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Verse

Mark 2:4

ESV And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and when they had made an opening, they let down the bed on which the paralytic lay.
NIV Since they could not get him to Jesus because of the crowd, they made an opening in the roof above Jesus by digging through it and then lowered the mat the man was lying on.
NASB And when they were unable to get to Him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above Him; and after digging an opening, they let down the pallet on which the paralyzed man was lying.
CSB Since they were not able to bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him, and after digging through it, they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
NLT They couldn’t bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, so they dug a hole through the roof above his head. Then they lowered the man on his mat, right down in front of Jesus.
KJV 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.
NKJV And when they could not come near Him because of the crowd, they uncovered the roof where He was. So when they had broken through, they let down the bed on which the paralytic was lying.

What does Mark 2:4 mean?

Four men bring their paralytic friend to an over-crowded house in hopes that Jesus will heal him. Literally every traditional access to Jesus is barred. So these loyal friends try something untraditional.

Homes in ancient Israel typically had exterior stairs leading to a flat rooftop terrace. A main beam ran the length of the interior and was reinforced by several posts. Rafters spanned crosswise from the beam to the perpendicular walls, and brushwood covered the spaces between. On top of the brushwood was a covering of clay mixed with straw. Ceilings stood about six feet above the floor.

Luke 5:19 says this house has clay formed into tiles, not pounded into a solid mass. So the four men tear up the tiles, make a hole through the brushwood, and lower the cot into the room. Undoubtedly, fleeing falling twigs and evading a man lowered on a bed to the floor gives the crowd more incentive to get out of the way than when his friends had tried to carry him through the doorway.

Despite that fact that Jesus' ministry is primarily to teach, and that His plans to rest are often interrupted by people seeking healing, He clearly loves it when people's faith drives them to take drastic measures to find Him. As seen later, the woman with the issue of blood (Mark 5:24–34) will have no legal or ceremonial right to touch Jesus' cloak, but in her faith she will dare, and Jesus will commend her. The Canaanite woman knew her needs were second-string compared to those of the Jews, but it didn't stop her from asking Jesus to heal her daughter (Matthew 15:21–28). Both women are held up to us as examples of bold faithfulness, which we are to emulate.
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