THE GIFT OF EMPATHY
FEBRUARY 17, 2022
John 8:1-11 NLT
1Jesus returned to the Mount of Olives, 2but early the next morning he was back again at the Temple. A crowd soon gathered, and he sat down and taught them. 3As he was speaking, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. They put her in front of the crowd. 4“Teacher,” they said to Jesus, “this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5The law of Moses says to stone her. What do you say?” 6They were trying to trap him into saying something they could use against him, but Jesus stooped down and wrote in the dust with his finger. 7They kept demanding an answer, so he stood up again and said, “All right, but let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone!” 8Then he stooped down again and wrote in the dust. 9When the accusers heard this, they slipped away one by one, beginning with the oldest, until only Jesus was left in the middle of the crowd with the woman. 10Then Jesus stood up again and said to the woman, “Where are your accusers? Didn’t even one of them condemn you?” 11“No, Lord,” she said. And Jesus said, “Neither do I. Go and sin no more.”
THE GIFT OF EMPATHY
I am sure you have heard of the word sympathy. Simply put, sympathy is when we have common feelings of sadness or pity for and with someone else. Empathy has similar beginnings as sympathy, but it’s quite different. While sympathy suggests that you share the feelings of someone else because of a similar experience, empathy implies that you have the capacity to imagine the feelings someone else had, but you haven’t felt them yourself.
It’s easy to sympathize with someone because we’ve walked through the same thing, but empathy requires a bit of work on our part. It’s not something most people grasp or do. But, to navigate relationships with others with whom we don’t see eye to eye, we have to work at this important quality.
Listen With Purpose
When we take the time to hear other people out, we value them by showing love and respect. As we truly listen to them, we can learn why they believe what they do. This helps us to get a glimpse into their lives. As we’re listening, preparing our response while they’re still talking is like getting ready to debate them. The thing we want to look for in this kind of scenario is that the two people coming together value each other more than they care about being right.
Tell me Your Story
Learning someone’s reasons will help us see their view and keep us from judging too quickly. If someone shares the “why” behind why they believe in something you don’t, consider the background they’re sharing. People often land on their worldviews and stances because of their upbringing, which includes both positive and negative experiences. When we allow ourselves to step into their world, for even just a few minutes, we’re less likely to show judgment.
Today’s Gospel reading offers a comparison between law and love. Those who brought the women to Jesus were heavy handed, lacked even a small measure of grace. Where was the woman’s adultery partner? Moses says “stone her.”
Jesus’ response though is one of love and compassion. He challenges the law as her accusers are using it by challenging them that if they are without sin, if they are law keepers, then you throw the first stone. They all gradually went away. Jesus gentle words to the women were not condemnation, but love and challenge, Go, and sin no more.
Empathy is a key component to a healthy relationship. Expressing it allows us to see the person for who they are, to understand a different point of view, and to ultimately, in my view represent Jesus well.
Grant me the empathy to understand their life situation and respect them enough to extend loving support, while sharing God's love with dignity.
Allow me, Lord, to recognize opportunities to stand with others, friend to friend.
Amen.
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