The Inconvenience of Availability

“And they came, bringing to him a paralytic carried by four men. And when they could not get near him because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him…”

Isn’t it astonishing that a hole in the roof does not move Jesus to anger but rather compassion?

Seriously, imagine yourself in this situation. You have been on a business trip (or preaching tour) for weeks on end. Now you are finally at home. (By the way it’s probably not Jesus’ actual house–more than likely it is Simon Peter’s). But the crowd wants more. You know what that feels like; being totally spent with nothing to give–but people still need more. Not only would the crowd be a little draining (and dare I say annoying) but add to all of this some guys climbing on your roof and tearing a whole through the ceiling. (Again, let’s not lose the context–this would have been far more “fixable” in Jesus’ day, but nonetheless still potentially annoying).
Would you have been annoyed by someone tearing a hole in your roof or would you have been moved with compassion? I would have probably been at least a little annoyed. But then again maybe not, with such an extreme case.

The point is this–being available (as believers should be) is not always convenient. However, if we are to be like Jesus then we cannot afford to be ticked off by large crowds or holes in our roof. The glory of God and the souls of people have to be more important and be our heart’s greater affection, or else we will miss opportunities because of the inconvenience of availability.