We Go Together

Scripture: Luke 5:17-26

We Go Together

Word spread that Jesus had arrived back in Capernaum, and a crowd gathered with people wanting to hear from him and maybe witness a miracle or two. Then, as Jesus shares inside a house, a group of friends arrives outside. Friends have carried their paralyzed buddy to Jesus only to be turned away by the volume of the crowd. 

The Bible doesn’t give details, but there had to be a moment of disappointment. The guy on the stretcher might have said, “Hey, guys, thanks for trying, but it doesn’t look like it will happen today.” However, in that moment of resignation, one of the friends gets creative (there’s one in every group) and says, “I have an idea. What about the roof?” Everyone gets a second wind. 

The friends climb on the roof and start tearing through the tiling. They are men possessed by determination. It’s a huge risk. It’s the destruction of property. And yet their friend needs to see Jesus. 

People in the house start to hear noises, and minutes later, dirt and debris begin falling on their heads, followed by a person. These friends courageously go in and interrupt Jesus in the middle of his teaching. Peering through the hole in the roof, they watch as Jesus approaches the man they have just lowered and says to him, Friend, your sins are forgiven.

So many of us feel a little numb. We’ve lost something or felt disappointed over the past few years, and now we need a new way to move forward. We need a fresh start. That’s what this young man needed, what his friends helped him find, what Jesus offered him – a fresh start. 

Søren Kierkegaard, a 19th-century theologian and poet wrote, “People settle for a level of despair they can tolerate and call it happiness.” This is the year we no longer settle for tolerable despair, and instead, we’ll dream bigger, risk greater, and love better. And the way we’re going to do that is through the company we keep. Having your people by your side is not a perk of living a giant, beautiful, juicy life – it’s a prerequisite. 

It’s time to toss out our notions that we must do any of this alone, that it’s “too late” to create an abundantly rich group of girlfriends, or that the pace of life leaves no room for meaningful connection. Instead, we’ll take in something new, something God is always using to reach out to us: deep relationships. 

Having a genuine, supportive, honest group of female friends in your circle is one of the biggest life upgrades. “Ran out of gas? Of course, I’ll help push your car, but we will definitely laugh about it for the next 40 years.” Friends to put down as your kids’ emergency contact at school. People who help themselves to whatever is in your pantry without asking. Someone who has witnessed your most embarrassing moment and would never serve your kid peas because she knows it makes him gag. 

If you desperately want this kind of friendship, but it feels hard to come by, you’re not alone. Community is such a cliché concept, but the truth is, we are all pretty desperate for it. We know it will make our lives better, yet finding friends as adults can feel intimidating. Despite our best efforts, we all seem to be amidst a loneliness epidemic. 

Consider This…

Are you ready to toss out the notion that you must do life alone? 

Are you willing to embrace something new? 

Together…

We will be unoffendable, show up and expect good things for and from those around us.

Scriptures: Luke 5:20, Romans 12:18

Be Unoffendable

In Luke 5:20, Jesus said: “Your sins are forgiven.” These powerful words of Jesus were quite provocative but incredibly intentional. Along with the neighbors and friends in the house listening to Jesus were religious leaders called Pharisees. They were devoted to a very rigorous set of rules that were to be followed perfectly. They separated themselves from everything and everyone they thought was unholy, believing that God’s love was reserved for those who behaved the way they did. They listened to Jesus with critical ears, ready to pounce on any words or behavior that offended their understanding of Scripture. 

When the Pharisees hear Jesus say to the paralytic man, “Your sins are forgiven,” they consider Jesus to be blasphemous; only God can forgive sins. Yet Jesus intentionally reveals that he is the Messiah, on equal footing with God, with the power to forgive and heal. The religious leaders used logic and correctly believed that only God could forgive sins, and they were wise to be cautious of a new teacher. Their error was in refusing to see who Jesus was: God the Son, who has the authority to forgive sins. 

Another important thing about this story is that when Jesus forgives the man’s sin, he isn’t pointing out that the paralyzed man is especially sinful or that his paralysis had been caused by sin. Instead, he’s addressing the man’s greatest need and the common root of all pain and suffering — our separation from God. Jesus heals the man’s soul, and then he heals his body. 

