Tearing the Roof Off
Mark 2:1-12
Illustration
by Larry Powell

It seems the scribes were always around. In our scripture we learn that Jesus was at his home in Capernaum. When word spread throughout the community, a great crowd gathered inside and out the house, prevailing upon Jesus to teach them. We are told that some of the scribes "were sitting there questioning in their hearts." Why were they there anyway? Out of curiosity? To heckle? To find fault? Were they acquaintances of Jesus that they could come into his home and find a place to sit while so many others were standing? I don’t know ... but it seems the Scriptures always bear the same foreboding comment, "the scribes were sitting there," or "nearby." At any rate, on this particular occasion, they got their eyes full.

First, there was a commotion. Four men were literally dismantling the roof…

CSS Publishing Co., Inc., Glimpses Through The Dark Glass, by Larry Powell