And behold, some men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralyzed, and they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Jesus, but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus.

And when He saw their faith, He said, "Man, your sins are forgiven you."

Luke 5:18-20, ESV

I have always loved hearing the account of this event, for it is one of the most beautiful stories of true friendship contained within Scripture. Try to picture what actually took place here. Jesus was now well into His ministry and it became known that He had the power to heal all sicknesses and infirmities. For those who had given up on getting help for themselves or their loved ones, hope had now appeared in the form of the Messiah!

So these good men carried their friend to see what could be done for him. Imagine for a moment their disappointment when they realized that they could not carry their friend to see the Lord. But they were not to be deterred! Not these friends, for they hoisted the man up onto the roof and then dug down through the roof and ceiling in order to lower their friend into the room where Jesus was. Assuming it was not their house, they were fortunate not to get arrested! Destruction of private property has been frowned upon in just about every era.

But the men's efforts were rewarded far beyond what they could have hoped, for before Jesus healed the man, He actually forgave him of his sins! Just think, before finally being released from the confinement of his paralysis, Jesus first released the man from his confinement of sin! And this never could have happened had not this man's friends not been willing to bring him to Jesus! 

Do you have people who love you in this way? I suppose you do, for somebody first introduced you to Christ. Now, what lengths are you willing to go to in order to bring those you love to Christ? It's something worth your consideration, wouldn't you agree?