Jesus Understands Us: He was sent into the world to show the world the way to God. He was greeted by a world that largely rejected Him, and still does. Yet, through it all, He had and still has empathy for us. God loves us, not because we are lovable, but because He chooses to love us.
Understanding Others
People with empathy have the ability to relate to and understand the feelings of others. Call it putting your self in the other man’s shoes. That sensitivity leads to compassion and taking action to help. It is often associated with sympathy, but the two are different. Sympathy is feeling pity for someone else. Empathy is more intellectual, a thought process.
Empathy develops. It starts with being aware of someone else’s emotional state. The emotional element to empathy comes with sharing and relating to the emotions of the other person. Then there is compassionate empathy which causes a person to take action and try to help.
Jesus, of course had all three of these characteristics of empathy, but he was also able and to keep His distance. He understood the emotional state of others and He understood their needs. In order to serve them, which is what He came to do, He needed that distance, that emotional detachment. He loved them and cared for them, but he did not get caught up in their emotional state.
Jesus Understands Us
35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew 9:35-38)
Apathy is the opposite of empathy
Of course, the opposite of empathy is apathy. Apathetic people don’t see the other side at all and don’t care. But, compassion is mentioned 77 times in the Bible, most always in terms of God making a decision to look at people with empathy and act with compassion to help. God relieves suffering.
The major dividing points between empathy and compassion are that compassion, derived from a Latin word “compassio,” which means “fellow feeling,” is emotional, whereas empathy is something that a person can learn. In a way, it’s a skill. One just seems to come naturally, while the other is like a muscle that needs to be worked and developed.
Chaplains need to develop empathy
I worked for many years as a hospital chaplain and much of my training had to do with empathy…listening and not talking.
A Catholic priest taught me about the ministry of presence, as deeply powerful connection to another person, even though words may not be exchanged. It was all about “being” with the other person.
Learning empathy included taking care of myself. Chaplains often talk of having an emotional or spiritual hedge between them and their patient.
Imagine Christ taking on the sins of the world. Sure it was an act of compassion, but it was more an act of empathy. He chose to follow the will of His Father. Jesus chose to go to the cross. He chose to lay down His life.
Empathy comes from God’s grace
Empathy and compassion are components of a much bigger power, which permeates everything in the universe—the grace of God. Our beautiful and perfect God is in control. He determines all outcomes, yet He allows us to participate in His plan.
There is so much we don’t understand, but He still holds us close. He gives us empathy, which leads to compassion. Or as Jesus said, “love your neighbor as yourself.”
Jesus Understands Us: He was sent into
the world to show the world the way to God. He was greeted by a world
that largely rejected Him, and still does. Yet, through it all, He
had and still has empathy for us. God loves us, not because we are
lovable, but because He chooses to love us.
Understanding Others
People with empathy have the ability to
relate to and understand the feelings of others. Call it putting your
self in the other man’s shoes. That sensitivity leads to compassion
and taking action to help. It is often associated with sympathy, but
the two are different. Sympathy is feeling pity for someone else.
Empathy is more intellectual, a thought process.
Empathy develops. It starts with being
aware of someone else’s emotional state. The emotional element to
empathy comes with sharing and relating to the emotions of the other
person. Then there is compassionate empathy which causes a person to
take action and try to help.
Jesus, of course had all three of these
characteristics of empathy, but he was also able and to keep His
distance. He understood the emotional state of others and He
understood their needs. In order to serve them, which is what He came
to do, He needed that distance, that emotional detachment. He loved
them and cared for them, but he did not get caught up in their
emotional state.
Jesus Understands Us
35 Jesus went through all
the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the
good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness.
36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because
they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.
37 Then
he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers
are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out
workers into his harvest field.” (Matthew
9:35-38)
Apathy is the opposite of empathy
Of course, the opposite of empathy is
apathy. Apathetic people don’t see the other side at all and don’t
care. But, compassion is mentioned 77 times in the Bible, most always
in terms of God making a decision to look at people with empathy and
act with compassion to help. God relieves suffering.
The major dividing points between
empathy and compassion are that compassion, derived from a Latin word
“compassio,” which means “fellow feeling,” is emotional,
whereas empathy is something that a person can learn. In a way, it’s
a skill. One just seems to come naturally, while the other is like a
muscle that needs to be worked and developed.
Chaplains need to develop empathy
I worked for many years as a hospital
chaplain and much of my training had to do with empathy…listening
and not talking.
A Catholic priest taught me about the
ministry of presence, as deeply powerful connection to another
person, even though words may not be exchanged. It was all about
“being” with the other person.
Learning empathy included taking care
of myself. Chaplains often talk of having an emotional or spiritual
hedge between them and their patient.
Imagine Christ taking on the sins of
the world. Sure it was an act of compassion, but it was more an act
of empathy. He chose to follow the will of His Father.
chose to go
to the cross. He chose to lay down His life.
Empathy comes from God’s grace
Empathy and compassion are components
of a much bigger power, which permeates everything in the
universe—the grace of God. Our beautiful and perfect God is in
control. He determines all outcomes, yet He allows us to participate
in His plan.
There is so much we don’t understand,
but He still holds us close. He gives us empathy, which leads to
compassion. Or as Jesus said, “love your neighbor as yourself.”