking?
We are all seeking something –
To be loved
To not be lonely
To be recognized
To be wanted
To be heard
To be seen
To feel worthy
To feel valued
To know happiness
To feel secure
We are all seeking something that can only be found in one place, yet even when we know where to find what we seek, we all turn to something or someone else that seems quicker. We want instant relief from pain, loneliness, rejection, loss, and all the other “normal” afflictions that come with life on this broken planet.
Yesterday in our “Come and See: Encounters with Jesus” series we heard the story of a man and his friends who were seeking. They knew that Jesus was the only one who had what they were seeking, and they took radical steps of faith to get to Jesus in a crowded house.
Jesus was at a house in Capernaum, a packed house. So many people were there that day that no one else could get in. The friends of a paralyzed man heard that Jesus was back, and they wanted desperately to take their friend so that Jesus could heal him. They were so desperate that they realized the only way they were going to get their friend in front of Jesus was to cut a hole in the roof of a perfect stranger’s house. And they did it. When Jesus looks up and sees the hole and sees the four men lowering the paralyzed man down, He was impressed. He was impressed with the friends and how they had so much faith for Him to heal their friend, and how they were so willing to take extreme measures for this guy – because of faith.
Faith led his friends to do something radical – not sensible to others, but radical. An act of faith with no proof that this was going to work, but they had heard about the Messiah. They believed Jesus would heal their friend. This man and his friends were seeking that day. They were seeking physical healing, but Jesus gave him physical and spiritual healing. When we come to Jesus, surrendered in faith, we may have our prayers answered if it is the right time, but we will always walk away with a spiritual healing as well. Jesus’ grace meets our faith just as it did this man and his friends. He forgave the paralytic of his sin and heals his issue.
People may not understand your faith. Risk is usually involved with radical faith, and they won’t understand your faith in the light of the risk involved. Because of the faith of the 5 in this story he did something radical that changed their lives forever, and it is still changing lives for generations to come. He continually forms us and changes us when we seek him and surrender.
How does seeking Jesus help to answer our deepest needs and questions in life?
We can always find something or someone to in this world to mimic the fulfillment we seek but it never lasts. Most times it makes us feel worse, walking away with more holes in our heart than we began with.
Jesus is the only answer for every need and question we will ever have. He is the way, the truth, and the life… Jesus told him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6
Jesus fulfills our very deepest need, which is to be saved from our sin. Then he takes care of our other needs and questions we lay before him. He wants us to have radical faith and trust him. There is no thing and no person that will ever truly fulfill our deepest needs and answer our deepest questions. Anything or anyone we trust other than him will let us down every time.
Who or what are you seeking? What is your greatest need? Will you turn to Jesus and trust in Him?
