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Article - by Lucy Khoneizer 

A reflection for Carers Week

Given the contemporary nature of the caring role, as referenced this week during Carers Week, it might feel unrealistic to expect God to speak through Scripture about this role. However, as a carer myself, I have frequently returned to Scripture when seeking God in this aspect of my life.

Carers UK define a carer as someone who supports a loved one who is older, disabled or seriously ill.[1] Data shows that, during our lifetimes, many of us will find ourselves, whether temporarily or permanently, part-time or full-time, caring for someone we love. While this role is a huge privilege, bringing joy and closeness, it can also leave some people feeling overwhelmed, invisible and undervalued. For this reason, it is important to seek God in this area of our lives.

Mark 2:1-12 presents one account of the healing of a paralysed man. The man is carried by ‘four men’, lowered through a roof and presented before Jesus. While many theologians say that the central focus of this story is the debate about Jesus’s authority to forgive sins, three verses at its start, while not referencing the contemporary caring role, give a Scriptural glimpse at Jesus’s response to an aspect of it.

‘3. Some men came, bringing to him a paralysed man, carried by four of them. 4. 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. 5. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralysed man, “Son, your sins are forgiven.”’ (Mark 2:3-5 NIV)

 
In these verses we read about ‘men’ helping a ‘paralysed man’ to meet with Jesus.

While details of the man’s paralysis are not explained, and scholars stress the difference between ancient and contemporary understanding of physical conditions, what is clear about this man’s condition is that he could not walk independently. Within contemporary society, he would be classified as disabled.  

Additionally, while the nature of the relationship between the men and the paralysed man is also not explained, the actions the men take and the obstacles they overcome to get the ‘paralysed man’ to Jesus, suggests that there was some kind of personal connection between them.

While the paralysed man, who remains silent throughout the story, needs physical help, Mark’s author does not depict him as someone vulnerable to the whims of the able-bodied people around him, unable to make decisions for himself. Instead, he is positioned as an active participant in his own healing as seen in v.12 when he independently responds to Jesus’s instructions.

As for the men, once they have helped the paralysed man to overcome his physical limitations and positioned him before Jesus, their job is done, they leave the man to advocate for himself, and they are absorbed into the watching crowd.  However, despite their anonymity and the brevity of their appearance, the role the men play in this story is significant as summarised in the phrase, ‘Jesus saw their faith’ (v.5).

As a phrase in itself, ‘Jesus saw their faith’ could sound strange. How can someone ‘see’ faith? Perhaps Mark’s author implies that Jesus physically sees the actions of the men as evidencing their faith - their creativity and determination reflecting the certainty of that faith. Or, as some scholars suggest, the phrase could imply that Jesus had spiritual insight into the men’s faith, much like He had spiritual insight into the thoughts of the religious leaders (v.8).[2] This would suggest that, instead of interpreting the actions of the men as merely an attempt to jump the queue in the hope that something could be done for the paralysed man, Jesus divinely understood the men’s actions as genuine acts of faith.

In either case, what v.4 highlights is that not only does Jesus acknowledge these men, but in direct response to their faith, heals the paralysed man.

In a story where many details are omitted, the details that remain take on greater significance. In a small way, it is a story about people helping someone to do what he cannot do for himself, and it is in these details contained within three short verses that a similarity with the contemporary caring role can be seen. Therefore, despite this story’s ancient context, its inclusion in Scripture enables contemporary readers, and in this case, carers, to reflect on, and feel encouragement from, these verses.[3]

Reflecting on these verses from the perspective of a carer, the story highlights how:

1) Jesus sees us. As Carers UK documents, for many carers, the feeling of being invisible and undervalued can be one of the most painful aspects of the caring role. [4] In this story, within the busyness and noise of a crowded room, Jesus not only physically sees the man being lowered in front of Him but He sees the faith of the men lowering him down. While once in situ the man is able to advocate for himself, it takes the faith of the men to enable him to be in that position. So, when Jesus addresses the paralysed man, he also sees and acknowledges the faith of the men who helped him. This story reminds us that Jesus sees and acknowledges all that is done to help and support others.

2) Faith has power not just for the self but for those we care for. Without the faith of the men and the actions it motivated, it is possible that the paralysed man may not have found himself in a position to be healed. For many people with caring responsibilities, the physical, mental and emotional support that they give to their loved one can be essential to that person’s healing. So, this story provides a reminder for caregivers not to underestimate the power in loving and helping loved ones, especially at times when they may need additional help.

3) The men only help the man to move. The paralysed man needs help to move, so they move him, but once in front of Jesus, he no longer needs help - he can make his own decision about being healed. As carers and communities, this reminds us that, when an individual is still able to advocate for themselves, it is important to listen and understand what help they need and/or what they want prayer for, and not to assume we already know.

4) The actions of these men benefit the community not just the healed man. The silent determined faith of the men is seen and honoured by Jesus not only in the wholistic healing of their friend but in the witness to the power and authority of God that the healing brings to the community (v.12).Despite how invisible and undervalued carers may feel at times, Jesus sees us. He understands and values all that is needed to support those that we care for. He also sees the witness that faithful caring for a loved one brings to the wider community.

We may not all care for someone physically disabled, have to manually carry and manoeuvre them, or be fortunate enough to see their wholistic healing, as in this story. But this is their story and each of us have our own.

Each of us has our own loved one to carry in different ways, our own challenges to overcome and victories to witness. And, especially relevant during Carers Week, this story provides the reassurance that God sees and acknowledges it all.

[1] Carers UK, Annual report 2024-25, 60
[2] Konradt, The Bible, 144
[3] Culpepper, Mark, 93
[4] Carers UK, Annual report 2024-25, 17
 

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