You Are There

Have you ever read a story or parable in the Bible and wondered what you would be doing if you were there? Think of the feeding of the 5000. Would you be discussing with your friends the impossibility of a seemingly endless supply of food coming out of the basket being passed around, or by faith would you just accept it?

What if you were in the garden with your best friend over the past three years? Your Lord and Savior is in obvious pain and stress and you can do nothing about it. All of a sudden a huge and intimidating group of soldiers appears to take Him away and possibly kill or torture Him. What are you going to do? Flee? Throw yourself in front of Him inviting imminent death? Or stand numbly in shock as they take Him away.

I was reading in Luke 5 this morning about the paralytic man and his four friends that were carrying him on a stretcher, doing what they could to get him to Jesus. I would hope that I would be one of those men willing to do anything necessary to get my crippled friend to the feet of Jesus where he will have his sins forgiven and paralysis ended. Would I be? Or would I be pushing through the crowd trying to see and hear the prophet for myself not even thinking of my friend? Or, worse yet, would I just stay home because of the hassle- and I hate crowds-and they're all dumb anyway for following anybody anywhere?

What am I like today? Am I willing to do everything I can to bring my sick, broken, and sin paralyzed friends to the feet of Jesus? All too often I just stay at home.