More Than One Man - The One Year At His Feet Devotional
More Than One Man
Read: Matthew 9:1-8
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”
Matthew 9:2
“The Bible knows nothing of solitary religion.”
—John Wesley
IN WORD Here, hidden in a brief story of Jesus’ healing power, we have a model of the church. A paralyzed man cannot make it to the Healer on his own. He needs his friends. Did he ask them to take him? Or did they decide on their own what their friend needed? Either way, it was their faith that moved Jesus. Not just the faith of the cripple, but the faith of the group as a whole. It was a community effort. A group of guys acting on behalf of the one in need.
Rarely in Scripture is God’s work between Him and only one person. He works through community. His plans are too great to be appreciated in isolation. Jesus promises to be where two or more are gathered in His name. He tells us not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. He defines us as His body—many parts working together as one whole. He has revealed Himself through the nation of Israel, and He works through the church to reach a needy world. Though God will work with us as individuals, He does it for others to see. God is a group experience.
IN DEED What does the church do with our needy ones? Sometimes we criticize them for being needy. Sometimes we tell them to go to Jesus themselves. Sometimes we even tell them to get help first, and then they’ll be suitable for meeting Jesus. We miss the whole point.
God’s purpose in this world is to display His glory. Sometimes that is for one or two people to see, but usually not. Usually, He wants as many people as possible to observe His answers to prayer. Usually, He wants as many as possible to hear His stories of deliverance. Usually, He wants people who come to Him to be brought by others who believe in Him. This is our work—carrying our wounded to Jesus in faith, so that we all may be “filled with awe” (v. 8) and give praise to God.
