Four Good Friends.

Four Good Friends

You are standing in a room full of people. It is a large room with plain white walls. The floor is made of dry beaten dust. There is only one window and it is placed high up on the wall. The sun is streaming in through this window creating a shaft of light.

The room is packed with people and their feet moving around are causing particles of dust to fill the air, they dance like tiny fireflies in the shaft of light. You are standing against the wall furthest from the only door where there are still a large number of people pressing to enter. It is clear from the movement that although the room seems to be packed there are still many more trying to get in through the door.

You look up again at the shaft of light with the dust catching the rays of the sun. The shaft drops down almost into the centre of the room and there in the light as if in a spotlight stands Jesus.

There is still a push of people and the mumbling of many voices..............

Without any prompting, the room falls silent and all eyes turn towards the man Jesus, he begins to speak to the room of onlookers..........

As you listen to his words you hear another sound and your eyes are once again caught by the shaft of sunlight. it seems to be getting bigger and more dust is visible, now falling thickly down through the light.......

It seems to be increasing in size as your eyes are captivated by it. The hole that is allowing the light to cast its ray is becoming larger as you watch........

At first little by little it enlarges, more and more of the pan-tiles are being removed and you can begin to see hands working to remove even more........

The tiles are now being removed even faster as the hole enlarges. More hands join in removing the tiles and laying them to the side. More and more light fills the room and more dust is being stirred up by the movement of people and the removal of the tiles........

Soon, everybody is becoming aware of what is happening. Those standing in the middle beside Jesus begin to press back and you can feel yourself being pressed closer into the wall........

Then you see that there are four men on the roof and they are about to lower down into the room what looks like a stretcher. Slowly it drops to the floor almost right at the feet of Jesus. On it lies a man, and it looks obvious to all that he has lain on this stretcher for some time. He is thin and looks very dirty and uncared for..........

He seems helpless to move, he looks up and around at the people, and into the eyes of Jesus.........

Jesus, in turn, looks towards him, this poor pathetic looking man. He speaks to the man......

You listen, as does everybody else as you hear him say, "Your sins are forgiven"...........

There is a noise of complaining voices. They are complaining that this man Jesus has the audacity to offer this man forgiveness of sins. Just who does he think he is? Who has given him the authority to forgive sins? 

Jesus looks around the room, he turns looking all around. "Would you rather I would tell this man to get up and walk ?" he says............

Again the mumbling voices get louder...........

Jesus ignores the voices and the complaining and turns his attention once again to the man at his feet lying on a dirty bundle of blankets and sheets..........

You watch and listen, wondering just what is going to happen next?

Jesus says to him, "Get up off your fleapit and walk."............

The man seems astounded but the words of Jesus sound commanding almost condemning. It is obvious they have sunk deep into the mind of the man.........

Slowly, very slowly, but surely he does as told and stands on his feet.........  

Equally slowly he begins to walk..........

Those at the door, step aside and make way for him as he passes through. He passes without comment or word and leaves, the dirty fleapit of a bed left lying at the feet of Jesus........

Again the mumbling commences..........

You look towards Jesus who stands still and silent watching the man as he walks away and out of the room..........

He looks up towards the ceiling at the four men who had lowered him into the room........

There seems to be a knowing look which passes from them to Jesus and back......

There is a contented look on the face of the four friends. It seems that they knew what this friend of theirs needed and where it would be found..........

All eyes are on Jesus as he looks around the room.......

He moves slowly around the room, stopping here and there in front of this person and that. Quietly words are passing from Jesus to people in the room......

He moves towards you....... and he looks straight into your face. Your eyes meet and you wait knowing that he is going to have something important to say to you................

In the silence of this moment hear as he lays his hand on your shoulder and gently speaks to you..........

Look and listen and in the silence of your inner being hear those healing words you need to hear..........

It matters not who you are, or where you are from, there are for us all moments when in the silence we hear words that can make a difference and lift a burden. Those worries that hold us down can be lifted from us as we listen again to the inner words that are precious to us.