A friend of mine wrote a book about the “silent witnesses in the gospels” and the four friends of the paralyzed man are featured prominently. In most miracle stories the petitioner approaches Jesus with a need and after the cure Jesus says something like “Your faith has saved you.” The paralytic never utters a word in the gospel. You get the impression that he had given up but his four friends had not. They still had hope because of Jesus. And the miracle comes, according to St. Mark, because of their faith, not that of the paralytic. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to him, “Child, your sins are forgiven.” We all have people — friends and family — who need Jesus but don’t know it. This story should encourage us to hang in there with them for God will look at our faith and bestow a blessing on them.
