Who Will You Bring?

We spend much our time during Great Lent focusing on fasting and the extra prayers and Church services. We do all this in order to grow closer to Jesus Christ, but there is another part of our Great Lenten opportunity offers for our soul. In the Gospel lesson today, we hear about a man who was brought by his four friends to see Jesus. Because this man had four friends who loved him enough to bring him to Jesus, he was healed of his sickness and his sins were forgiven. If these four men had not loved their friend enough, he might still be paralyzed.

When Jesus entered the house, word went out to all the area and so many people came to hear Jesus speak, there was no room left in the house. That was not enough to stop these four friends. They were determined to help their friend see Jesus and be healed by Him. In a few short weeks Churches all over the world will also be filled with people wanting to see and hear the Word of God. Just like the house in today’s Gospel, there won’t even be room for extra people to enter through the door, and still there will be more people wanting to come see and hear the Word of God.

When the crowd saw the man healed, and heard His sins forgiven, they glorified God, just like we will glorify Him at Pascha and sing Christ is Risen for the world to hear. There is only one thing left for us to be like the story in today’s Gospel. Who are we going to bring to see and hear Christ? Who do we love enough to bring to be healed by God?

Great Lent should not only be about prayer and fasting. It should include loving others enough to bring them to see and hear Jesus, and be healed by Him. If our prayer and fasting doesn’t lead to others seeing and hearing Jesus, then it will be nothing more than a diet and a few words. When the crowd witnessed the power of Jesus, they said, “We have never seen anything like this!” How many more could see and hear Jesus if we brought them this year? Who will you bring?