Jesus Identifies With Us!
"For in that He Himself has suffered,
being tempted, He is able to aid
those who are tempted."
Hebrews 2: 18
Two words in the English language are often
confused and, therefore, misused: sympathize
and empathize. Sympathy means “to suffer with.”
Sympathy expresses feelings of pity or sorrow for
someone’s suffering.
You don't understand what
the person is experiencing, but you feel badly
for them.
Empathize goes a step further. Empathy
means “to understand and share in the
suffering with another because you
have
experienced the same suffering yourself.”
Jesus expressed both sympathy and empathy.
He was “moved with compassion” when He saw
the spiritual condition of people—they were like
“sheep having no shepherd” (Matthew 9:36).
This
was not something Jesus experienced Himself,
but He sympathized with the suffering of others.
When it comes to the suffering we experience
in temptation, Jesus empathizes with us because
“He Himself has suffered, being
tempted.” Having
experienced the same suffering, He knows how
to come to our aid.
You are not alone when you are tempted.
Jesus knows what you are experiencing.
As He escaped temptation Himself, He
will guide you through to victory over sin.
"Our response to
temptation
is an accurate barometer of
our love for God."
Erwin Lutzer
