Traditional Service

·       As we begin chapter 2 of Mark, Jesus is returning to Capernaum after preaching and teaching in different places over the past few days.

o   The news of His return had spread well enough that even larger crowds were now filling the street outside the home that He was in.

o   In that region and during that time, it was the norm that your front door was opened in the morning and whoever wanted to come in was welcome to do so. The door was never shut unless privacy was needed.

o   Chances are good that there was no entry hall to the house, meaning that the front door probably opened right up to the street.

o   So, it didn’t take long for the house to fill with people and the crowd trying to get in from outside created a stalemate in the home.

·       Approaching from the outskirts of the crowd came 4 men who were carrying the friend on a mat.

o   The man on the mat was unable to get himself into the presence of Jesus, but he clearly wanted to be there.

o   The men carrying him assessed the situation and knew it was going to be close to impossible to get to Jesus through the crowd.

o   However, in that day, the rooves of a home were not just to keep the weather out…but they were a place to go and relax early in the morning or to enjoy the sunset in the evening.