Tuesday, September 1, 2015

RAY

Good Morning!

For in that He Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those

who are tempted. Hebrews 2:18

Speakers of English often confuse two similar sounding words: sympathy

and empathy. But their meanings are significantly different. Sympathy is a

feeling of pity or sorrow because of someone else’s suffering. Empathy is the

ability to identify with, understand, and share another’s feelings.

Sympathy can only imagine another person’s suffering, while empathy

knows exactly how the sufferer feels because of having suffered the same

way.

Does Jesus sympathize with our temptations or empathize? Does He feel bad

for how we feel when tempted or does He know exactly how we feel, having

been tempted Himself?  The Holy Spirit led Jesus into the wilderness “to be

tempted by the devil” for forty days.  It’s how He learned to obey God. When

you're tempted, know that Jesus is able to intercede and help you on the basis

of empathy, not sympathy.