Finding A Way (A Bible Short Story by Kris Minefee)

“Finding A Way”

In the small coastal town of Capernaum excitement was mixed with the mist of the Galilean Sea. Whispers and shouts all carried the same news, the man called Jesus had returned and was staying at the house of Simon the fisherman. Already a crowd was gathering to hear the Prophet speak.

One man heard the news at the market and dropped the fish he was thinking of buying to get closer to the one just come from Simon Peter’s house.

“What did you say? Please I couldn’t heart you.”

“I said the the Nazarene was back the one who has been staying at Peter’s house.”

The first man began to run from the market not bothering to pick out any fish or waiting to hear the last words of the other man.

“You will not see him the crowd overflows into the street.”

The man ran as he had not run since he was a child, but not in the direction of Simon’s house. He ran to the house of friend near the center of town. He arrived just as his legs and lungs remembered how old he was. He slowed to a walk catching his breath as he worked the latch on the gate and entered the yard of the house.

It was the same as when he had left it only a few short time ago to buy food. Under the shade of a tree which grew in the middle of the yard, three men sat with a fourth. By their action and expressions of concern even a stranger could tell that the fourth man, lying on a pallet, was deathly ill. He did not move anything except his eyes and only the slow, weak rising of his chest told you he still lived.

“Friends, I have such new!” the man exclaimed as he flung open the gate. The sound of his voice echoed from the inner walls of the courtyard.

"What is wrong with you. Have you lost your senses?” One of the men closest to him whispered.

"I am sorry, but I have just heard. He is back. The teacher called Jesus. He is at Simon’s house even now."

This time the message echoed not from the walls of the courtyard bur from the chambers of their hearts.

"Are you sure. How long has he been there? How long will he stay? This Jesus is the only hope for Nathan." All three of the other men were all asking questions at the same time. Then they looked down at their friend, Nathan, as if to somehow listen to him as well. He lay in the shade on a thickly woven mat on top of a pile of straw. No doctor could tell what was wrong, why he was paralyzed and unable to move or even talk. As he listened to the talk of Jesus, though there was a look in his eyes, perhaps a look of hope, but also more a deepness of thought, an understanding of the soul more powerful even than his paralysis.

“We must hurry, already I have heard of a crowd filling the house.”

The four friends each grabbed a corner of the bed and as gently as their need would allow lifted their precious burden and began the trip. Before they got within a furlong they could sense the crowd that was before them. People rushed pass them with each step they took. As they go closer the noise of the moving crowd gave way to a hushed whisper and then as they sighted Simon’s house, to a silence strained only by the breathing of a huge mass of people surrounding and cutting off the house, inside which was Nathan’s only hope.

“Look at all the people!” one of them voiced what they all were thinking. Pouring out the gate and overflowing every window were people trying to listen to a voice that came from the teacher standing in an inner courtyard of the house. The crowd formed a barrier ten and twelve deep before they could even touch the door frame, the courtyard inside would be packed. As they looked their hope slowly turned to emptiness.

One of the friends lifted his eyes, perhaps the involuntary movement of one looking to heaven for help, and his eyes stopped on the roof of the house.

"Look, they are not on the roof. They have forgotten the roof!" The crowd had left the roof empty even though it surrounded the courtyard in which Jesus taught. The courtyard might be open to the sky and therefore open to their friend.

They carried their burden with a new hope to the back of Simon’s house where they found the outside stairs that most houses had. Their fingers were cramped from gripping the bedroll and their legs ached at the added strain of climbing the stairs, but pain could not stop them from reaching the roof. Finally as the last man set his foot on the roof, they found another obstacle, Simon’s courtyard was covered with a tiled roof.

“This is why they did not come on the roof, they could not see the Rabbi from here,” the friend who had thought of climbing the stairs now felt foolish for his suggestion.

"What can we do now? Nathan, is much worse from the carrying. I do not think he has the strength to make it back home."

"Listen”, hushed one, “I can hear him teaching.” They all bent forward on hands and knees and pressed their ears to the roof.

“He must be beneath us.”

“Yes, and the roof must be thin if we can hear him this well.” He pulled at a corner of a tile, it lifted easily to show a lattice work of branches underneath and the voice of Jesus grew louder. Instantly the friends began to tear away the tile and branches to make a hole large enough for their desperately ill friend.

Below in the courtyard as the crowd strained to catch every word spoken by Jesus, they were astonished to see bits of plaster, sticks and dust begin to fall from the ceiling. Jesus stopped teaching and began to walk over to where a hole was rapidly growing. Now the crowd could see the faces and hands of four men tearing away the roof. Suddenly the activity stopped and a blanket holding something was lowered through the hole. At the end of their arms the men on the roof held a dying man.

"Help them with their friend, " The voice of the teacher commanded his disciples. Other hands reached up and slowly brought the paralyzed man to the floor. The crowd made way as Jesus walked over to the sick man. He looked up at the faces of the friends who having come this far, still could not leave their friend.

What faith they must have to overcome so much and bring this one here, Jesus thought. Then He looked into the eyes of the paralyzed man. He saw the look which had escaped the notice of his friends, but it did not escape the one who could read men’s hearts. What He saw was hope but it was a hope mixed with fear. The man was afraid that his sin, his life, his faults would prevent his finding the help he needed. He was afraid that his guilt was greater than Jesus power to heal.

And so it was only the crowd and especially the scribes who wondered and gaped when Jesus said, “Son, your sins be forgiven you.”

Like a wave breaking over a beach the whispers of the crowd washed over Jesus’ conscience, and loudest of all were the thoughts of the scribes, the so called experts of all that scripture said.

“This man speaks blasphemy, who can forgive sins but God?”

“Why do you reason about such things in your hearts?” Jesus answered aloud the questions they only dared to think. “Which is easier to say to this paralyzed one, Your sins be forgiven you or arise take up your bed and walk? But so that you may know that the Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins,” and then He turned to the sick man and said. “Arise, take up thy bed and go your way to your house.”

The light in the man’s eyes had changed while Jesus was talking to the scribes, no doubt, no fear but now only peace and joy remained to be seen. Even if he was not healed it was no longer important, for he knew in his heart his sin was gone. At the word of Jesus he was a new man. And now this teacher. this prophet, this Savior was talking to him again and he could clearly hear the command, “Arise, take up thy bed and walk.” Without fear, without debate, instantly this man who had to be carried by four men stood and picked up his bed. He glance up at the hole in the roof to see the smiles and tears on the faces of his friends who had refused to let him die without seeing Jesus. The he set his face to the gate of the courtyard and began to walk. The crowd fell aside to let him pass and at the same time began to worship God with words of praise, and the most sincere was also the most spontaneous, “We have never seen anything like this?”