A Few Quick Thoughts: Compassion and Empathy

I was curious as to what the Bible had to say about these things, so I took some liberty to spend some time and look it up. Here is some of what I found. All quotes are taken from the NIV. My comments (if any, as most of these verses speak for themselves a lot better than I could!) are in italics.

Romans 12:15

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

This is probably about as straight-forward and blunt as I've seen Paul get, though he usually is pretty frank.

Romans 15:3

For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: "The insults of those who you insult have fallen on me."

This always makes me think of the story that always seems to find its way mass forwarded into my e-mail inbox (by the way, if any of you send me that kind of stuff, I usually delete it without reading... just to let you know!). It's about a group of students and the teacher tells them to draw a picture of someone that has somehow wronged them before. The teacher tapes the pictures onto the wall and allowed the students to throw darts at the board, telling them to take their anger and frustration out on the pictures. At the end, the teacher removed all the student-drawn pictures to reveal a picture of Jesus with the holes and tears from the darts all over him.

1 Peter 3:15-17

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, keeping a clear conscience, so that those who speak maliciously against your good behaviour in Christ may be ashamed of their slander. It is better, if it is God's will, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.

Admittedly, this verse has less to do with the theme and more to do with life in general, but it was in the same section of my notebook as the other verses, so I must've had something in mind by putting it there. Whenever I read this verse, I can't help thinking of one of my friends saying that you can deal with people by "smacking them uptop the head with your character".

Galatians 6:2

Carry each other's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Is this not a command to help others and show compassion? If it isn't, I don't know what is.

2 Corinthians 1:3-7

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows. If we are distressed, it is for your comfort and salvation; if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which produces in you the patient endurance of the same sufferings we suffer. And our hope for you is firm, because we know that just as you share in our sufferings, so also you share in our comfort.

I'm really not sure if I have anything to point out about this, other than the fact that God is always the one who initiates. We just respond.

1 Peter 2:24

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.

Whenever I think of this verse, aside from thinking of the song, I think of what Steve (our church pastor) was talking about one Sunday back in January. We were in the middle of a unit on the Holy Spirit and actually in the books of Luke and John, but he brought up the point that one of the things that Jesus did (and I think it's probably one of, if not the, most important things!) was that he swallowed the pain, brokenness and suffering of the world. I mean, he did so much that he had to die to accomplish what needed to be done, but he still willingly did it. If nothing else, that's showing love and compassion.

So those are just a few thoughts. Let me know what you think, okay? If it seems like this is thrown together quickly, it kind of was, but maybe it's better left like that.