Do you have have enough faith to tear the roof off?
As I frequently do on the Sabbath, a few weeks ago I had some praise and worship music playing when a song came on that I had not heard before. The song is titled, “Tear the Roof Off.” While the song was not necessarily catchy, or soon to become my favorite, I quickly understood the reference in the title.
And see, men brought on a bed a man who was paralysed. And they were seeking to bring him in and lay him before Him. But having found no way to bring him in because of the crowd, they went up on the house-top and let him down with his bed through the tiles into the midst before יהושע. And having seen their belief, He said to him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” And the scribes and the Pharisees began to reason, saying, “Who is this who speaks blasphemies? Who is able to forgive sins except Elohim alone?” And יהושע, knowing their thoughts, answering, said to them, “Why are you reasoning in your hearts? “Which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’? “But in order for you to know that the Son of Aḏam possesses 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 to your house.” And at once, having risen up before them, he took up what he had been lying on, and went away to his house, praising Elohim. And astonishment seized them all, and they praised Elohim and were filled with fear, saying, “We have seen extra-ordinary feats today!”
Luke 5:18-26 (Scriptures version)
Note verse 20 in which it says of Yeshua, “And having seen their belief, He said him, “Man, your sins are forgiven you.” The word translated here as “belief” is more commonly translated as “faith.” So, I ask again, do you have enough faith to tear the roof off? Do I have enough faith to tear the roof off?
There was a crowd blocking their path to bring this man to Yeshua yet they didn’t give up and go home. How often does the going get tough and we use it as an excuse to simply give up? “It was too hard,” we might say or, perhaps, “It wasn’t really that important anyway.”
The man’s friends knew that Yeshua could heal him and believed that He would. Their faith led them to take the action of lowering the man into the house from the roof. It’s important to recognize that they didn’t just wait outside in the crowd and expect healing to take place.
Faith requires action. We see this very clearly in the book of James.
My brothers, what use is it for anyone to say he has belief but does not have works? This belief is unable to save him. And if a brother or sister is naked and in need of daily food, but one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” but you do not give them the bodily needs, what use is it? So also belief, if it does not have works, is in itself dead. But someone might say, “You have belief, and I have works.” Show me your belief without your works, and I shall show you my belief by my works.
James 2:14-18 (Scriptures version)
Again, replace “belief” with “faith.” Faith without works is dead.
We see this as a theme throughout Hebrews chapter 11, often referred to as the faith chapter. We see the actions that the “heroes of faith” took because of their faith.
Abel offered a greater sacrifice than Cain. v4
Noah prepared an ark. v7
Abraham went out to the place of his inheritance and offered up Isaac. v8 and v17
The parents of Moses hid him despite the commands of Pharoah. v23
Of course, there are more examples in that chapter, not to mention various others allude to, but not included, for the sake of brevity.
What is also telling is the form the faith takes in the armor or God.
above all, having taken up the shield of belief [faith] with which you shall have power to quench all the burning arrows of the wicked one.
Ephesians 6:16 (Scriptures version)
Why is faith represented as a shield? I’m certain that it’s no coincidence that a shield is one part of armor that is dynamic, that is, it requires action to use properly. To effectively block arrows, a shield must be turned toward the direction from which they are coming. When the enemy comes in from the right, we need to move our shield to the right and when he comes from the left, we move the shield to the left. If you simply leave your shield in front of you at all times, it can only be effective part of the time.
To often, it seems, people think that if they just wait around for God to save them, that means that they have faith. They allow this understanding to support their inaction. Perhaps they get this idea from the story of the Exodus.
And Mosheh said to the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the deliverance of יהוה, which He does for you today. For the Mitsrites whom you see today, you are never, never to see again.
Exodus 14:13 (Scriptures version)
We can read this verse and think that we just need to “stand still”, that we don’t need to take any action of our own. If we read a little bit further in the story, we see what the real lesson is for this passage.
And יהוה said to Mosheh, “Why do you cry to Me? Speak to the children of Yisra’ěl, and let them go forward. “And you, lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, and let the children of Yisra’ěl go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.
Exodus 14:15-16 (Scriptures version)
Instead of Moses telling the Israelites to “stand still”, he needed to be telling them to “go forward,” to take action. Moses himself had to take the action of lifting up his rod and stretching his hand over the sea and all of Israel needed to go.
So, when we talk about faith, it’s important that we talk about it in terms of action. Do we have the faith to take the action of tearing the roof off? Or, do we have such a lack of faith that all we do is stand still. Let us go forward, let us tear the roof off, and let us move mountains.
Remember, in the passage in Luke, it’s stated that Yeshua saw their belief [faith]. He saw the action that they took to take their friend to the roof and lower him down into the house. An important question that we must ask ourselves is does He see our belief today?.
