“And immediately he rose before them, and took up that on which he lay, and went home.” (Luke 5: 26).
When I was a little school girl, I always made a point of completing my homework and other assessments on the day that I received them – wherever possible. This is because I always felt that the best way to ensure that I did not forget to do something was to do it immediately and then move on to other things later. I found that it resulted in no more or less work for me, as what usually happened was that a task would be given in a particular week and then several weeks later other tasks would be given and these too would need to be completed and unless I had made a head-start on my work I would find myself very stressed about achieving the deadlines assigned to me.
It was in this way that I built a way of approaching my work that meant that I never left a task for tomorrow if I could complete it today…
And I have been thinking about this concept today as I have been reflecting on the story of the paralysed man…
“Men were bringing on a bed a man who was paralysed, and they sought to bring him in and lay him before Jesus; but finding no way to bring him in, because of the crowd, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before Jesus. And when he saw their faith he said, ‘Man, your sins are forgiven you ...Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise and walk? But that you may know that the Son of man has authority on earth to forgive sins’ – He said to the man who was paralysed – ‘I say to you, rise, take up your bed and go home.’ And immediately he rose before them, and took up that on which he lay, and went home.” (Luke 5:17-26).
And those friends of the paralysed man were sort of like me in this regard. They did not leave anything for tomorrow.
The crowds were huge the people were blocking the way. It would have been hot and dusty and noisy and chaotic. It would have been difficult to manoeuvre a pallet with a paralysed man lying on top of it through those sorts of conditions. Those friends could have said, let’s go home now and come back really early tomorrow morning and try again then – we can come before the sun rises even – but let’s come back tomorrow…
But they did not. They would not wait another day. Tomorrow was not an option because tomorrow might have been too late. Maybe the Master would have moved on by tomorrow? Maybe the crowds would be worse by tomorrow? Maybe the paralysed man would despair overnight by tomorrow?
And I have been thinking about that. For it seems to me that I never put off anything until tomorrow – except my prayers… And today, I ask for the Grace that the friends of the paralysed man received. For through such a Grace as that I shall not put off my prayers until tomorrow – for tomorrow may be too late…
For with prayer, I stand on Holy Ground where everything is clear. Here. At the Foot of the Cross.