In Mark 2:3-4, we read, “And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.” In the fifth chapter of Luke, we find out that they let the man down “through the tiling.”
At the time of Christ, most of the roofs were made by laying stone tiles across the wooden joists of the house. Then a mixture of clay, tar, ashes, mortar and sand was put on top of the stone tiles. This was pressed until it was hard. Then sometimes grass was planted on top of this mixture. This type roof helped keep the house cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
When the Scriptures say that the men broke up the roof it means they literally had to dig through the hard mixture. They had to dig a large enough area to be able to let down a bed. They also had to pull up the heavy stone tiles off of the roof joists. This would have required a significant amount of work. But the men wanted their friend to see Jesus. They were willing to expend a lot of energy to have their friend healed by Jesus.
Today, we have many individuals who will not even go to the trouble of driving a car 10 minutes to attend worship services. Many individuals will not even go to the trouble of picking up their Bibles and reading them. Very few individuals are willing to walk across the street and tell their neighbor about God and his Word.
Do not be like many today. Be like the men who helped their friend by uncovering the roof. Be willing to work hard to learn all that the Bible has to teach us. Be willing to work hard to tell others about Jesus and bring them to him.
Until next time, keep studying your Bible. And if any of this is hard to understand, ask an adult to help you.
