Some men came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them — the four unnamed bearers are among the most theologically significant unnamed characters in Mark's Gospel. They bring the paralyzed man; they are unable to get him through the crowd; they go to extraordinary lengths to reach Jesus. Their persistence is the story's engine. The paralyzed man is entirely passive — he is carried throughout the entire narrative. He does not ask, does not speak, does not choose. Everything that happens to him happens through the initiative of others: his friends who carry him and Jesus who heals him. His complete helplessness makes the faith of his friends the active element.

COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS

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