All of this happens because of the borrowed faith of his friends. May we have faith for ourselves but also know that Jesus can and will meet the needs of others we bring to him. May we resist the urge to decide who is in and who is out, and may we carry people to Jesus, no matter the weight, even when it’s heavy or awkward or doesn’t fit into our timeline. May we carry people to Jesus who sin differently than we do, people who vote or live or parent differently. Most of all, may we live unoffended to see the truth of who Jesus is and what he wants to do in the life of every person we meet. 

Over the past few years, too many relationships have ended due to division and different viewpoints. Now is the time to fix what’s broken. Refuse to spend any extra time on petty arguments or trivial disagreements. We won’t let differences divide us; we don’t have time for this kind of no-win wandering. The people around Jesus were always trying to bait him into black/white, right/wrong, and he always found the third way. He wasn’t offended, wasn’t defensive. Instead, he was the one turning water into wine, eating with his enemies, providing stimulating conversation, and healing people. 

Consider This…

Have you recently judged or offered criticism too quickly? 

Is there something for which you need to ask forgiveness? 

Do you assume the best about others? If not, how can you begin? 

Together…

We will be people who do things, not people who talk about how others are doing things. We’ll offer help more readily than we offer criticism. When we feel judged or criticized, we’ll assume the best. If we mess up, we’ll ask for forgiveness. We’ll learn from each other and surround ourselves with people who are different from us. Instead of dwelling on the insecurities that cause us to huddle together, we’ll dismantle the cliques that make us feel safe and look for ways to make others feel included. Everyone is in. Everyone is welcome. We’ll be teachable—uniters instead of dividers.

Scriptures: Genesis 2:18, Genesis 5:24, Genesis 6:9, James 2:23, Exodus 33:11, John 15:13, Luke 5:25-26, 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Show Up

Showing up is what turns people you know into your people. People who you’ve seen at their best and worst and who you can invite in even when you, your house, or your world is a wreck. This relationship will require risk, but we have to resist insecurity and embrace awkwardness because connection requires vulnerability. 

Friendship matters to God. When God created the world, God said that everything was good. But once he created Adam, something was not good. It was not good that man was alone (Genesis 2:18). Although humankind’s deepest problem is sin, our first problem was aloneness. 

Then throughout the Bible, we read of our fracturing and God restoring our relationship with Him and with each other. 

• Enoch and Noah “walked with God” — a Hebrew expression of friendship. 
• Abraham was called “a friend of God.” 
• Moses spoke with God “face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.” 
• Jesus came to lay down his life for our sins because “greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends.” 

In the story we are studying this week, we see a man who had no choice but to accept help. In the culture in which he lived, being sick meant he couldn’t work, couldn’t support himself, couldn’t care for himself, or be an active part of his family – if he had one. And we see four men who were determined to get their friend to Jesus. The Bible doesn’t tell us how they became friends – it doesn’t matter. The fact is, they were committed to this friendship. We also don’t know why they were so determined – maybe they had been healed themselves by Jesus, maybe they had heard what Jesus had done for others, or maybe they were just tired of seeing their friend suffer. Whatever their reason, they showed up in a big way for their friend, and nothing would stop them. Not fatigue – they had to have been worn out from carrying him. Not the house – it slowed them down a little, but it didn’t stop them. Not the people between them and Jesus. How often have we let obstacles keep us from showing up for others? Or, worse yet, how often have we been the obstacle that kept someone from getting what they need? 

Consider This…

How can you begin connecting with others and helping them connect to what they need? 

What obstacles have kept you from showing up for others in the past? 

Together…

We’ll show up for each other in the ways we need and ask if we don’t know how. We’ll get creative in connecting with people and be the kind of women who shout our friend’s name in a room full of opportunities. No jealousy or competition here. Instead, we’ll be midwives for each other, coming around to help birth each other’s dreams and bring one another’s unique offerings into the world. Building the life you want takes a village. May it begin with being courageous, bold, and going all-in on friendship.

