Many roofs of the galilean villages were overlain with packed clay.
Paralytic lowered through the roof.
The gospel writer luke reported a paralytic man was lowered through the tiled roof.
So the four men went up on the roof removed some tiles and lowered the paralyzed man on his bedroll into the middle of the crowd right in front of jesus.
Roof and outside stairs leading up to the roof.
First jesus did what only god can do he forgave the man s sins.
In matthew 9 1 the town is referred to only as his own city and the narrative in matthew 9 2 7 does not mention the.
So they tore a hole in this man s roof and lowered him down to jesus.
Then jesus healed the man so that he could get up and walk.
Your sins are forgiven 3 and some of the scribes said to themselves this fellowblasphemes 4 and jesus knowing their thoughts said why are you thinking evil in your hearts.
This is the message of the colorful story of the paralytic man whose friends lowered him through the roof as jesus spoke in a crowded house luke 5 17 26.
It s a humorous story.
Mark tells us that it happened in capernaum.
Jesus saw the faith of the four men and said to the paralyzed man friend your sins are forgiven.
2 and they brought to him a paralytic lying on a bed.
Most likely then the paralytic who was let down through the roof was weighed down by a burden of guilt which he had carried rightly or wrongly for many years.
Luke 5 18 25new international version niv 18 some men came carrying a paralyzed man on a mat and tried to take him into the house to lay him before jesus 19 when they could not find a way to do this because of the crowd they went up on the roof and lowered him on his mat through the tiles into the middle of the crowd right in front of jesus.
The friends climbed up an outside staircase and dug a hole through the roof.
20 when jesus saw their faith he said friend your sins are forgiven.
But instead of giving healing the first thing jesus said was son thy sins be forgiven thee.
To hear the lord pronounce that his sins were forgiven lifted a great load from this man s guilty conscience.
And when they had broken through they lowered the mat on which the paralytic was lying.
As late as the early 20th century some of the roofs in tiberias were of packed clay.
The implication is quite clear that the man was paralyzed because of past sins.
Healing the paralytic.
They lowered their friend down to the place where jesus was.
Healing the paralytic let down through the roof in capernaum.
As far as they were concerned jesus may not ever pass that way again and they wanted to make sure this paralytic man had to chance to see him.
It has been suggested the greek for clay tile might have also meant packed clay.
Capernaum is also the location of the healing of the paralytic lowered by friends through the roof to reach jesus as reported in mark 2 1 12 and luke 5 17 26.
They dug through it and let down the mat on which the paralyzed man was lying.