“And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
Mark 2:1-6 KJV
Tear the roof off, we’re gonna tear the roof off the mo——s——r. Tear the roof off the sucker
You got a real type of thing going down
There’s a whole lot of rhythm goin round
Yes, these are the words of Parliament Funkadelic and they come to mind whenever I read this passage. You got a whole lot of rhythm going on in there, and get in I will, even if I have to tear the roof off. The word rhythm has a lot of meanings. Aside from the measurement of movement for music, it’s also momentum. It’s also Grace. The word is used colloquially for the leniency granted when determining a charge for illegal activity. Grace. You got a whole lot of grace going on and I’ve got to have some. Not so much for myself today, but for my friend here.
What? Imagine having friends, a squad or a posse, or even a team or a tribe…people who so demand grace on your behalf that they would go to any lengths to get it for you. In this pericope, the man with palsy had friends who were so down for him that when they determined there was no way to get him in the front door of the house where Jesus was healing; it was so crowded with folks who’d gotten there before them. They decided their friend would not be denied. They removed the roof. They took it off. They broke it up. They moved it out of the way and lowered him down into the presence of Jesus. This is one of my favorite passages and yes, even when I preached it for the first time in church, I called on Parliament for the rhythm. Take the roof off the house. Never allow a friend to be in need without being willing to go to whatever lengths are necessary to see her healed. Pray the roof off. Dance the roof off. Shout the roof off. Praise the roof off. Worship the roof off. Give God no rest until deliverance becomes a reality in the life of your friend.
Dorothy Scott Boulware 