The Roof-Tearers: The Uncompromised Standard of True Brotherhood

The ultimate metric of a good friend is not found in social comfort, but in their direction of travel. If someone in your life is willing to disrupt decorum, break through obstacles, and labor with their bare hands just to get you to the feet of the Savior, they are a good friend indeed, and they care for your soul with a rare, fierce love. They recognize that temporary, worldly fixes are useless when compared to the spiritual and physical healing found only in Christ.

To prove His divine authority over both realms to the murmuring skeptics in the room, Jesus issued a command that left no room for debate:

“I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion.” — Mark 2:11-12

The very mat that carried the helpless man into the house was carried out by his own restored strength, a total triumph witnessed by the men who refused to quit on him. We must ask ourselves: are we surrounding ourselves with companions who will flee at the first sign of a crowd, or do we have covenant friends who will dig through stone for us? More importantly, are we willing to carry our friends to Jesus by any means necessary, realizing that the greatest act of love we can ever show a brother is to lay them directly at the feet of the King?