Scriptures: Luke 5:24-26, Hebrews 11:10

Expect Good Things

There is a myth that comfort is a collective right, and we should do everything we can to obtain it. So we try to mitigate risk, make wise long-term investments, and stay safe. This concern for comfort seeps into our faith too. Yet the friends in Luke 5 didn’t choose the safe route. It wasn’t a “wise decision” to lower a friend through a hole in the roof. 

Some of the best things are found on the other side of fear. And let’s be honest, following Jesus isn’t safe. So, let’s consider what “safe” plans we have constructed and consider where Jesus is saying to get a little more creative in how we bring our friends to him. How can we bravely expect good things for our friends like the buddies in this story who took a risk because they knew something better was possible for their hurting friend. 

Your courageous faith could be a catalyst in someone else’s life. Faith moves the hand of God. Jesus is the Son of God who has the authority to forgive sins and bring freedom. He is worth the risk. There are desperate, paralyzed, hurting people who need some friends to get pushy on their behalf. May we have the wisdom to exchange safety and control for the opportunity to love and serve. And may we show ourselves grace when we are the ones who need to be served. 

Sometimes we look around and feel like we haven’t done enough — haven’t worked hard enough to cultivate friendships, haven’t accomplished what we thought we would in life. Motherhood, marriage, and life have proved harder than we thought they would be, and shame tells us it’s because we’ve done it wrong, we don’t measure up, it’s too late. The disappointments of life make us forget how to live expectantly. Don’t buy into the oppressive voice that always tries to convince you you’re not enough or don’t have enough time, money, or accomplishments. Imagine that you are 95 years old looking back at your today-years-old self. You’d tell her, “Your life is just beginning! You are sitting on a pile of gems; you can’t see it yet because your shame blinds you. Resist the rush. Just because it hasn’t happened yet doesn’t mean it’s not going to. Beautiful things are ahead of you. Your current season is the proving ground for divine participation.” 

Lastly, we don’t have to do any of this alone. In this story, we watch a group of friends carry the weight of one soul. Too often, we think we have to carry the weight ourselves or pressure ourselves to have all the answers. The truth is, it can be a team lift. It’s a team effort to carry people to Jesus. We each have a role, but it’s not up to us alone. 

Consider This…

What remarkable things has God done in your life recently? Who can you tell about it? 

What big prayers should you be praying? 

Together…

May we be filled with confident faith. May we be people who pray crazy big prayers. May we be alert to the voice of God, developing a deep trust in what our purpose is. We will come together as friends and show the world the remarkable things that God can do. As we do, may you find sisters who will help you do what feels impossible.

Scriptures: Luke 5:26, Acts 2:42-47

Together

After Jesus’ death and resurrection, His friends were so compelled by what they’d seen and heard that they began to live differently, and people flocked to it because it was different and refreshing. What was it about this new community that caused people to want to be a part of it? It was radical friendship, mutual flourishing, and courageous faith. 

In fact, at the end of the story we have been studying this week, we read that the people there were surprised and gave thanks to God, saying, “We have seen very special things today.” The crowd saw the determination of the friends. Jesus honored the friends’ faith and healed the paralyzed man. 

Most “evangelism” in the early church was friendship, conversation, and people living in different and compelling ways. Following Jesus encouraged the believers to think less about their differences and more about their commonalities. Their example of human flourishing compelled people. It stood out; it was distinctive. The Book of Acts portrays what it looked like in practice. 

It wasn’t fancy or showy; they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. All the believers were together and had everything in common. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. (Acts 2:42-47, NIV) 

Can you imagine how powerful it would be if we were to embrace this model and become countercultural communities of friendship and flourishing? 

Consider This…

What about your life is distinctive? What compels others to ask about your relationship with Jesus? 

What do you need to do to devote yourself to those in your community? 

Together…

May we find boldness in our purpose and comfort in being known. May we find ease in dealing with people who would typically annoy or offend us. May we find ourselves at home in any room we enter. And may we say yes to the new things God wants to do in our life.

May we go all-in on friendship and find sisters who will help us tear the roof off to get to Jesus. May we witness remarkable things as women get healed. And may the Lord add to our number daily those who are being saved. Amen, let it be so.