Out of Weakness…Strength — The Paralytic Man
In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God. Amen. May the blessing of the Father who calls us and His Only Begotten Son Jesus Christ who saves us, and the Holy Spirit who sanctifies and transforms us be with us all, that we may hear His word and bear fruit—thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold. Amen.
Introduction: A Story of Friendship and Compassion
Henry Penn, former president of the Society of American Florists, tells one of the most unforgettable stories of his life in the flower business.
One day, two boys and a girl—about ten years old—came into his shop. They wore ragged clothes, but their faces and hands were clean. The boys took off their caps as they entered, and one stepped forward and said solemnly,
“We’re the committee, and we’d like some very nice yellow flowers.”
Penn showed them some inexpensive spring flowers, but the boy said,
“I think we’d like something better than that.”
“Do they have to be yellow?” Penn asked.
“Yes, sir. Mickey would like them better if they were yellow. He had a yellow sweater.”
“Are these for a funeral?” Penn asked gently.
The boy nodded. The girl turned her face away to hold back tears.
“She’s his sister,” the boy explained. “He was a good kid…a truck…yesterday…he was playing in the street. We saw it happen.”
The other boy added,
“Us kids took up a collection. We got eighteen cents. Would roses cost an awful lot, Mister? Yellow roses?”
Touched by the story, Penn replied,
“I have some nice yellow roses I’m selling for eighteen cents a dozen.”
The boys lit up.
“Gee, those would be swell!”
“Mickey would like those.”
“I’ll make up a nice spray,” said Penn. “With ferns and a ribbon. Where should I send them?”
“Would it be all right, Mister, if we took ’em now? We’d kinda like to give ’em to Mickey ourselves. He’d like it better that way.”
Penn took their eighteen cents. As the “committee” walked out carrying flowers that “Mickey would like,” he said,
“I felt uplifted for days. Unbeknownst to them, I had a part in their tribute to their friend.”
What would we do without friends like that? Friends who show up in the worst moments? Friends who carry us—emotionally, spiritually, or even physically—when we’re too weak to stand?
God’s View on Weakness and Friendship
“But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.” —1 Corinthians 1:27 (NKJV)
We all want to be strong. And when we’re not, our pride tells us to pretend we are.
I get it. The world is full of sharks—people who smell blood and attack. But don’t focus on them. Focus on the lifeguards—the ones who jump in to save you before you drown.
Yes, beware of the sharks. But build relationships with the lifeguards…so you can become one yourself.
“Do not be deceived: ‘Evil company corrupts good habits.’” —1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV)
And I believe the opposite is true:
“Keep company with good people, and good people you will imitate.”
Real friends are rare. Soul-level connections can’t be faked. They grow in the soil of shared struggles, not just celebrations.
Real friends don’t love us because of something—we’re not their project. They love us despite everything. They know our weaknesses and don’t overlook them…they look past them.
Real friends don’t run from burdens. They carry them.
Luke 5: A Fellowship Formed Around a Mat
Let’s read our passage:
“Now it happened on a certain day, as He was teaching, that there were Pharisees and teachers of the law sitting by,
who had come out of every town of Galilee, Judea, and Jerusalem.
And the power of the Lord was present to heal them.
Then behold, men brought on a bed a man who was paralyzed,
whom they sought to bring in and lay before Him.
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.
When He saw their faith, He said to him, ‘Man, your sins are forgiven you.’
And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying,
‘Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?’
But when Jesus perceived their thoughts, He answered and said to them,
‘Why are you reasoning in your hearts?
Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?
But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins’—
He said to the man who was paralyzed,
‘I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.’
Immediately he rose up before them, took up what he had been lying on,
and departed to his own house, glorifying God.
And they were all amazed, and they glorified God and were filled with fear, saying,
‘We have seen strange things today!’”
—Luke 5:17–26 (NKJV)
If this man didn’t have these friends, we would’ve never heard of him. We don’t know their age, background, or status. But they formed a fellowship of compassion, courage, and commitment.
I. Friends of Compassion (They Took the Time)
The house was crowded. People came from every village. Jesus was healing. The power of the Lord was present.
And then some men show up—carrying a paralyzed friend on a mat.
They didn’t just feel sorry for him. They acted.
Compassion is more than pity.
Pity hurts your heart.
Compassion moves your feet.
Webster defines compassion as:
“The desire to fix another person’s distress.”
Think of the Good Samaritan.
The priest and Levite saw the wounded man but passed by. The Samaritan got off his animal and got in the ditch. Got bloody. Got dirty. Paid the bill.
These friends were cut from that same cloth.
II. Friends of Courage (They Were Unstoppable)
The house was too full.
They could’ve turned back. Maybe they thought about it.
But one of them said:
“Let’s get on the roof. Make a hole. Drop him down right in front of Jesus.”
Now that’s a friend. A compassionate engineer!
Imagine the paralyzed man’s response:
“You’re doing what with me? Are those ropes tested?”
That’s courage. That’s trust. That’s faith in action.
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” —John 16:33 (NKJV)
And:
“But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for 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 (NKJV)
Ministry will either be stopped by fear…or accomplished by faith. You either walk away from the door…or climb the roof.
III. Friends of Commitment (They Knew Jesus Was the Answer)
Picture it: Jesus is teaching. Suddenly—scratching above, dirt falling, a hole opens in the ceiling.
And then—someone is being lowered down, right in front of Jesus.
Did the homeowner shout? Probably. But I bet those friends helped fix the roof afterward.
They didn’t care about the crowd. Or the effort. Or the risk. They only cared about one thing:
“We’ve got to get our friend to Jesus.”
“So when He saw their faith, He said to him, ‘Man, your sins are forgiven you.’” —Luke 5:20 (NKJV)
That’s commitment.
Jesus always addresses the most important issue first: Sin.
He didn’t say, “Get up” first. He said,
“Friend”—(because there’s no better Friend than Jesus)—“Your sins are forgiven.”
The Pharisees grumbled:
“Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God alone?”
So Jesus asked:
“Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?”
Then He showed them.
“But that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins”—
He turned and said—
“I say to you, arise, take up your bed, and go to your house.”
—Luke 5:24 (NKJV)
Final Thought
The greatest miracle that day wasn’t that he walked home.
It was that he was forgiven.
And it happened because of a few real friends.
- Friends of compassion.
- Friends of courage.
- Friends of commitment.
May the Lord bless us, transform our hearts and minds, that our homes may stand on the Rock, our hands serve in the harvest, and our hearts long for Heaven. Amen.