Empathy

Greetings brothers and sisters… Pastor Rob here.

The human body is truly an amazing creation! The Bible says that we are, “fearfully and wonderfully made!” Our bodies are a beautiful example of unity and diversity, because though the body is a single unit, yet it is made up of many different parts. One of the things that demonstrates the unity of the human body is the fact that when one member of the body is suffering, the whole body is affected. For example, it is amazing how a little splinter in your finger can affect you! When you get that nasty splinter under your skin, your whole body cries out, “Get rid of it! Get the tweezers! Get a needle!” All of your attention is suddenly focused on that tiny little sliver! And it will drive you crazy until you get that thing out!

The apostle Paul likens the church to a human body. The church is called, “the body of Christ,” and each and every believer is a member of that body: “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” (1 Cor. 12:12) The church is a marvelous example of unity and diversity. Jesus Christ is the Head of the body; He is the “brains of the operation!” Believers are not only connected to each other, they are connected to the Head, Jesus Christ; and they are unified by the power of the Holy Spirit. As each member does its part to serve the body, the church functions beautifully under the headship of Jesus.

The picture gets even more beautiful when we consider that different members of the church often undergo suffering. What happens when a member of the body of Christ is hurting?…Paul tells us: ”And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it…” (1 Cor. 12:26) When individual believers go through difficult, painful times, the rest of the body suffers with them. (Remember the splinter?) Because we are one in Christ, there is a loving, caring empathy between the members. We literally, “feel each other’s pain.” 

Do you know another member of the body that is hurting today? Maybe God has made you aware of the suffering because He wants to use you to ease the pain! When one part of your body gets a sliver, it takes another part of the body to remove it! So it is in the Body of Christ. Jesus gives us empathy for one another so that we can care for one another’s needs. The Lord Jesus Christ felt the desperate need of mankind, and He did something about it! He literally laid down His life for us to relieve us of the eternal suffering we deserve. And we can reflect the love of Christ by laying down our lives for the needs of hurting people in the Body of Christ.

—Pastor Rob