EMPATHIZING
WITH SUFFERING

Topics: Compassion; Empathy; Incarnation; Mercy; Ministry; Suffering

References: John 11:35; Hebrews 4:14–16; 5:1–10

When sportswriter Mitch Albom heard that his favorite college professor, whom he hadn’t seen in twenty years, was dying of Lou Gehrig’s disease, he began visiting him weekly. In his bestselling book Tuesdays with Morrie, Albom describes their visits, focusing on his old professor’s wit and insights.

One time, Mitch asked Morrie why he bothered following the news since he wouldn’t be around to see how things turned out. Morrie responded, “It’s hard to explain, Mitch. Now that I’m suffering, I feel closer to people who suffer than I ever did before. The other night on TV, I saw people in Bosnia running across the street, getting fired on. I just started to cry. I feel their anguish as if it were my own. I don’t know any of these people. But—how can I put this? I’m almost drawn to them.”

Jesus understands our sufferings, too, but it’s more than empathy; he has suffered and is with us when we suffer.

—Greg Asimakoupoulos, Mercer Island, Washington