Let's talk about empathy, for a moment. Empathy has its roots in two ancient Greek words--(1) Em and (2) Pathos. "Em" is a prefix that means "in," and "Pathos" means "suffering, experience, emotion." Put the two words together and "em-pathy" means quite literally "participating in the suffering, experience, and emotions of another person." It involves imagining what it would be like to be in someone else's situation.
In recent weeks, I've noticed a sentiment floating around some Christian corners of social media that too much empathy can be spiritually dangerous—that feeling deeply for others can cloud moral judgment or even lead us away from truth. The idea that empathy should be avoided stands in stark contrast to the life and teachings of Jesus. When we look at Jesus’ ministry, we don’t see a detached Savior who keeps suffering at arm’s length. Instead, we see someone who draws near to the hurting, enters into their struggles, and allows himself to be moved by the pain of the world.
Jesus didn’t merely acknowledge human suffering—he stepped into it. He wept at the tomb of Lazarus, even though he knew resurrection was coming. He looked out at the hungry crowds and had compassion on them, not just teaching them but feeding them. He reached out to lepers, tax collectors, and others whom society had cast aside, not with judgment, but with love. At every turn, Jesus responded to people with a radical empathy—one that was not passive or distant, but active and deeply engaged.
One of the clearest examples of this is in the parable of the Good Samaritan. In the story, a man is left beaten and dying on the side of the road. A priest and a Levite—religious leaders of their time—see him and pass by, choosing to stay uninvolved. But a Samaritan, someone who would have been seen as an outsider, stops. The Samaritan does not ignore the man’s suffering or dismiss it as someone else’s concern. Instead, he is moved with compassion, tends to his wounds, and ensures he is cared for. Jesus uses this story to show us what true righteousness looks like—not just right belief, but a heart willing to respond to another’s pain.
Empathy is not a sign of weakness, nor is it a distraction from our Christian faith. In fact, scripture repeatedly calls us toward a life of deep compassion. The prophets speak of God’s concern for the poor, the vulnerable, and the oppressed. James writes, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress” (James 1:27). Even in the Old Testament laws, there are repeated commands to care for the stranger, the foreigner, and the needy. To love God is to love people, and true love requires us to step into the reality of others’ suffering, not away from it.
Some might say that too much empathy leads to compromise, but Jesus shows us otherwise. His compassion never led him away from truth—it revealed the truth of God’s love. His empathy did not weaken his mission—it was his mission. The cross itself stands as the ultimate sign of God entering into human pain, taking on the weight of the world’s suffering so that healing and redemption could follow.
If there is a danger for us today, it is not in feeling too much for others. It is in allowing our hearts to grow hard, in becoming so focused on being “right” that we forget to be kind, in letting fear or pride keep us from responding to the needs around us. The way of Jesus is not a path of detachment, but of deep connection. Through empathy, we do not merely feel for others—we participate in the work of God’s kingdom, bringing hope, healing, and love into a world that desperately needs it.
So may we follow Jesus’ example. May we not turn away from the suffering of others but move toward it with open hearts. May we have the courage to love as Jesus loved, not in theory, but in action. And may we always remember that in showing mercy, we, too, receive mercy.
See you in church!
Pastor Adam
