Active Compassion

Book excerpt: So often when we hear the story of Jesus healing the paralytic who was lowered through the roof of a house, we center on the miracle Jesus performed that day. Jesus certainly changed the life of the paralytic that day. But what about the four men who carried their paralytic friend to Jesus? What would have happened to the paralytic had they not been willing to do whatever necessary to carry him to Jesus? His life may never have been transformed. The same is true for us today. There are many people we pass every day that may need someone to have compassion on them. There are co-workers, family members, neighbors, and friends who may need to be “carried” to the feet of Jesus. So many of us want to make a difference in the world, and as believers we can take that one step farther and make a difference in eternity. For the paralytic not only was his earthly life radically changed, his eternity was changed. Even though it all happens in only 12 short verses, it encompasses many insights that can inspire us today as we become difference makers in our world.