Just as yesterday when Jesus told the demon possessed man that he needed to go home rather than follow Him, today we’ll look at a few more examples. In Mark 2 we see Jesus teaching, when men lower a paralytic through the roof. Jesus heals the man and then says to him, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.” (Mark 2:11) Now we don’t know how long this man had been disabled…but long enough for his loyal friends to make the desperate & last ditch attempt to insure his healing. But why did Jesus specifically tell him to go home, and oh by the way, take your mat with you? That mat not only represented the man’s testimony, but it was a undeniable reminder of who he was before Jesus spoke healing into him. And no family, friend, or neighbor could refute it. Later in Acts 9: 34-35 we see the Apostle Peter in a similar situation. In his travels Peter came upon Aeneas, a paralytic bedridden for eight years and said to him, “Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and take care of your mat. Immediately Aeneas got up. All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.” Again this healed man went home dragging his testimony behind him…and all the people in the area were amazed at this dramatic transformation of someone they had known for years…and placed their trust in Jesus.
Safetypinlove 